The mother of an Indigenous woman who was fatally shot by police nearly five years ago was in Victoria Tuesday to highlight ongoing work with law enforcement to prevent tragic stories like her daughter’s.
“It’s a big step for me,” Martha Martin said, as she appeared with Victoria Police Chief Del Manak.
“I never imagined I would be wearing blue to support police officers, but here I am because my love for my children is bigger than the anger I felt, and I will continue to push forward.”
Martin’s daughter Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation on Vancouver Island, was shot and killed by an Edmunsoton police constable in New Brunswick in June 2020.
Police had been called to her apartment for a wellness check, and the officer says he was forced to fire when Moore advanced on him with a knife.
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A coroner’s inquest made multiple recommendations, including the need for better police responses to stressful situations, including de-escalation and crisis intervention training and better access to “less-lethal tools.”
Since then, Martin has been advocating for change in policing, work that helped spur the formation of the Victoria Police Department’s Co-Response Team (CRT). Launched two years ago, the team pairs a police officer with a mental health worker to better address calls that could involve a mental health component.
“I believe that working together is the best way forward. Being angry with policemen? I could be out there angry,” she said.
“But instead of taking that anger, I have taken the love for my children to move forward and to be able to push for these changes.”
Manak said that meeting Martin helped inspire him to create the CRT, a process that required getting the support of Island Health, the City of Victoria and the police board.
Since the unit’s inception, he said the neighbouring West Shore RCMP has emulated the concept and created its own team.
“We made positive change, and I think the story that needs to be told here is what is possible in working together with our community members to improve the service that police provide,” Manak said.
“But the bottom line is there is better outcomes for individuals that need help around their wellness.”
Martin praised Manak for his commitment and follow-through with the program, adding it had given her the drive to push harder.
And she said the success in Victoria is just the first step in her quest to honour her daughter.
“We will continue to do it, even if it is one police detachment at at time,” she said.
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