City Unveils Purple Chairs to Recognize Family Violence Prevention Month

The City of St. Albert and St. Albert RCMP have partnered to install two purple Adirondack chairs overlooking the Sturgeon River, north of the Children’s Bridge on Red Willow Trail

The St. Albert Purple Chairs are inspired by an initiative started in Nova Scotia to honour a woman who was murdered by her husband of 25 years. They are a colourful memorial to women killed by their partners and a source of information for people facing domestic violence who don’t know where to turn.

Each chair has a plaque on the arm providing help numbers for those experiencing abuse and for helpers to share including the Alberta Family Violence Info Line, Hope for Wellness Helpline for Indigenous People and Kids Help Phone.

Family Violence Prevention Month

The installation of the chairs coincides with Family Violence Prevention Month, observed in November of each year. It is a time to increase awareness of the warning signs of family violence and the resources and supports available within the community.

Recognizing the need for easy-to access resources, the City of St. Albert maintains a Quick Exit Resource Page for those experiencing violence and abuse.

This webpage outlines ample support resources and referral programs that can support individuals in a variety of vulnerable situations, while offering another level of protection against further danger. Users are provided with a quick escape feature on the page that allows them to quickly exit the potentially danger-inducing content and instead brings users to an innocuous page that may help keep them safe.

In addition, the City’s Community Services department engages residents and organizations in family and gender-based violence prevention and awareness activities, such as the Moosehide Project, Wiseguyz, providing access to sexual violence counselling, resource sharing and more.

For more information about the St. Albert Purple Chairs and resources for family violence prevention, visit the Family Violence Prevention page

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