{"id":104797,"date":"2026-05-18T10:27:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T14:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/?p=104797"},"modified":"2026-05-18T10:27:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T14:27:00","slug":"families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor CANADA\u2014There is a moment in conversation with Meggie Cywink where her voice changes. Not louder. Not angrier. Just tired in the way granite is tired after carrying winter for centuries. \u201cFamilies are no longer asking to be consulted as an afterthought,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cFamilies are asking to lead.\u201d For more than three decades, Ms. Cywink has carried the unresolved murder of her sister, Sonya Nadine Mae Cywink, like a stone in her chest. In August of 1994, Sonya Cywink, a 31-year-old pregnant mother from Whitefish River First Nation, disappeared from London. Days later, her body was discovered near the Southwold Earthworks in Elgin County. Her murder remains unsolved. Thirty-one years later, Meggie Cywink is still searching. Not only&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"pmpro\">\n<div class=\"pmpro_card pmpro_content_message\">\n<div class=\"pmpro_card_content\">This content is for Yearly Subscription, Yearly Subscription &#8211; Corporate, Print Subscription Only, Canada Print and Online, and USA Print and Online members only.<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?action=register\">Register<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"pmpro_card_actions pmpro_font-medium\">Already a member? <a href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Ftheturtleislandnews.com%2Findex.php%2F2026%2F05%2F18%2Ffamilies-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story%2F\">Log in here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor CANADA\u2014There is a moment in conversation with Meggie Cywink where her voice changes. Not louder. Not angrier. Just tired in the way granite is tired after carrying winter for centuries. \u201cFamilies are no longer asking to be consulted as an afterthought,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cFamilies are asking to lead.\u201d For more than three decades, Ms. Cywink has carried the unresolved murder of her sister, Sonya Nadine Mae Cywink, like a stone in her chest. In August of 1994, Sonya Cywink, a 31-year-old pregnant mother from Whitefish River First Nation, disappeared from London. Days later, her body was discovered near the Southwold Earthworks in Elgin County. Her murder remains unsolved. Thirty-one years later, Meggie Cywink is still searching. Not only... <\/p>\n<div class=\"pmpro\"><div class=\"pmpro_card pmpro_content_message\"><div class=\"pmpro_card_content\">This content is for Yearly Subscription, Yearly Subscription - Corporate, Print Subscription Only, Canada Print and Online, and USA Print and Online members only.<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?action=register\">Register<\/a><\/div><div class=\"pmpro_card_actions pmpro_font-medium\">Already a member? <a href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Ftheturtleislandnews.com%2Findex.php%2F2026%2F05%2F18%2Ffamilies-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story%2F\">Log in here<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":101363,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news","category-ticker","pmpro-level-required","pmpro-level-3","pmpro-level-2","pmpro-level-5","pmpro-level-4","pmpro-level-6","pmpro-level-7","pmpro-level-8","pmpro-no-access"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story - The Turtle Island News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story - The Turtle Island News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor CANADA\u2014There is a moment in conversation with Meggie Cywink where her voice changes. Not louder. Not angrier. Just tired in the way granite is tired after carrying winter for centuries. \u201cFamilies are no longer asking to be consulted as an afterthought,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cFamilies are asking to lead.\u201d For more than three decades, Ms. Cywink has carried the unresolved murder of her sister, Sonya Nadine Mae Cywink, like a stone in her chest. In August of 1994, Sonya Cywink, a 31-year-old pregnant mother from Whitefish River First Nation, disappeared from London. Days later, her body was discovered near the Southwold Earthworks in Elgin County. Her murder remains unsolved. Thirty-one years later, Meggie Cywink is still searching. Not only\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Turtle Island News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TurtleIslandNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T14:27:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/facebooklogo.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"725\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"483\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lynda Powless\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@newsattheturtle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@newsattheturtle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lynda Powless\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lynda Powless\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b188fd7503577895ef8b306988cd458\"},\"headline\":\"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T14:27:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1112,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"National News\",\"ticker\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\\\/\",\"name\":\"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story - The Turtle Island News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T14:27:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/18\\\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Turtle Island News\",\"description\":\"Your Source for Local News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Turtle Island News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/turtle150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/08\\\/turtle150.jpg\",\"width\":140,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Turtle Island News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/TurtleIslandNews\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/newsattheturtle\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCOqB-hG3L6hRLsmqY0e5k0g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b188fd7503577895ef8b306988cd458\",\"name\":\"Lynda Powless\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lynda Powless\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theturtleislandnews.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/lynda\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story - The Turtle Island News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story - The Turtle Island News","og_description":"By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor CANADA\u2014There is a moment in conversation with Meggie Cywink where her voice changes. Not louder. Not angrier. Just tired in the way granite is tired after carrying winter for centuries. \u201cFamilies are no longer asking to be consulted as an afterthought,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cFamilies are asking to lead.\u201d For more than three decades, Ms. Cywink has carried the unresolved murder of her sister, Sonya Nadine Mae Cywink, like a stone in her chest. In August of 1994, Sonya Cywink, a 31-year-old pregnant mother from Whitefish River First Nation, disappeared from London. Days later, her body was discovered near the Southwold Earthworks in Elgin County. Her murder remains unsolved. Thirty-one years later, Meggie Cywink is still searching. Not only","og_url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/","og_site_name":"The Turtle Island News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TurtleIslandNews\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-18T14:27:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":725,"height":483,"url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/facebooklogo.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lynda Powless","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@newsattheturtle","twitter_site":"@newsattheturtle","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lynda Powless","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/"},"author":{"name":"Lynda Powless","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b188fd7503577895ef8b306988cd458"},"headline":"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story","datePublished":"2026-05-18T14:27:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/"},"wordCount":1112,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["National News","ticker"],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/","url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/","name":"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story - The Turtle Island News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-18T14:27:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/families-of-mmiwg2s-victims-pen-letter-to-pm-including-late-sonya-cywinks-story\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Families of MMIWG2S+ victims pen letter to PM, including late Sonya Cywink\u2019s story"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/","name":"The Turtle Island News","description":"Your Source for Local News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#organization","name":"Turtle Island News","url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/turtle150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/turtle150.jpg","width":140,"height":150,"caption":"Turtle Island News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TurtleIslandNews\/","https:\/\/x.com\/newsattheturtle","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCOqB-hG3L6hRLsmqY0e5k0g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7b188fd7503577895ef8b306988cd458","name":"Lynda Powless","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9dcf622653a010411b0a01d44ed2a1a41158cc5195ea70acd7914787f81e63a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lynda Powless"},"url":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/author\/lynda\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101363"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104797"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104798,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104797\/revisions\/104798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theturtleislandnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}