KITCHENER -- Vigils organized by Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis and the University of Waterloo were two of many that went virtual across Canada to honour the victims of the massacre at Montreal's École Polytechnique.

Sunday marked the 31st anniversary of the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 14 women.

Organizers of the vigil took time to remember those who lost their lives, but also acknowledge that, over three decades later, women and girls face gender-based violence daily.

“I think that conversation has been brought to light in the public eye again as a result of the pandemic and as we’ve come to realize home is not a safe place for everyone,” said Jensen Williams, a public educator with the group. “In the first month of the pandemic alone, nine women across the country were killed in domestic homicides.

“This does happen in our communities and our communities must be working toward that tonight and beyond.”

The University of Waterloo held their virtual vigil on Friday, which featured an emotional tribute from the dean of engineering.

Many of the young women who were killed in the massacre were engineering students, a generally male-dominated field.