Friend, cousin reflect on life, death and legacy of Helen Betty Osborne, 50 years after her murder
CBC
On Nov. 12, 1971, a giggly Cree teenager from a northern Manitoba town wrapped up a full day of classes the same way she usually did — playfully teasing her friend and classmate, but too shy to talk to the teacher in front of her.
Hours later, in the cold dark of night, Helen Betty Osborne was targeted, abducted and murdered for sport. She was the victim of a now notorious hate crime that ultimately exposed what Indigenous communities had known all along — racism in the province was alive, thriving and deadly.
"For many years we wondered, is there a serial killer that can get away with what they did, with such a brutal killing to my friend?" said Rita McIvor, who was a friend and classmate of Osborne. "That took a lot of anger and a lot of hate on First Nations women."
The last time McIvor saw her childhood friend was that cold November day in The Pas, Man., 50 years ago.
The two were from different reserves: Osborne was from Kinosao Sipi Cree Nation (also known as Norway House), McIvor was from Tataskweyak Cree Nation, but they'd attended residential school together before reuniting as classmates again in the northern town.
WATCH | Rita McIvor remembers her friend, Helen Betty Osborne:
Osborne ("we called her Betty," McIvor said) was sitting in class, and, as was often the case, asked McIvor about her homework for the day.
"She had the sharpest pencils and she'd poke me and say, 'What did the teacher want us to do for an assignment?'" McIvor recalled. "Because she was too shy to ask the teacher. She liked to laugh, but she was shy."
McIvor accommodated her, though she teased her right back: "Why are you asking me? Because none of us ever do homework."
Still, McIvor says she admired her friend. Betty was "always taking care of herself — how she looked, how she dressed, how she took care of her work."
"Me, I'm the opposite, so that's the thing I remember the most."
Later that night, McIvor saw her friend again, walking outside. It was dark and cold and McIvor was worried.
"I said, 'Come on, I'll take you home,'" McIvor said. "And she got away from me. That was the last time I seen her."
Come Monday morning, the rumours were swirling. A body had been found. A woman had been murdered.
The soccer world may be coming to Toronto this summer, but right now the city is just waiting for the province to show up.
With less than six weeks to go, preparations are ramping up for the 2026 Montana's Brier in St. John's — including the release of one last full batch of tickets on Tuesday at 12 p.m. NT.
Within weeks of Robinson Huron Treaty settlement money landing in people’s bank accounts, police in several northern Ontario First Nations say something else arrived too: drug traffickers, financial scammers and a surge in violent crime.
Some people who work in recycling and waste diversion say more sharps — medical needles used for injections — are ending up in Nova Scotia's waste streams and they think it's time for provincial regulations.
As Doreen Paul scrolls through photos on her phone, Bronson Paul's life flashes by.
Quebec City police have confirmed that the remains recovered from the St. Lawrence River last week are those of Susana Rocha Cruz, who had been missing since mid-January.
The Winnipeg Airports Authority wants to develop land west of Richardson International Airport to make way for a proposed WestJet maintenance facility, sources at city hall said.
Bob Behari is planning his dream project on a prime piece of land overlooking the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon’s Nutana neighbourhood.
Saskatchewan’s Notre Dame Hounds made an unexpected stop in Rathwell, Man., Friday night after their bus went off the road into a snowbank.
Herb Dickieson is no longer in the running to be leader of the New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island.
A commission reviewing Alberta’s electoral boundaries suggests Edmonton should have 21 ridings — up from its current 20 — but some Edmontonians say the city should have more than that, based on the growing population.
A worsening problem with human feces in and around East Vancouver's Grandview Park became one of the reasons for B.C. resident Zoe Raffard to move out of the city permanently.
In a first step toward modernizing residential care facilities, the City of Hamilton will change the way it funds privately run, subsidized homes.