“It was such a normal day and then Candace just disappeared... it was horrible. Our world fell apart. It was just as if your heart had cracked open and you were expected to live after that. Unless we can turn it around by doing justice work and forgiveness work we end at a place with no hope” –Wilma Derksen

 

​In 1984 Wilma Derksen’s 13-year-old daughter Candace was abducted and murdered in Winnipeg Manitoba. Candace was on her way home from school when she was kidnapped and her body was found weeks later near her home.

 

Wilma is now one of Canada’s most vocal homicide survivors. Wilma was one of the original founders of Manitoba’s Organization for Victims Assistance, is the author of multiple books, facilitates homicide support groups, organizes dialogues between victims and inmates in prison and conducts trainings and lectures.

 

Candace House is Wilma Derksen's vision for a comfortable, safe, oasis for crime victims—"a house near the courts that would serve as a place to rest for victims of crime during the trial"— came to her as she sat day after day with other crime victims in Winnipeg’s courtrooms.The goal of Candace House is to provide a safe and comforting sojourn for victims of crime during their connection with the criminal justice process.

 

Find out more at: www.candacehouse.ca