A leading expert on violence against women says Ottawa City Council’s decision this week to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic could push the province to follow suit.
The council issued the statement on International Women’s Day, implementing a key recommendation made in last year’s investigation into the murders of three women in Renfrew County.
“Although we need all three levels of government to take intimate partner violence seriously, we wanted to make sure the city did our part,” Coun said. Ariel Troster, who introduced the proposal, said on CBC radio Ottawa morning.
Lawyer and advocate Pamela Cross said the gesture could make a difference in the fight against violence against women in the long term.
Cross helped draft the 86 recommendations in the Renfrew County Coroner’s Inquiry aimed at addressing violent crimes. The first recommendation was to call intimate partner violence an epidemic.
“The province has declined to comment on this recommendation, has taken no steps to implement it,” Cross said, adding that the city’s move had “great value” in urging the province to act.
Troster also pointed to statistics from The Homeless Hub showing that intimate partner violence is the leading cause of homelessness among women in Canada.
“This is a national matter. This is definitely an Ottawa affair,” Troster said, adding that the local Interval House had to turn 941 people away in 2022.
“We really need to make sure that our city has the capacity to respond to women fleeing violent relationships and that the services are also available to people struggling with intimate partner violence.”
“Take some of that shame away”
Cross said every segment of society needs to be involved in a holistic approach to “admit we have a problem” and then address it.
The motion, adopted by the city council, also calls on city officials to consider integrating intimate partner violence into the city’s community safety and welfare plan, which is mandatory for communities under provincial regulations.
“Some [communities] Violence intimate partners included in these plans. Lanark County, just outside of Ottawa, is a good example of that,” Cross said.
The motion now asks Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to write Prime Minister Doug Ford and Health Secretary Sylvia Jones to demand that Ontario officially declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.
“So many survivors of intimate partner violence are isolated, very ashamed of what is being done to them and afraid to talk to anyone about it for fear they will not be believed,” Cross said.
“If the province declares intimate partner violence an epidemic across the board, it will take away some of that shame and fear and make it easier for survivors to come forward to get the support they need.”
