Coercive control is now included in the definition of family violence in both the federal Divorce Act and Ontario’s Children’s Law Reform Act.
This important step makes clear the significance of non-physical abuse in intimate relationships. Many women describe this type of abuse as being worse than physical abuse because it is hard to make people understand how serious it is.
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Why should we make legal and justice systems more inclusive, responsive and equitable?
The values and principles that inform the report on the National Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Gender-based Violence.
The report for the National Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Gender-based Violence is a ready roadmap for change. Here’s how it works:
A new article by Samantha McCabe in The Tyee on the National Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Gender-based Violence describes the history and pillars of the plan as well as interviews those involved in its development, including our Legal Director, Pamela Cross.
Pamela Cross,
The below notice was issued by Chief Justice Morawetz of the Superior Court of Justice April 20th, effective immediately. Please note that Courts will be deferring as many matters as possible, including virtual hearings.
We have been told that implementation will be local, so if you or your clients have questions about what proceedings will go ahead in your region between now and May 7,
A new website, Court Notice Finder, put together by a number of Ontario family law legal professionals, organizes the:
“voluminous – and often changing – information found in the various Court Notices issued on behalf of Family Law courthouses across Ontario since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
This is a very useful tool for anyone who wants to be sure they have the most up-to-date information about how the family court in their region is operating.
Answer: A National Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Gender Based Violence would certainly help.
Women’s Shelters Canada was asked and funded by the department of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) to develop a strategic engagement with anti-violence leaders across Canada to inform the development of a National Action Plan (NAP) on Violence Against Women (VAW) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
Virtual meetings for support, training and information sharing and an online resource hub to get VAW advocates through the pandemic
Peer support and resources
The past year has presented those of us providing frontline services to women fleeing abuse with unprecedented challenges. Meeting the needs of women and their children remotely,
CTV News recently spotlighted the changes in Canada’s Divorce Act, interviewing the Luke’s Place Legal Director, Pamela Cross. Among other revisions, the new Act includes a definition of family violence as it relates to the best interests of the child.
From the article:
“We’re very unhappy with the way the language around decision-making responsibility is worded,” Cross told CTV News in a phone interview.“In the old days,
