Fifteen women, their mothers and their children have been killed in Ontario by intimate partners or family members since January 2018.
This is more than the yearly average.
Holly Hamilton, 29, Hamilton
Baljit Thandi, 32, Brampton
Avtar Kaur, 60, Brampton
Elaine Bellevue, 61, Mississauga
Jan Singh, 70, Oakville
Barbara Kovic,
A significant portion of all cases in family court involve family violence. Any changes to court process must examine the needs of these families.
Luke’s Place and the Barbra Schlifer Clinic have a unique perspective on the complex realities of family law and courts for survivors of family violence.
Indigenous communities in Ontario have worked collaboratively with the provincial government to develop Walking Together: Ontario’s Long-Term Strategy to End Violence Against Indigenous Women.
Why?
The strategy is built on the recognition that First Nation, Metis and Inuit women in Ontario are subjected to all forms of violence—intimate partner abuse,
Pamela Cross and Amanda Dale respond to the recent report by Justice Bonkalo, Family Legal Services Review. Although they applaud the effort, there is a “fatal flaw” in the report — a lack of understanding of the impact of violence in family court decisions.
A message from Pam Hanington of Huron County:
For those of you who may not have heard about this, the Ontario government is planning to pilot a Basic Income in at least three communities sometime over the next 3-5 years. The province is currently undertaking a community consultation regarding the pilot design.
Luke’s Place Legal Director, Pamela Cross, in The Star on identifying the warning signs of lethality in abusive relationships:
Last week, a relative of Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji sat silently in a north Toronto courtroom, watching as Dr. Mohammed Shamji appeared on a charge of first-degree murder. Pinned to her jacket was a purple ribbon to honour victims of domestic violence.
Letter by Luke’s Place Legal Director, Pamela Cross, to the Ottawa Citizen:
There are a number of important questions that arise from the recent article in the Ottawa Citizen entitled “Triple-murder accused Borutski likens himself to Samson in letter from jail.”
Perhaps the most obvious and troubling question is why the Ottawa Citizen would solicit such a letter.
From the Toronto Star:
The election rhetoric based on fear-mongering against women who wear niqab only has traction if we all collude with its false conclusions.
It turns women’s safety and rights into a political game that distracts from the realities. More lastingly, it has stigmatized a specific population of Canadians.
