Keira’s law – an important advancement in law when it comes to judicial education on issues of intimate partner violence

Keira’s law is an important advancement in the law when it comes to judicial education on issues of intimate partner violence. Federally, the Judges Act requires that the Canadian Judicial Council consider providing continuing education on intimate partner violence and coercive control in intimate partner and family relationships. In Ontario,

National day of remembrance and violence against women – a day of action

Here we are, once again, facing December 6th, the National Day of Remembrance and Action, instituted in 1991 to commemorate the women killed in the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique mass shooting.
But one minute of silence, one day when Canadian flags are flown at half-mast, one day of remembering, even one day of acting is not enough;

Reflections on the first year of the national action plan to end gender-based violence

The National Action Plan (NAP) to End Gender-based Violence (GBV) was launched on November 9, 2022 by Women and Gender Equality Canada. On the one-year anniversary, the following represents what gender justice organizations know to date, concerns that remain, and recommendations to move forward collectively with government.

What we know:

The bilateral NAP agreements have been negotiated with the provinces and territories over the last year.

A panel discussion: Criminalization of coercive control in Canada

The creation of a new coercive control offence in the Canadian Criminal Code is being explored following the tabling of two private member’s bills as well as the consideration of information and testimony shared during the study by the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on controlling or coercive conduct within intimate relationships,

Enhancing legal support: New court form assistance for women in Durham Region

In June 2023, we expanded the services we offer women through our Legal Clinic by providing women in Durham Region the opportunity to receive hands-on court form drafting support following a clinic appointment.

If a woman is advised to complete certain court forms from one of our volunteer lawyers during a clinic appointment,

After She Leaves: Spousal Support

The content in this post is adapted from our recently updated After She Leaves Resource Manual. Click here to learn more about the manual.

Spousal support is money that is paid by one spouse to the other after the end of the relationship. Spouse is defined to include both married and common-law relationships.

Letter to Legal Aid Ontario

From June 9th – July 9th, 2023, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) held an open consultation on tariff increases for lawyers. Luke’s Place submitted a letter to LAO’s Consultation department in response to the proposal to reform tariffs for the lawyers on their panel. Overall, we are supportive of the proposed amendments,

Ontario Court of Appeal Rejects Tort of Family Violence in Decision of Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia

The Ontario Court of Appeal rejects the tort of family violence in the decision of Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, which was released on Friday, July 7, 2023.

Luke’s Place intervened in this appeal along with the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic based on our collective experience supporting survivors of IPV.

Allegations of Parental Alienation and Family Violence

The following blog post was written by Ibukun Ogunfuwa[1] and Joanna Harris[2]

Allegations of parental alienation can significantly impact cases involving family violence. It can be a very challenging and emotionally distressing situation for all involved, particularly the accused parent.

The term parental alienation was first coined by Richard Gardner in the mid-1980s,