Until intimate partner violence is widely recognized as an epidemic, it will be difficult to hold meaningful discussions and address the growing problem, believes Coun. Dominique O’Rourke.
That’s why she’s “thrilled” city council unanimously approved a motion on Tuesday doing that and more.
“It’s important that we continue to talk about it,” O’Rourke told GuelphToday after the vote. “Now staff can go and take a look at our community plan with agencies that serve women who have been impacted by gender-based violence.”
In approving the motion put forward by O’Rourke, along with Coun. Michele Richardson, Guelph joined a chorus of more than 70 Ontario municipalities declaring IPV an epidemic.
Making such a declaration is the first of 86 jury recommendations following an inquest held last year into the murder of three women in the Ottawa area.
Formally, the recommendations were presented to the government of Ontario, which has so far declined to declare IPV an epidemic, though it has implemented other recommendations.
Guelph police responded to 1,659 calls related to domestic violence incidents in 2022, about 20 more than in 2021.
According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, one woman or girl was killed every 48 hours throughout the country.
"We all know those reported cases are growing and we know they are the tip of the iceberg," O'Rourke said in introducing the motion. "It takes a lot of courage for someone to pick up the phone and follow up with social service, and it's insurmountable for many people to pick up the phone and call police."
In addition to making the declaration, the council-approved motion directs city staff to look at the city’s community plan through a lens of intimate partner violence and report back to council with proposed changes. Further, intimate partner violence is to be included in any future updates to the city’s community safety and wellbeing plan.
"We have an opportunity here to take the initiative where the provincial government has failed to lead," said Cindy McMann of Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis. "We can leverage the strengths of our community to collaborate on effective strategies for prevention and survivor supports that turn rising rates of intimate partner violence around.
"But we can only do that if we put the problem out in the open and name it for what it is – an epidemic."
In addition, the motion seeks to find out how the Guelph Police Services Board intends to address the recommendations, including that “all justice system participants who work with (intimate partner violence) survivors and perpetrators are trained and engage in a trauma-informed approach to interacting and dealing with survivors and perpetrators.”
O’Rourke’s further motion calls on the provincial government to follow in the footsteps of municipalities and declare intimate partner violence to be an epidemic and to “properly” fund involved agencies.
