Women exploited by killer feared telling police about his crimes, panel finds
Report lists reasons African Nova Scotian, Indigenous victims did not come forward
A lack of trust in police, fear of being mistreated and disbelieved are some of the reasons vulnerable women did not report being sexually exploited by the gunman who went on to kill 22 Nova Scotians in April 2020, according to the commission examining the mass shooting.
The recently released final report of the Mass Casualty Commission provides a disturbing insight into the gunman's exploitation of Indigenous and African Nova Scotian women for years. Some victims of his violence and intimidation were denture patients at his clinics in Dartmouth and Halifax.
The inquiry heard how he would try to exchange dental work for sex in cases where people could not pay in full and that he preyed on marginalized women, in some cases being paid by the provincial government because his clients were on income assistance.
However, the commission revealed the survivors were reluctant to report what happened to them because of "a long history of women, particularly women from historically disadvantaged groups, not being believed or being revictimized by institutions, including the police and the courts."
"I think it speaks to the vulnerability of Black women and racialized women," said Lana MacLean, a clinical social worker who testified before the commission.
MacLean, who has 25 years of experience working with the African Nova Scotian community, said the power and privilege dynamic of the situation is another key reason women did not have confidence.
"This is a man who had significant power and more credibility," MacLean said. "Some of these women may have been involved in the criminal justice system themselves and already know what it feels like not to be believed."
The women did not even feel safe to talk directly to the commission during its hearings in 2022, the final report notes. Instead they spoke to the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre, which then summarized what happened to them in a separate report.
Those findings describe a man who was in a position of trust and abused his power to manipulate and exploit people he knew to be vulnerable and not likely to speak up.
The Avalon report showed he bragged about providing dental services at a reduced cost and was known to sexually exploit marginalized women, including those who self-identified as sex workers.
More likely to be victims of violence
Statistics presented by Avalon demonstrate Black and Indigenous women are more likely to face gender-based violence.
Disproportionate levels of violence against Indigenous women have been reported many times before including by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Its 2019 report found that Indigenous women and girls are 16 times more likely to be killed or to disappear than white women. It also identified institutional racism in health care, child welfare, policing and the justice system and called for more Indigenous police officers, as well as judges.
"Indigenous women have been dealing with violence and intimate partner violence for over 400 years, it started when settlers first stepped foot onto this continent," said Denise Pictou Maloney, whose mother, Annie Mae Pictou Aquash, was murdered in 1975.
'People don't want to take that risk'
From Sipekne'katik First Nation, she has dedicated much of her life in trying to make communities safer for women and girls. It is clear why Indigenous survivors chose not to go to the authorities, she said.
"Family protective services are the first people to show up to take your children away so that is a limitation, people don't want to take that risk," Pictou Maloney explained. "There is also the fact we have safety issues, when you think of the case of Chantel Moore. That was a wellness check and she lost her life."
Moore is the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation woman who was shot and killed by police in New Brunswick in June 2020.
While the calls to action from the national inquiry on missing women are referred to in the Nova Scotia commission's report, Pictou Maloney thinks they should have been more prominent throughout, noting they are "legal imperatives."
She now wants to see people with lived experiences of abuse play a role in the next steps of implementing the recommendations of the Mass Casualty Commission.
They include the suggestion for new reporting mechanisms for victims of abuse including anonymously and through third-party reporting.
The commission referred to statistics showing only 20 to 30 per cent of gender-based violence cases are currently reported, demonstrating the need for change "if the low incidence of reporting is to be reversed."
The report also raises the need to address misogyny and racism in policing, pushing for cultural change including making a commitment to hire more diverse officers.
'A man's problem'
There are also recommendations for increased funds to be provided for intervention and prevention programs, something Robert Wright feels strongly about. He is a social worker and acting executive director of the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute.
"I was glad to see the commission take a broad focus in looking at those issues so we can start to see these systemic issues and not just the incident," Wright said.
He has also experienced personal tragedy. His sister, Catherine, was murdered in 1985.
"She was living a marginal life," he explained. "Her perpetrator felt license to abuse her and more than abuse her but to murder her."
Wright says that's much less likely to happen to a person living in a well-resourced, well-connected and healthy community.
In addition to increasing program funding, Wright says people living in poverty also need more financial support to help them escape society's margins.
He's speaking out about gender-based violence, because as the report also points out, that's what men should be doing."It's a man's problem, not a woman's problem," he said.
Along with MacLean, he's awaiting progress following the report and hopes women will at least feel some solace in their voices being heard.
Pictou Maloney sees the report as a chance for the Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities to work together to try to make things better.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
If you are experiencing distress or overwhelming emotions at any time, you can call the Nova Scotia Provincial Crisis Line 24/7 at 1-888-429-8167. The Nova Scotia Provincial Crisis Service can also provide contacts for other crisis services that are available if you live outside Nova Scotia.
If you or someone you know is struggling in any way, you can call 211 or visit 211.ca. 211 offers help 24 hours a day in more than one hundred languages and will be able to connect you directly to the right services for your needs.
The Kids Help Phone is a national helpline that provides confidential support at 1-800-668-6868 or Text CONNECT to 686868.
Additional supports for across Canada are available at www.wellnesstogether.ca.
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