Law meant to prevent incidents of domestic violence in Sask. has little uptake

People in Saskatchewan who become concerned about their new romantic partner's behaviour can ask the police about their partner's history of violence.

It's supposed to stop intimate partner violence before it happens in Saskatchewan — a province with one of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the country. 

Clare's Law can save lives, said Crystal Giesbrecht, who is part of the multi-sector provincial committee responsible for reviewing Saskatchewan applications and determining the risk level applicants face. But members on that committee, including Giesbrecht, say the program has likely been under-utilized in the province because not enough people know about it. 

Only 31 people have filed applications since Clare's Law was made available in 2020. 

"We want people who maybe aren't connected with services to know that Clare's Law is out there," she said. 

"Situations where Clare's law will be most helpful is when that relationship is just starting out and someone is noticing those red flags… [or] a friend says to them, I know that person. I'm pretty sure my friend went out with them and they were violent. They stalked them. I don't know if you should be with them." 

The law came from the U.K. in 2014, formed there after a woman named Clare Wood was killed by her ex-boyfriend who had a violent past. Saskatchewan was the first province in Canada to roll out the law. 

"By giving police the ability to disclose some of those risk factors and have a conversation with that person at risk, they absolutely have the opportunity to save lives," Giesbrecht said.

"I have had the opportunity to find many situations where there was an extensive history of violence that a new partner would have had no other way of being aware of." 

31 applications made in Sask. 

The program rolled out in Sask. on June 1, 2020. Six applications were submitted in 2020. There were 23 applications in 2021 and two so far 2022. In contrast, the Alberta government has received on average more than one request per day since it rolled out its version of the law. 

Regina police Staff Sgt. Chris Jackiw chairs the Clare's Law review committee. He was optimistic that the numbers jumped in 2021, but said more promotion is needed. 

"We were talking about that ... when our last application was considered as a committee, that Alberta, we believe, has some funding to do some promotion of the interpersonal violence reporting protocol, whereas in Saskatchewan, there isn't," he said.

People in Alberta can also apply online, although residents there have reported barriers to the program.

More promotion needed 

In Saskatchewan, people must apply in person at their local police detachment. Police then consider the application and send all relevant information to the multi-sector committee. The committee assesses the data — including past convictions, warnings, charges related to violence or abuse — and then determine the risk of low, medium or high.

They share their findings with the police, who make the ultimate decision on whether to provide a disclosure to the applicant. 

Clare's Law was touted often by the provincial government as a key piece of legislation that would target high rates of violence in the province. Jackiw said after the program was made law in Saskatchewan, it was important for the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police moved fast to roll out this protocol. 

"I don't think much thought was put into promoting the program," he said. 

Giesbrecht said information on Clare's Law can be found at shelters and police stations, and on government websites, but there hasn't been a targeted campaign to the wider population. She and Jackiw agree that would be beneficial. 

Saskatchewan Justice Minister Gord Wyant wouldn't commit to pushing for a targeted campaign, but said conversations about the concept will continue. 

"I won't rule anything out at this point. It's important that we address the issue of domestic violence as aggressively as we can," he said.

"It's important that we try to get the message out as much as we can. We certainly work with those associations, with those organizations, to see what we can do about furthering information about the availability of Clare's Law and other programs that are available." 

Jackiw said their committee will also discuss how to make the application process more accessible — while still ensuring privacy and confidentiality is prioritized — moving forward. He said it could might be easier if applicants could initiate the process over the phone or have the police attend their home to complete the process. 

Disclosures aren't guaranteed for every application. Sometimes the criteria isn't met; sometimes information doesn't exist. 

Regardless, everyone who makes an application is supposed to be connected with support services for people living through intimate partner violence — and information on how to safely leave a dangerous relationship.