Ontario had 30 femicides in 30 weeks, new report says as 'same gaps' in support persist

Advocates are sounding the alarm on gender-based violence, calling for a clear and urgent strategy from the Ontario government as femicides continue to rise.

Ontario saw 30 femicides in 30 weeks from Nov. 26 to June 30, according to a report by the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH) released Wednesday. Last year, the organization's statistics showed 52 deaths in 52 weeks.

"It's very frustrating," said Marlene Ham, executive director at OAITH. Five femicides occurred in June alone and there have been another three already in July, she said.

"It's impactful and consuming to know that every single week, we can expect another woman to be killed by a man closely known to her."

The report comes after Ontario chose not to declare gender-based violence an epidemic after a coroner's inquest last year into the 2015 murder of three women recommended the province do so as part of 86 recommendations. Some 25 municipalities in Ontario have opted to declare gender-based violence an epidemic, including Peel Region, Durham Region, and Halton Region. 

In its response, the province argued "epidemic" is a term used for the spread of disease and therefore does not apply to intimate partner violence (IPV).

Advocates say while rates of IPV increased during the pandemic and haven't gone back down, funding hasn't kept pace with the growing demand for services.

'Same gaps continue to exist'

Ham says the provincial government needs a clear gender-based strategy. It already has a roadmap with the recommendations made in the Renfrew County murder inquest, she says.

Those recommendations include that the province establish an independent IPV commission, encourage IPV to be integrated into every municipality's community safety and well-being plan and create an emergency fund for survivors seeking protection.

Ontario rejected the idea of a commission and funding safe rooms to be installed in survivors' homes in high-risk cases.

"Many [recommendations] have not been enacted, but they continue to show up when there is an inquest," said Ham. "What that tells us is those same gaps continue to exist."

Ham says the problem of intimate partner violence stems from men using violence and harassment to control women, adding Indigenous and woman of colour are disproportionately affected.

Ontario says it is taking action on 59 of the 86 recommendations.

In a statement to the CBC News, the province says it has already invested over $250 million for victims of violence and violence prevention initiatives that include enhancing transitional housing, supporting survivors, expanding sexual assault services and funding crisis hotlines. 

"We know there is more to do, and the Renfrew Jury recommendations will help inform future investments made to fight violence and ensure the justice system is there to protect women and the people of Ontario," said Hunter Kell, a spokesperson for the province's solicitor general.  

Ham says while her organization values the investments made by the province, it also wants the province to do more on housing together with the federal government.

"Without community-based prevention and housing, we will continue with an unsustainable system that responds when available. And for far too many, this is after the harm has been done," said Ham. 

The 2022 federal budget proposed an investment of $539.3 million to implement a national action plan to end gender-based violence. The government says Women and Gender Equality Canada will begin negotiations to establish bilateral agreements with provinces and territories this year to develop strategies to address gender-based violence. 

Waterloo attack a recent example: advocate

The recent attack in a University of Waterloo gender studies class highlights the problem of gender-based violence, said Jennifer Hutton, chief executive officer at Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region. 

Police charged a male former student this week after a female professor and two students were stabbed. The charges have not been proven in court.

"It could have easily been a femicide," said Hutton. 

She says the severity of violence has been increasing both in the region and across the province, and says outreach work has gotten more complex in the last five years because of growing factors like mental health and addiction.

The organization has plans to push the region to join the list of municipalities that have declared intimate partner violence an epidemic, she adds.

Shelters 'always' at capacity, says advocate

But while the federal government works to establish agreements with the provinces and territories on addressing gender-based violence, one advocate says shelters need funding now.

"We are at capacity as a shelter. Always,"  said Rebecca Pacheco, an education coordinator at Embrave, an organization that supports survivors of gender-based violence.

"We need to make sure that if demand is increasing, that our capacity is increasing to match that. And right now, that's just not the case."

Statistics Canada data shows that there were 1,125 gender-related homicides of women and girls in Canada between 2011 and 2022. Sixty-six percent were perpetrated by an intimate partner and 28 per cent by a family member.

The territories had the highest rate of gender-related homicides in 2021, with 3.2 deaths per 100,000 women and girls.