Advocates, experts shine light on need for more domestic violence supports in Alberta

After Calgary police investigated a double homicide that they called targeted and domestic in nature, Lana Wells said her heart broke for the victims, their friends and family.

Wells, an associate professor in the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work, also thought about the ongoing need for more resources to prevent domestic violence incidents in Alberta.

Calgary police responded to a pair of deaths on Sunday night in different locations, in which the victims were a woman and her father. Police identified the woman's husband as a suspect on Monday. When he was found dead later that day, officials said they were no longer looking for a suspect in relation to the deaths.

Wells, an expert on gender-based violence prevention, said domestic violence is a prevalent, costly and preventative problem in Alberta. She added that men who could become perpetrators need to take responsibility for their behaviour, and seek supports to manage their emotions if they're worried they may harm loved ones.

"It really is time to shine the light on why are men causing and conducting themselves in this way, and what are the supports we can put in place so that they don't harm the people that they care about," Wells said.

"We need to remove the burden from the victim for protecting themselves, and we need to focus our time and energy on preventing people from becoming perpetrators."

A 2023 data release from the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters showed shelters around the province answered 59,215 calls for help between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023, the highest number of calls it had recorded in the last decade.

The Calgary Police Service's (CPS) community safety dashboard shows police received 23,522 calls about domestic violence or conflict in 2023, more than in any other year since 2018, the starting point for the dashboard's data. CPS stats show this year is on pace to record a similar number of calls.

Factors and warning signs of domestic violence

Broader financial and housing issues that create stress in relationships is one factor Wells would point to in leading to more reports of domestic violence.

"Our environment matters. We need affordable housing, we need access to income, we need families that get supports when they need it," Wells said.

Leslie Hill, the executive director of Discovery House, which is a charity that offers support for women and children fleeing domestic violence, pointed out how common domestic violence can be, agreeing that it's prevalent and can appear in any community.

Femicide, Hill says, is often a combination of repeated and escalating situations of abuse and control that can be prevented if early signs of violence are addressed. Those warning signs can include being isolated from family and friends, your partner controlling what you do, wear or eat, losing access to finances and being prevented from reaching supports.

"It can be exacerbated by issues, like tensions in the home, by financial stressors, by mental health issues and substance use. But first and foremost, it is a choice. And it is about power and control in relationships," Hill said.

Power of community support

Hill added that it's important for communities to show there's no tolerance for violence against women, which is a point that FearIsNotLove CEO Kim Ruse agreed with.

FearIsNotLove, formerly known as the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter, operates the shelter while also providing counselling and outreach services. Community is critical, Ruse said, to recognize warning signs of domestic violence, and step in to be supporters, listeners and friends to those who need it.

"Sometimes when people think about the issue of domestic violence and abuse, especially when there's been a community tragedy, people feel powerless. But actually there is power in community," Ruse said.

"That's where the change is going to happen. It's through relationships, it's through community and it's through the power of connection."

Ruse said that in her experience, people can often underestimate their own risk and don't think they're in an emergency situation. She also often sees the misunderstanding that the effects of domestic violence incidents are contained within the family, which she calls a myth.

"I think people have a false sense of security that when it's domestic violence, it doesn't impact anybody else, but it really does," Ruse said. "There are reverberations throughout the community and throughout the family members. So this is going to have an impact for a very long time."

People who are feeling unsafe in a relationship, Hill recommended, can access counselling, or services that can assess someone's risk and develop a safety plan if needed, or call helplines like 211 or the Connect Line in Calgary, which is dedicated to offering domestic violence supports.