Declare intimate partner violence an epidemic

Councillor Votes

Full Resolution Text

Whereas intimate partner violence (IPV), also known as domestic violence, is a prevalent form of gender-based violence; and Whereas Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam, three women from Renfrew County, were killed by their former partner on the morning of September 22, 2015; and Whereas the resulting Coroner’s Inquest verdict included 86 recommendations, the first of which was for the Province of Ontario to formally declare IPV as an epidemic; and Whereas the Mass Casualty Commission was established by the Government of Canada and Province of Nova Scotia to conduct an independent public inquiry into the mass casualty that occurred in Nova Scotia on April 18-19, 2020, resulting in the death of twenty-two people, including one person who was pregnant; and Whereas the Commissioners emphasized that one of the most important lessons from the Nova Scotia mass casualty is the need to urgently prioritize preventing and ending gender-based violence (GBV), IPV, and family violence; and Whereas the 130 recommendations from the Commissioners’ report include adopting a public health approach to preventing mass casualty incidents (V.2) and mobilizing a society-wide response (V.14) by (a) declaring GBV, IPV, and family violence to be an epidemic that warrants a meaningful and sustained society-wide response; and Whereas specific legislation on family and domestic violence has been passed by six provinces and three territories, not including Ontario; and Whereas over 30 municipalities have passed a resolution to declare IPV an epidemic and more are in the process; and Whereas the City of Peterborough has formally acknowledged housing and homelessness, mental health and addictions/substance misuse as key areas of priority in its Community Safety and Well-Being Plan; Therefore Be It Resolved That the City of Peterborough declare intimate partner violence an epidemic; and That the recommendations from the Renfrew County Coroner’s Inquest be referred to staff for consideration and, where appropriate, integrated within the City of Peterborough’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan; and That a copy of this motion be sent to The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, The Honourable Sylvia Jones, M.P.P, Minister of Health and Dave Smith, MPP, Peterborough-Kawartha.