B.C. marks National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women at legislature
The B.C. government will recognize the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women with a candlelight memorial at the provincial legislature building on Tuesday evening.
The gathering will also be a memorial in honor of the 33rd anniversary of the Montreal Massacre at Ecole Ploytechnique, where 14 young women were murdered in act of violent misogyny.
Earlier Tuesday, Grace Lord, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, visited The Cridge Centre for the Family in Victoria.
She visited the facility while speaking on the province's Gender Based Action Plan that she is compiling.
The plan will weave together government and sector needs, and will help people access housing, services and justice for those who are navigating a range of issues, such as family violence, sexualized violence or brain injuries, said Lore.
RESEARCH INTO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
While at the Cridge Centre, Lore also spoke with the non-profit's CEO and staff members that work directly with women fleeing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).
The organization runs multiple programs such as the Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury Service that supports women who suffered a brain injury at the hands of their partner.
"A lot of those services are supported by donations," said Adam Richards, CEO of The Cridge Centre.
"There’s not a lot of funding in our community so having this engagement right now is really increasing that conversation," he said.
Brain injuries can have life-altering effects leading to cognitive, behavioral or mental symptoms.
The Cridge Centre says the need to support the program is crucial with one in three women in Canada experiencing IPV. Of the women that do experience IPV, 92 per cent will receive at least one brain injury, totaling more than 200,000 women nationally every year.
To put that into a different perspective, the Cridge Centre says for every one NHL player that sustains a concussion, more than 5,500 women will sustain the same injury.
"The reality is that we are only discovering just how big this problem or this need is in our community," said Richards.
"Therefore we know that as we start having this conversation, as more and more individuals recognize this need for service, we’re going to need service provision," he said.
Lore said that deepening the understanding of brain injury from IPV will be a key part of the action plan expected to be announced in fall 2023.
Richards said there are a few key issues he would like to see in the fall report.
"The women that we’re caring for, the families that we’re caring for, children that we’re caring for, have greater needs than just housing – they have greater needs than legal aid," he said.
"There’s a whole myriad of services they need. So as we have this conversation, as we start unwrapping the needs around this, the hope is we can provide wraparound services," he said.
Richards said those wraparound services will give individuals and families the best opportunity to move forward.
The candlelight vigil takes place at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the front steps of B.C. legislature.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.