Will Ontario declare intimate partner violence an epidemic?

An NDP bill calling for Ontario to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic is backed by the Ford government, House Leader Paul Calandra said Wednesday.

Bill 173, known as the Violence Epidemiology Act, is expected to be introduced to the Legislature on Wednesday afternoon.

Bills introduced by members of the opposition rarely receive government support and Calandra's confirmation at Queen's Park on Wednesday was met with applause from MDPs of all political stripes.

“We don't have many days where we do something like this, so I want to thank the government for agreeing today,” NDP Leader Marit Stiles said during Question Period.

“I always say it's a privilege to be able to advocate here, and I want to thank the government.”

Calandra said that while there was “a lot of support,” “we're hearing more and more that we need to do more to respond to this.”

In June, the province indicated that it would not declare the violence an epidemic, as Ontario's closest partner, because it is not a communicable or contagious disease.

Advocates have previously said the declaration may be primarily symbolic, but it would allow the health care system to be used to support survivors.

Last summer, the City of Toronto joined dozens of other Ontario municipalities that made their announcements, including Peel and Halton Regions.

The city's proposal, tabled by Mayor Olivia Chow, called on the provincial and federal governments to follow up on the recommendations of the 2015 inquiry into the deaths of Natalie Warmerdam, Carol Culleton and Anastasia Kuzyk, three Ontario women who were killed by the former. partner.

In late June, the province said it would not move forward with such a statement, and also rejected proposals to create an intimate partner violence commission and create a survivor advocate role.

At the time, the province said it had adopted or was working to adopt other proposals, including exploring ways to let people know if their partner had a history of sexual abuse.

Anuradha Dugal, vice-president of community initiatives at the Canadian Women's Foundation, said the declaration is a starting point for next steps.

“Globally, according to the World Health Organization, more than 40 percent of women experience gender-based violence in their lifetime. That's why we need to declare it an epidemic because the numbers are so dire,” he told CP24.

“It takes the idea that intimate partner violence is something outside of families and is private, and makes it a public health priority.”

He said it would allow for increased funding for supports and greater focus on the government's “sustainable and long-term” focus.

“It also means he realizes it's something there are preventative measures in place,” Dougal said.

“Often we meet after the crime. By putting a public health lens on it and making it an epidemic in Ontario, (it) emphasizes prevention, which starts at a young age and continues throughout life, just like a health problem like smoking.”

With Canadian Press files