After ex-boyfriend’s assault charges are dropped, woman wants Ontario to be among provinces declaring domestic violence epidemic

Warning: This story contains references to intimate partner violence.

Billie Jo Barrett says it’s hard to talk about her experiences of domestic violence, but she says it’s even harder knowing that other survivors’ cases have been delayed because of difficulties in the justice system.

That’s one reason why Barrett, who lives in Thunder Bay with her Boston terrier Bruce, is calling for Ontario to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic, as dozens of Ontario municipalities and many other provinces and territories have already done.

Barrett said he was charged after his former partner was accused of trying to strangle him on three separate occasions. CBC has obtained court documents that indicate he was charged with assault with a weapon or imitation weapon in October 2021. He was also charged between November 2022 and January 2023 with spousal assault, two counts of assault causing bodily harm (smothering, smothering or suffocation), two counts of forcible confinement, criminal mischief under $5,000, and failure to comply with a probation order.

However, the case was adjourned due to lack of evidence, meaning all charges were effectively dropped.

The justice system does not treat women’s safety as if it were public safety.-Gwen O’Reilly, Northwestern Ontario Women’s Center

Barrett believes a lack of court staff also played a role in the outcome of the case.

“The day I was going to court, the court was overbooked. There weren’t enough judges. There were blackouts, so I felt like my case was being deprioritized,” Barrett said.

He is also concerned about the increasing number of criminal cases not making it to court due to court workload, and what this means for survivors seeking justice.

WATCH | A domestic violence survivor shares her calls to action to help others seek justice:

Domestic violence survivor shares calls to action to help others seek justice

Billie Jo Barrett says she wants to see changes in Ontario’s justice system to make it easier for other survivors of domestic violence to come forward. Here’s what a Thunder Bay, Ontario resident wants.

CBC News recently learned that 56 per cent of all criminal cases in Ontario between 2022 and 2023 will result in criminal charges. withdrawn, suspended, dismissed or expelled before a decision is made at the hearing.

“For my part, knowing how difficult it is to come forward, it concerns me that other women will be afraid to come forward, knowing that in most cases these situations do not usually end up in court for whatever reason,” Barrett said. in question.

Thunder Bay’s police-reported intimate partner violence rate highest in canada: 551 per 100,000 population in 2022.

In addition to symbolizing how important the issue is, advocates say declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic would result in more resources being allocated to front-line service providers such as women’s centers, victim services and courts.

“I don’t think it should fall on the victims, the survivors, and the families affected to be responsible for change,” Barrett said. “I think the government and our MPs should take this issue very seriously.”

Federally, Senate expected to pass Bill S-249This week is known as Georgina’s Law. This would require Canada to create a national strategy to prevent intimate partner violence within two years, and the government to update all Houses of Parliament every two years on what actions are being taken.

‘Evidence of violence disappears’

City of Thunder Bay Among 95 Ontario municipalities Declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic. Additionally, six provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan) and the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon We have enacted special legislation on domestic violence.

Gwen O’Reilly, executive director of the Women’s Center of Northwestern Ontario, said not much has changed since Thunder Bay’s announcement last year.

“I didn’t expect this situation to get worse, but that’s what we’re seeing,” O’Reilly said. “What we see is that the justice system does not treat women’s safety as if it were public safety.”

In order to get cases to court within reasonable periods of time, a 2016 Supreme Court of Canada decision, known as the Jordan decision, determined that cases must be heard within 18 months of charges.

However, staff shortages in the courts also contributed to this situation. Hundreds of criminal cases exceeded this timeline.

O’Reilly said that when criminal cases involving domestic violence are postponed, “evidence of violence disappears.”

“We see a pattern of lack of enforcement and therefore lack of accountability and therefore invisibility — and so while women were dealing with the child welfare system or in family court… as far as the record shows, nothing happened.”

Ontario working to ensure cases ‘heard quicker’

A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General said in an emailed statement to CBC News that Ontario spent $29 million this year to “appoint at least 25 new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, as well as 190 Crown prosecutors and hundreds of new judges.” victim support and court staff.”

“Hiring is ongoing to ensure cases are heard more quickly and reduce congestion in the criminal justice system,” said press secretary Jack Fazzari.

CBC requested a breakdown of how many staff were allocated to northwestern Ontario, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

One Ontario-wide bill to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic It passed a second hearing on April 10 before being referred to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy. New Democratic Party says Motion to pass the bill was rejected on the first day of the fall term this year.

“Ontario needs to pass Bill 173 instead of working on it,” O’Reilly said. “There’s no need to look into this. We have all the evidence we need to understand that this is a problem.”

Thunder Bay-Atikokan Conservative MPP Kevin Holland and Thunder Bay-Superior North NDP MPP Lise Vaugeois told CBC they support the bill.

WATCH | Ontario under pressure to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic:

Ontario under pressure to declare ‘intimate partner violence epidemic’

Ontario opposition members are pressuring the Ford government to declare intimate partner violence an ‘epidemic’. Lawyers say such a declaration would make it easier for victims to receive legal protection and support.

Michael Parsa, Ontario’s minister of children, community and social services, said the government supports the bill but continues to review and hear from experts on the issue.

“We are committed to ensuring that service providers have the support and resources to continue providing these supports to families,” Parsa said.

He said the government is investing $1.4 billion a year to ensure support and services are available to families in Ontario and is partnering with the federal government on this issue. National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

“I would like to see an overhaul of the entire system, and I know it won’t happen overnight, but Ontario declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic is a good start,” Barrett said.

‘Forgiveness is not a cure for injustice’

Thunder Bay and District Victim Services (TBAVS) receives at least 10 calls a week from new individuals seeking services regarding intimate partner violence.

“That’s really high for a city the size of Thunder Bay,” said TBAVS executive director Penny Radford.

Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) reported 2,300 cases of intimate partner violence in 2022 703 accusations were made against 267 people in the city, which has a population of approximately 111 thousand. CBC News has reached out to the force for the latest statistics and will update this story once that information is provided.

Barrett wants Ontario to pass legislation known in the United Kingdom as Clare’s Law; This law allows law enforcement to inform a potential victim if their partner has a history of violence. Ontario version, Bill 274, It did not pass the second reading.

“I feel like I wouldn’t have been given the opportunity to make an informed decision about whether or not I wanted to continue a relationship with this person if I had known about his violent past,” she said.

One positive trend Radford sees in Thunder Bay is the increasing number of men seeking support regarding intimate partner violence; this is something they felt too stigmatized to access in the past.

There are also more programs for men experiencing violence in the city. Caring Fathers group via Faye Peterson House.

But Radford said it’s important to look at broader stressors that contribute to violence in the first place, such as the rising cost of living, mental health and addictions — concerns he’s heard in many calls to TBAVS.

“When you don’t have anywhere to go and you can’t go to detox, or you don’t have anywhere to go and your beds aren’t available… then violence comes to your home, right?”

Barrett and Bruce wore purple during their interview with CBC News in recognition of November being Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Her hope is that by sharing her story, other survivors will know they are not alone and remind those in power of the urgent need for change.

“It was very difficult for me to come forward in the first place. I was ashamed, if the justice system doesn’t support me, who supports me? Who supports women going through the same things? Who supports the murdered women?” said Barrett.

“I believe in forgiveness, but forgiveness is not the cure for injustice. Justice is.”

Victims of domestic violence are not alone. In the Thunder Bay area, Various support programs available For the survivors and their families. The federal government also has a website You can find provincial and regional aid resources here. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.