At a meeting on October 17th, the North Bay Police Services Board, members voted in favor of a motion declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic.
Victims Services of Nipissing District presented the Board with statistics about the impact intimate partner violence (IPV) has in North Bay, Nipissing District, and across Canada.
The motion is in line with recommendations made in the Renfrew Inquest, which investigated the deaths of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam, who were murdered in 2015. The jury adjudicating the inquest made 86 recommendations, the first of which was for the Province of Ontario to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.
Every year in Canada, police make over 40,000 arrests related to domestic violence, which accounts for approximately 12% of all violent crimes committed. Over 6,000 women and children sleep in shelters every night because their home is not safe. One-third of women and one-quarter of men in Canada over the age of 15 will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
North Bay and Nipissing District are not immune from the epidemic of intimate partner violence. In 2022, Victim Services of Nipissing District received 475 calls for service related to intimate partner violence. They supported 400 female victims and 39 children who were harmed by or witnessed intimate partner violence. The Children’s Aid Society had 146 investigations open related to children’s exposure to intimate partner violence (13% of their total call volume). Four hundred survivors and victims of intimate partner violence accessed support services offered by the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing. Thirty-one percent of admissions to the North Bay Jail had an active domestic violence alert and 7.8% had an active sex offense charge. The North Bay Police Service receives an average of between 100-110 reports of intimate partner violence every month.
A tragic truth is that these are not the complete numbers. Most incidents of intimate partner violence go unreported. It is estimated that reported incidents account for less than one-quarter of the total number of incidents of intimate partner violence.
Intimate partner violence is preventable. A concerted and proactive effort to address the intimate partner violence epidemic would have far-reaching impacts. In addition to helping current victims and preventing new victims from being harmed, a reduction in intimate partner violence would help to reduce homelessness and the need for social housing, increase police and emergency service capacity, and reduce pressures on the health care and social services system.
“I am encouraged by the decision of the Board to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic,” said North Bay Police Chief Scott Tod. “The impact of intimate partner violence is profound and far-reaching. The North Bay Police Service will always stand up for victims and survivors and do everything in our power to ensure that perpetrators face justice and victims receive the support they so desperately need. Organizations like Victims Services of North Bay and Amelia Rising do a tremendous job supporting victims of intimate partner violence, but they require support. I hope this declaration will spur action here in North Bay, across Ontario and Canada.”
“Daily, Victim Services of Nipissing District and the North Bay Police Service support victims/survivors of intimate partner violence,” said Kathleen Jodouin, Executive Director of Victim Services of Nipissing District. “However, many in our community aren’t as aware of the prevalence and severity of violence occurring in our own community. Declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic increases awareness and understanding and requires an urgent response from not only the criminal justice system but cross-sectorial.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies four types of intimate partner violence—physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression. For more information on Intimate Partner Violence go to: https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/gender-based-violence/intimate-partner-violence.html
Important numbers
Assaulted Women’s Helpline: 1-866-863-0511 (toll-free, 24/7, multilingual service available) on your Bell, Rogers, Fido, or Telus mobile phone: #7233
Seniors 24/7 Safety Line: 1-866-299-1011
Fem’aide 24/7 Support Line: 1-877-336-2433 (French only)
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse 24/7 Crisis Line: 1-866-887-0015
Ontario 24/7 Community and Social Services Helpline: 211
Talk4Healing 24/7 Helpline for Indigenous Women: 1-855-554-4325
Victim 24/7 Support Line: 1-888-579-2888
