City hasn’t done enough for victims of domestic violence, Ensemble Montréal says

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Ensemble Montréal says the Plante administration has been dragging its feet after adopting a motion a year ago intended to improve support for victims of domestic violence.

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In an effort to get things moving, the official opposition party says it will table a new motion at a city council meeting on March 21. It will call on the city to quickly implement the measures promised last year.

“If we look at the year that has passed and if you look at the motion that was unanimously adopted back in March 2021, there haven’t really been any measures put in place. So, if we actually ask if anything has been done fundamentally at the city of Montreal, it has not been done,” said Stéphanie Valenzuela, the opposition critic for gender diversity and the status of women.

The motion will call for free transportation for victims arriving at a shelter in an emergency, as well as free moving and temporary storage services. Ensemble Montréal will also ask that unused office space belonging to the city be made available free of charge to organizations that support victims of domestic violence.

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Valenzuela said Ensemble Montréal is also calling on the Plante administration to follow Laval’s lead by participating in a program called Workplaces Allied Against Domestic Violence. It was established by the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de conjugal violence and is designed to train people to spot potential signs that a woman is being abused at home. The theory behind the program is that a victim of domestic violence is less isolated at her place of work than her.

“By doing that, Laval has set the example, and in the case of Montreal, we haven’t subscribed to this program. I’m not saying we are late, necessarily, but we are the metropolis of the province and we should set the example (for other employers),” Valenzuela said.

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“It’s important for us to be part of this program as well. It’s a free program. There’s no cost to it. The city or a company can join the program to make sure it has the right tools to detect if an employee is going through these problems at home.

“It doesn’t hurt to be part of this program — it actually helps. So I don’t see why the city of Montreal would say no to joining this kind of program.”

Montreal executive committee member Josefina Blanco replied to Ensemble Montréal’s criticisms through a written statement and said the administration has been acting “on all fronts.”

“We have raised public awareness, supported the launch of a crisis unit, taken steps with the Regroupement (des maisons) pour femmes victimes de conjugal violence to inquire about (Workplaces Allied Against Domestic Violence) certification … and set up a section specializing in domestic violence with the Montreal police,” Blanco wrote.

“We are also continuing our representations with the Quebec government to obtain concrete commitments from the Ministry of Health and Social Services aimed at improving the funding of services offered by emergency shelters so that they can increase their reception capacity, hire more workers, access suitable premises. and ensure that all services offered to beneficiaries are free (including transportation).”

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