Ontario Addresses About Half of Intimate Partner Violence Research Recommendations

Ontario is working to implement some of the recommendations of an investigation into the deaths of three women at the hands of their ex-partner, but the son of one of the victims is disappointed by what has not been done so far.

The jury at a coroner’s inquest into the 2015 deaths of Nathalie Warmerdam, Carol Culleton and Anastasia Kuzyk in Renfrew County issued 86 recommendations in June aimed at preventing similar tragedies.

Most of the recommendations were directed at the provincial government, and it has now issued what it calls the “first part” of its response, including progress so far on just over half of them.

That work includes amending the Family Law Act to give courts the authority to order counseling in restraining orders involving intimate partner violence and planning a conference on trauma-informed approaches to sexual violence investigations.

But Malcolm Warmerdam said on Friday that he is disappointed that the government has yet to respond to recommendations targeting perpetrators of intimate partner violence, nor to one calling for the immediate creation of a provincial committee charged with implementing the recommendations.

“These are complex recommendations to try to implement,” he told a news conference organized by the Opposition NDP.

“I don’t expect them to be done and finished by now. But I was hoping for a commitment to this very, very important part of the puzzle. And I just haven’t seen it yet.”

A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Ministry said the government would complete its review of all the recommendations before the summer.

“The work required to understand, evaluate and plan recommendations is complex and must be done with care and attention,” Greg Flood wrote in a statement.

“While relevant ministries work to provide the Office of the Chief Coroner with an update on these recommendations, we are committed to breaking the cycle of intimate partner violence and supporting survivors to help keep communities safe.”

NDP leader Marit Stiles said the inquest jury drew up a “road map for action” but the government has not followed it.

“The latest Ford government report on this doesn’t even acknowledge half of the research recommendations, like declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic,” he said.

“They are dragging their feet and we cannot allow it. This is a public health crisis. Those affected by intimate partner violence have been waiting too long, too long.”

In addition to declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic, other recommendations the administration has yet to address include creating a survivor advocate position, reviewing policies on emergency alerts and press releases about dangerous situations, and establishment of a 24/7 hotline for men who need support to prevent them from engaging in intimate partner violence.

Some of the work the government said it is already doing includes considering future updates to the high school curriculum to add information on recognizing healthy and abusive relationships and preventing violence, seeking improvements in intimate partner violence training within the justice system and scrutinize the police. Officer training on domestic assault risk assessments.

The inquest jury also made several recommendations to the federal government, but the coroner’s office has so far not received a response from Ottawa. Those recommendations included exploring the addition of the term femicide to the Penal Code. Representatives for Justice Minister David Lametti did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Basil Borutski was found guilty of killing the three women during an hour-long riot in the Ottawa Valley in 2015.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 17, 2023.