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Global News
09-05-2025
- Global News
‘Am I going to be believed?' What IPV support workers in N.B. are hearing from survivors
EDITOR'S NOTE: As part of our series looking at the issue of intimate partner violence in the province, we spoke with a New Brunswick advocate and survivor who shared her story. You can read that story at this link. We also spoke with Lyne Chantal Boudreau, the provincial minister responsible for women's equality, about how the province is addressing the issue. You can read that story here. As New Brunswick — and the rest of the country — grapples with growing rates of intimate partner violence, dedicated people are working to support survivors. Diedre Smith, who specializes in domestic and intimate partner violence (DIPV) files under the province's Justice and Public Safety branch, says she's seen a change recently. Not only are the number of cases on the rise, but so too is the complexity of each case. Story continues below advertisement 'DIPV doesn't operate in isolation. It is based on systems that are integrated and issues that compound DIPV, like poverty, racism, immigration status,' she said. 'And as our population has grown, we've seen that complexity be reflected in what is happening on the ground with survivors coming into the doors.' Since Smith also helps clients navigate the court system, she's noticed the additional challenges and barriers survivors face in the legal system. It begins, she says, with how comfortable they feel speaking out about their experiences. ''Am I going to be believed?' I think is one of the biggest worries for survivors. And then what type of retaliation do I face afterwards when I do speak up?' she explained. That's why 'demystifying' the court system is so vital, as well as clearing some misconceptions and stigma around intimate partner violence. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'One thing that I often hear from survivors is, 'It's exhausting having to come in and share my story over and over again. It's re-traumatizing me,'' she said. 'So one thing I think we're all working on collectively is acknowledging that. And trying to make our systems more trauma and violence-informed and reflective.' Highest rate of police-reported cases Statistics from 2023 show New Brunswick had the highest rate of police-reported intimate partner violence in Atlantic Canada. New Brunswick reported a rate of 449 per 100,000 population, while Nova Scotia reported 338, Prince Edward Island reported 288 and Newfoundland reported 420. Story continues below advertisement The national rate was 354 per 100,000. Jan Hicks, who runs a transition house for survivors, says the reason behind the high rate in New Brunswick is likely complex in itself. 'I have a feeling (intimate partner violence) happening more more and a lot of that has to do with the complex needs of a domestic or an intimate partner violence scenario, whether it be addictions, mental health, housing, the stressors that go on inside of a family, children with special needs, or even just the complex needs of the family dynamic,' said Hicks, the executive director of Women in Transition. She's also noticed more support from the community in recent years, and generally more willingness to speak about domestic violence. 'For a long time, it was something that was just sort of accepted or perhaps swept under the rug,' she said. 'It takes a village and I think we have to get back to the scenario that it takes a village to raise a family or to be in a community and work together.' In the province's latest budget, the Holt government announced $9.2 million for gender-based violence services. The funds, which are part of the women's equality 2025-26 budget, include $4.6 million for the transition house program, $1.5 million for the second-stage housing program and $2.1 million for the Domestic Violence Outreach Program. Story continues below advertisement 2:01 The urgent problem of intimate partner violence and how New Brunswick plans to respond Those who work in the field say that kind of financial support is an indication that intimate partner violence is gaining the attention it needs. 'I feel now that we have more support and we have more funding, that we're able to bring in experts so now that we can envelop that woman or that family and put in some really significant resources that are needed,' she said. It's a difficult job — and a difficult field to work in — both Hicks and Smith agree. What helps, Hicks says, is hanging on to the 'golden nugget moments.' 'You'll get a note or someone will come back and make a phone call and they'll tell you how much you helped them,' she said. 'So you really have to hang on to those golden nuggets as you move forward in a profession like this.' Story continues below advertisement Anyone experiencing intimate partner violence can call 911 in the case of an emergency. Support is available in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by dialling 211.
CBC
27-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Oversight and negotiating committees announced for Churchill Falls talks
In a series of back-to-back news releases, the provincial government signalled Monday afternoon that it's charging ahead with a proposed new energy deal for the Churchill River. First, Justice Minister Bernard Davis announced the three-member panel that will provide independent oversight of the negotiations. Second, Premier Andrew Furey revealed that the same team that negotiated December's memorandum of understanding between Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Hydro-Quebec will lead the effort to reach formal contracts. "We are now moving toward drafting definitive agreements with the leadership of this smart and experienced team that helped get us to this stage. Our goal is to complete the definitive agreements within the timeline outlined in the MOU," Furey said, referring to the spring 2026 target date for a new partnership between the two provinces. The negotiating team includes former Fortis Group of Companies executive Karl Smith, N.L. Hydro president and CEO Jennifer Williams and Denis Mahoney, deputy minister of Justice and Public Safety. The team brings together expertise in industry, utility and law, and will also be supported by internal and external expertise as required. Meanwhile, engineer C. Douglas Bowman and business leader Michael Wilson will join consumer advocate Dennis Browne on a special panel that will provide oversight of the Churchill Falls memorandum of understanding negotiations. " Independent review of the negotiations with Hydro-Quebec was a critical component in reaching this historic memorandum of understanding and will continue to play an important role in getting the most out of future negotiations toward definitive agreements," Justice and Public Safety Minister Bernard Davis said in a statement. By establishing the panel, Davis said the province "can be confident that the important need for independent oversight of this historic deal for our province is achieved. The work of Mr. Browne, Mr. Bowman and Mr. Wilson will be critical to the negotiations process, and I thank them for their commitment." With opposition politicians clamouring for more independent oversight of the historic MOU, the provincial government announced on Jan. 9 that a special oversight panel, led by the consumer advocate, would be created. The oversight structure was established in co-operation with the two members of the New Democratic Party and the two independent MHAs. The 14 members of the Progressive Conservative caucus refused to vote on the MOU following four days of debate in the House of Assembly, saying they were not satisfied with the level of oversight, and that they had outstanding questions about the framework agreement. Browne will chair the panel, which has been tasked with reviewing the Dec. 12, 2024, MOU and monitoring the progress toward formal contracts between N.L. Hydro and Hydro-Quebec. The panel will provide advice to the cabinet of Premier Andrew Furey. There's no mention in the news release to any public release of that oversight. But in a Jan. 10 statement to CBC News, Browne pledged to provide regular updates to the public and the legislature. "Our oversight team will work for the people of the province and provide factual information on which the public will be able to rely," he said. Davis said the panel will provide "reliable and transparent" oversight. Browne is a longtime St. John's lawyer who has served two stints — 1996 to 2004 and 2016 to the present — as the province's consumer advocate. The role of the advocate is to represent rate payers on electricity issues. Browne's selection to lead the oversight panel was criticized by the PCs because of his previous connection to the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, and his supportive comments of the MOU in media interviews. But, Browne said "I have not been involved politically for almost 10 years now," and that he was selected as the consumer advocate through the Independent Appointments Commission. Bowman, meanwhile, is an electrical engineer with more than 40 years of experience in the power industry. His areas of expertise include electricity services costing, pricing and contracts, and power sector restructuring, regulation and markets. Bowman has provided consulting advice to governments, regulators, utilities and consumer groups, and has played a leading role in consulting projects in over 50 countries around the world. Wilson is a chartered accountant with a career that has spanned more than four decades with the professional services firm Ernst and Young. Prior to his retirement in 2013, he was a managing partner in St. John's and senior partner in the Toronto. According to his biography, Wilson has prepared or reviewed numerous commercial contracts in a wide variety of industries, such as power and energy, oil and gas, technology, insurance and construction and transportation.
