Latest news with #MassCasualtyCommission
Cision Canada
5 days ago
- Health
- Cision Canada
Unifor encouraged as N.B. government declares Intimate Partner Violence an epidemic
"We are thankful for Minister Boudreau's participation in our Symposium and for participating in a conversation on the importance of the language of the motion," said Unifor Atlantic Regional Director Jennifer Murray. "Naming IPV as an epidemic is in line with the Mass Casualty Commission's recommendations, aligns with legislation in Nova Scotia, and reflects advocacy efforts in other provinces. "Most importantly, it signals the urgency needed to address violence in our communities. This is an important first step and we look forward to working with the Minister and frontline service providers on the introduction of legislation." The accepted motion signals the government's growing understanding, shared by the labour movement, community partners and frontline service providers, of the overwhelming need for funding, education and supports for those experiencing, fleeing and recovering from violence. New Brunswick has among the highest incidences of reported IPV across the Atlantic Provinces. "As workplace representatives, Unifor Women's Advocates are often the first point of contact for someone experiencing violence and are well-informed on what supports exist in the community to support members and where critical gaps exist," said Murray. "We hope and expect that government's next steps will be to bring Unifor and frontline service providers together to build an informed and effective response." Murray and delegates at the Unifor Intimate Partner Violence Symposium took their call for action on IPV to the steps of the New Brunswick legislature earlier this week. Watch their video message here. The passing of today's motion reflects Unifor's broader efforts to have Intimate Partner Violence formally recognized as an epidemic in every province and territory. In September 2024, a bill was introduced in the Nova Scotia legislature and, with Unifor's support, was passed immediately and unanimously —demonstrating the growing momentum behind this call and the importance of political will in addressing gender-based violence. Unifor has written to every premier, urging them to declare Intimate Partner Violence an epidemic. Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
CBC
20-05-2025
- CBC
Mounties didn't issue alert after marked RCMP car was stolen
Lawyer Michael Scott, who represented families at the Mass Casualty Commission, weighs in on the RCMP's decision not to issue an alert after a marked car was stolen in New Brunswick and driven to Nova Scotia. Traffic on Highway 104 was backed up for close to an hour during Friday's ordeal.
CBC
07-05-2025
- CBC
New training to give Halifax staff skills to safely stop harassment in city spaces
Employees of the Halifax Regional Municipality will soon be better equipped to step up and help when they witness harassment or incidents that could lead to violence in the community. Municipal staff, including temporary and short-term employees, will undergo what's known as bystander intervention training, based on a recommendation from the Mass Casualty Commission. In its final report, the inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia called for all levels of government to "develop and implement gender-based, intimate partner and family violence bystander intervention training for their workplaces and staff." Amy Brierley, a policy strategist involved in the initiative at Halifax City Hall, said the training gives people the confidence to intervene when they might have otherwise looked the other way. "It doesn't have to be a huge intervention. Even going to sit next to a person who's experiencing something, or checking in and saying, 'Are you OK?' can be enough to kind of shift that experience for someone," said Brierley, who has taken part in similar training in other settings. The training program is under development, with the aim of making it available to staff within the next year or so. It's unclear exactly what the training will look like at this stage. Cong Chen, a community safety education co-ordinator with HRM, said a key goal of the program is to create a cultural shift away from relying so heavily on emergency response teams, and instead taking a more preventative approach when appropriate. He said front-facing city employees like bus drivers and those who work at public libraries, recreation centres and community centres will be first in line to receive the training, followed by office workers, volunteers and others. Eventually, the goal is to make it available to members of the public, arming them "with the skills they need before things escalate to a crisis," said Cong. The Mass Casualty Commission said in its final report that a bystander intervention training curriculum should be mandatory in the Canadian school system, starting in primary and continuing through Grade 12. In Nova Scotia, bystander intervention training is offered at post-secondary schools and some high schools. At the municipal level, the training is being developed as part of Halifax's Safe City and Safe Public Spaces program, which was created in 2019 with the goal of preventing sexual and gender-based violence in public spaces such as parks, libraries, schools and transit. 1 in 3 women experienced harassment In a 2021 study, the program cited a survey that found one in three women in Halifax had experienced unwanted sexual attention, touching or comments in a public space. The program's co-ordinator, Lindsay Mullin, said that statistic is another reason why bystander intervention training is important. "I hope this program will give participants the skills to safely recognize and respond to instances of public harassment, and that ultimately by doing so, it creates a broader community of care where everyone can look out for one another," said Mullin.
CBC
20-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Nova Scotia extends paid leave for domestic violence victims
Nova Scotia is extending the amount of time a person can take off work, with pay, if they're experiencing domestic violence. The Tory government is changing the Labour Standards Code so that employers will have to provide five paid days of leave, up from three. The change takes effect April 1. The regulation defines domestic violence as an act of abuse that can be physical, sexual, emotional or psychological. It can include coercion, stalking, harassment or financial control, or it can be a threat of such abuse. The perpetrator could be a current or former intimate partner, a relative or someone who lives with them. Kristina Fifield, a registered social worker and trauma therapist who specializes in intimate partner violence, says the extra days are a step in the right direction, but she'd like to see more. "I think we need to look at reimagining how survivors are supported in workplaces across our province," she said in an interview. "Paid domestic violence leave and intimate partner violence leave is one part of it, but I think that employers in our province can do a lot more in supporting survivors and victims that are going through this." Fifield said she'd like to see 10 or more paid days, as well as accommodations such as allowing people to work from home or another location. She said employers need to acknowledge that people might not "be at their best at work" while they deal with the trauma of abuse. She said it's up to the government to enshrine more support in government regulation and policy, and up to employers to work on improving workplace cultures. Labour Minister Nolan Young refused to do an interview at Province House. A news release from his department said the decision was made after consultation with unions, advocacy groups and other community partners. It said the change aligns with an NDP bill that passed with all-party support last year declaring domestic violence an epidemic, as well as recommendations from the Mass Casualty Commission, the Lionel Desmond fatality inquiry and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Fifield was at Province House on Wednesday prior to the announcement about paid leave because she was participating in a rally against gender-based violence. About 50 people gathered at Halifax Regional Police headquarters and marched to Province House. Organizers said they want "an urgent, epidemic-level response" to gender-based violence, a long-standing issue that has seen a recent spike. Intimate partner violence deaths In a period of just three months, six women in Nova Scotia were killed by their male partners. In the wake of those deaths, advocates have been calling for stable, core funding for organizations that support victims of intimate partner violence. Fifield reiterated that Wednesday, and added that more intervention and prevention work is required. "We need core curriculum from P to 12, also incorporating that education, awareness and prevention in universities and colleges and into workplaces." Also Wednesday, New Democrats tabled a bill that would establish a new fund for organizations that address gender-based violence. The money would pay for things such as shelters, transition second-stage housing, women's centres, advocacy campaigns and prevention initiatives. Speaking during debate on the bill in the legislature, Leah Martin, the Tory minister in charge of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, said there is plenty of work underway to address gender-based violence. "We have come light-years from the days when women suffered in silence," she said. Martin highlighted a $7-million bump to funding for transition houses and women's centres last year, and said the government will continue working with groups that address the issue.
