A B.C. panel has issued 19 recommendations for preventing domestic violence deaths, in a report released on Tuesday.
The panel, formed in response to a grisly murder-suicide in B.C. in 2007, recommends fast-tracking cases through the courts and flagging those at high risk of serious harm or death.
The panel also called for more consistency and better sharing of information between government agencies when dealing with domestic violence.
"If it is an offence involving spouses, common-law partners, boyfriend [or] girlfriend, that represents domestic violence and needs to be tracked every step along the way," he said.
But New Democrat critic Mike Farnworth said more needs to be done.
"I'd like to see this report be the basis for action, significant action."
Farnworth noted there was a pilot project in Langley, B.C., that brought the RCMP, the Crown and others together to curb domestic violence — but the pilot ended last summer.
B.C.'s representative for children and youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, said it's time for government action on domestic violence.
"These issues require leadership," Turpel-Lafond said. "They require resources. They require improving policy and systems in British Columbia where they don't exist.
"I want to now move from the 'We have to study it and review it stage,' to the 'We need to go forward with implementation'," Turpel-Lafond said. "The tide is really turning where ... what we want to see is ... progress."
The recommendations come from a study of 11 domestic violence incidents in B.C. between 1995 and 2009, which resulted in a total of 29 deaths. Of the 14 females and 15 males who died in the incidents, three were children.
The report said all of the cases involved significant risk factors and revealed gaps in public safety, judicial and support systems that affected the response to those risks.
The panel consisted of members from a host of organizations, including representatives from the RCMP, Victoria and Vancouver police departments, Crown counsel, the Representative for Children and Youth, the Ending Violence Association of B.C. and the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
Many of the recommendations are similar to those made at a 2009 coroner's inquest into a 2007 Victoria-area murder-suicide that resulted in the deaths of five people.
The inquest was examining the case of Peter Lee, who killed his estranged wife, Sunny Park, their six-year-old son and Park's parents, before committing suicide at the family home in Oak Bay east of Victoria.
The province's chief coroner has given government and law enforcement agencies one month to respond to the recommendations.
The panel, formed in response to a grisly murder-suicide in B.C. in 2007, recommends fast-tracking cases through the courts and flagging those at high risk of serious harm or death.
The panel also called for more consistency and better sharing of information between government agencies when dealing with domestic violence.
Panel recommendations:
B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong said on Tuesday that authorities must have a standard definition of domestic violence.- Better collaboration among domestic violence responders.
- Standardizing the investigative approach that police use across B.C.
- Training and resources that ensure a timely, appropriate response regardless of cultural, language or other perceived barriers.
- More co-ordination within the judicial system.
- Better sharing of relevant information among government ministries and collaborating agencies.
- The need to engage community members aware of domestic violence situations to better support partners in prevention and response.
"If it is an offence involving spouses, common-law partners, boyfriend [or] girlfriend, that represents domestic violence and needs to be tracked every step along the way," he said.
But New Democrat critic Mike Farnworth said more needs to be done.
"I'd like to see this report be the basis for action, significant action."
Farnworth noted there was a pilot project in Langley, B.C., that brought the RCMP, the Crown and others together to curb domestic violence — but the pilot ended last summer.
B.C.'s representative for children and youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, said it's time for government action on domestic violence.
"These issues require leadership," Turpel-Lafond said. "They require resources. They require improving policy and systems in British Columbia where they don't exist.
"I want to now move from the 'We have to study it and review it stage,' to the 'We need to go forward with implementation'," Turpel-Lafond said. "The tide is really turning where ... what we want to see is ... progress."
The recommendations come from a study of 11 domestic violence incidents in B.C. between 1995 and 2009, which resulted in a total of 29 deaths. Of the 14 females and 15 males who died in the incidents, three were children.
The report said all of the cases involved significant risk factors and revealed gaps in public safety, judicial and support systems that affected the response to those risks.
The panel consisted of members from a host of organizations, including representatives from the RCMP, Victoria and Vancouver police departments, Crown counsel, the Representative for Children and Youth, the Ending Violence Association of B.C. and the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
Many of the recommendations are similar to those made at a 2009 coroner's inquest into a 2007 Victoria-area murder-suicide that resulted in the deaths of five people.
The inquest was examining the case of Peter Lee, who killed his estranged wife, Sunny Park, their six-year-old son and Park's parents, before committing suicide at the family home in Oak Bay east of Victoria.
The province's chief coroner has given government and law enforcement agencies one month to respond to the recommendations.
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