Windsor West New Democrat MPP Lisa Gretzky is expressing her frustration over the Progressive Conservative government denying a request Monday to pass a unanimous consent motion that would have brought Bill 173 to third reading and immediately declared intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic in Ontario.
In April, the government supported the bill led by Gretzky to simply declare IPV an epidemic, but stopped short of actually declaring it.
Instead, the bill passed second reading, and the government asked the justice committee to thoroughly examine IPV and return with recommendations.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift, Gretzky says over the summer break there were over 100 deputations in the subcommittee with a majority in agreement that IPV is an epidemic.
"I don't know why the government is so resistant to saying it other than if they pass the bill and they make the declaration, than that means that you know us in opposition, that means the service providers, the survivors, the families of victims, can then hold the government to account. We can say, okay, now you've made the declaration and you've acknowledged it finally, so what are you doing about it."
Gretzky says she brought forward the bill following the 2023 jury recommendations that came from the Renfrew County Inquest after the murder of three women at the hands of the same man on the same day.
The number one recommendation was for the province to formally declare IPV an epidemic.
"So it's not just me pulling this out of nowhere. These are recommendations through serious legal and medical inquests and processes calling on the government to call it what it is."
She says there have been five deaths attributed to IPV within the Windsor-Essex region over the past year alone.
"I think it's also important to talk about the fact that there are men that experience IPV, and there's very few resources for them. There's really no dedicated shelter space for them, it's very difficult for them to come forward. So again this would be us putting the government in a position to be accountable for ensuring that there are supports and services for everyone to come forward."
Nearly 100 municipalities across the province have declared IPV an epidemic, including Windsor, Tecumseh, Essex, Lakeshore, Kingsville, and Amherstburg.
Last month, a pilot project was announced by Windsor police, in partnership with Windsor Regional Hospital, Hiatus House, and Family Services Windsor-Essex, to have social workers available to provide immediate, on-site support in cases where IPV has been identified.