Women Femmes NB - November 2021

November is Family Violence Prevention Month. 

With New Brunswick ranking 4th among provinces for police-reported domestic violence and 1st in Atlantic Canada for domestic homicide, this is an issue that we need to focus on year-round.

Setting aside an entire month, we draw much-needed attention to this serious social, health, and justice issue that impacts individuals, families, workplaces, and communities in the present and the future across New Brunswick.

November 25^th is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. New Brunswickers will be coming together to observe the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which begins on this day. The 16 days provide us with an opportunity to stand together and speak out against violence and to strengthen our resolve to end gender- based violence. 

Several provincial government departments support community-based services. Through collaboration and consultation government departments assess needs or deliver direct services based on their mandate. Individuals subjected to domestic, intimate partner violence and sexual violence are a priority for all of us.

Please join me in extending sincere appreciation to all the community organizations that go above and beyond to respond to the needs of survivors of family violence and gender-based violence every single day.  

I encourage you to visit the Women's Equality Branch's (WEB) social media channels for more information:

Twitter: @WomenNB and Facebook: Women’s Equality Branch

Hon. Tammy Scott-Wallace Minister responsible for Women’s Equality

 

In the Spotlight
 

Did you know…

Many New Brunswickers are subject to violence in their families and from their intimate partners. As we recognize November as Family Violence Prevention Month, all New Brunswickers are encouraged to break the silence surrounding family violence and help spread awareness of existing supports for survivors. Listen to Minister Scott-Wallace’s message on Family Violence Prevention Month here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBJu0fFXruc . Find more details here: www.gnb.ca/ViolencePrevention

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Over the last few years, there has been new legislation and changes to existing laws that help provide support and enhance safety to victims of domestic and intimate partner violence: 

Civil protection measures available for victims of intimate partner violence - Victims can access new tools designed to increase their safety while seeking more permanent solutions. An Emergency Intervention Order (EIO) is made under the Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Act https://www.gnb.ca/legis/bill/FILE/58/3/Bill-47-e.htm. Under the act, victims can apply for an emergency intervention order to obtain short-term remedies such as:

• exclusive occupation of the residence
• temporary possession of personal property
• no-contact provisions
• temporary custody of children
• seizure of weapons 

Applications for EIOs may be made by telephone. There are groups designated to assist victims in completing an EIO application. For more information on EIOs: http://www.legal-info-legale.nb.ca/en/emergency_intervention_orders

Leave for individuals subject to domestic, intimate partner or sexual violence available - Employees in New Brunswick can access a leave of absence if they, or their child, were victims of domestic, intimate partner or sexual violence. Employers are required to grant the employee leaves of absence in each calendar year, not to exceed the following: a) up to 10 days, which the employee may take intermittently or in one continuous period, and b) up to 16 weeks in one continuous period. The first five days of this leave are paid, and the balance is unpaid leave.  Employees are eligible for both leaves. For more information, visit the Employment Standards fact sheet “Other Employment Standards Leaves” https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/petl-epft/PDF/es/FactSheets/OtherLeaves.pdf or http://www.gnb.ca/women.  

Changes were made to the Residential Tenancies Act that removed one of the financial barriers that prevent some victims of violence from leaving an abusive situation. These amendments allow victims of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence or stalking to end their lease early. Those with fixed or year-to-year leases can give one month’s notice rather than the current three months. Fixed-term leases have specified notice periods. For a tenant to qualify for early termination of a lease, they will be required to provide the landlord with one of the following: 

• an emergency intervention order: 
• an order of the court; or 
• a Third-Party Declaration supplied by a system contact with the victim (e.g. peace officers; victims services coordinators; domestic violence outreach workers, crisis intervener or support worker, or indigenous chief or elder). 

For more information visit Victims of Violence (Residential Tenancy) https://www2.snb.ca/content/snb/en/services/services_renderer.201518.Victims_of_Violence_(Residential_Tenancy).html

The Insurance Act http://laws.gnb.ca/en/ShowTdm/cs/I-12/ no longer penalizes victims for damages caused by an abusive partner. The amendment prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to innocent co-insureds for property damage. It will allow a victim to receive insurance payments for their proportionate share of damaged or destroyed property by an abusive partner. It will assist victims of intimate partner violence by reducing the financial loss as they begin rebuilding their lives.  

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New Brunswick’s Roundtable on Crime and Public Safety was established in 2011 as a venue for community agencies, police, the private sector, academia, First Nations groups, municipal and federal governments, and several provincial departments to collaborate on improvements to New Brunswick crime prevention policy and practice through the Provincial Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy. This November, the Roundtable will hold its 15^th meeting. 

Bringing together more than 55 organizations, the Roundtable has focused on informing and engaging stakeholders, as well as leading and sustaining evidence-based crime prevention efforts in three priority areas: intimate partner violence (IPV), vulnerable youth, and chronic repeat offending. To better prevent and respond to IPV, the Roundtable sanctioned the creation of the Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign to raise awareness of local supports and educate New Brunswickers on IPV; the development of the Coordinated Community Response program for high risk and high danger intimate partner violence situations to provide intensive, wrap-around support to victims/survivors of IPV; and Bill 47: Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Act, which created Emergency Intervention Orders to enhance victims’/survivors’ safety. 

What You May Have Missed:

• Hon. Tammy Scott-Wallace, Minister responsible for Women’s Equality and Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, hosted a session for Members of the Legislative Assembly, Executive Assistants and Constituency Staff to help enhance understanding of domestic/intimate partner violence and increase knowledge of the resources that help support victims and survivors. Staff at Women’s Equality Branch, along with the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research, delivered a virtual information session to introduce the work of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre, their essential research and the people behind that work. Information was also presented about what domestic/intimate partner violence is, its prevalence and the impact and the barriers victims face when subjected to domestic/intimate partner violence to help provide an informed response to constituents, friends, family members and colleagues.  
  
  
• On November 9, the Women's Equality Branch presented to the Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick on the connection between domestic/intimate partner violence and tourism and how frontline workers can intervene, in collaboration with Justice and Public Safety’s Love Shouldn’t Hurt Campaign. WEB also supported the Elizabeth Fry Society in delivering a presentation on human trafficking links to tourism. We thank all those who participated and encourage everyone to visit our website for more information on the subjects.

• The Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research launched a new educational video Resource Development Initiative this year. Through this exciting venture, the centre is producing short educational documentary resources that highlight the critical work of service providers, researchers, and educators from the field of family violence in New Brunswick. Each video will feature firsthand information about programs and initiatives designed to address domestic and intimate partner violence, as well as violence in the lives of youth. More information can be found here: https://www.unb.ca/mmfc/resources/interviews.html
  
  
• The Women’s Equality Branch, in partnership with Social Development and United Way, has enhanced 211 helpline services related to family, intimate partner, and sexual violence across the province. Last month, 211 Helpline Navigators (who speak directly with New Brunswick callers) received comprehensive training from the Women’s Equality Branch on the landscape of services offered in New Brunswick and how to effectively respond to callers who are subjected to violence in a trauma-informed way while connecting them to the support they need. The 211 Helpline service is a free 24/7 service for residents, frontline workers, and community leaders of New Brunswick. It is entirely confidential and available in over 150 languages. Call 211 or visit nb.211.ca if you or someone you know needs help to find services related to intimate partner violence, sexual violence, housing, healthcare, and more. 
  

Notable dates

Featured events

As part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV),the GBV Knowledge Centre at Women and Gender Equality Canada is pleased to invite you to: Into the Light: a National Film Board of Canada Documentary on Domestic Violence on Wednesday, December 1, at 1pm to 3pm EST on Zoom. To register for the event, please fill out the pre-event survey through this link: https://events.myconferencesuite.com/KC_Screening/reg/landing?l=100
The documentary will be in French with English sub-titles. Simultaneous interpretation services will be provided during the question period and a crisis and support line will also be available during the viewing. 
 

Join the Bystander Intervention Webinar on Tuesday, November 30 at 2 pm AST. It's a free one-hour webinar focused on teaching five practical skills to safely intervene. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__J9RSijLReuskriENRB_5A