If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the toll-free 24/7 Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 1-866-863-0511, or visit to find emergency shelter near you.
Increase in number of female deaths reported by police domestic violence shows what experts say has become an “epidemic” in Canada.
These cases come as Canada has witnessed a increase in domestic violence since 2018, and follow several high-profile cases of “femicide” — which the United Nations defines as “intentional gender-motivated killing” of women or girls. – which brought renewed public attention to gender-based violence.
“(Intimate partner) violence can often go unnoticed or is often downplayed,” said Ann de Ste Croix, executive director of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia (THANS).
De Ste Croix told Global News that transition houses run by THANS provided services to approximately 4,500 women and children in 2024, a sharp increase from the nearly 4,000 assisted in 2023.
In the past two weeks, four women have been killed, with police saying each was the victim of domestic violence. Last Monday, Ania Wardzala-Kaminski and her father were found dead at home in Calgary a day after police said they had been killed.
THE same day in Edmontonpolice said Ashley Burke was found by a river. Police announced Jan. 5 that a man had been charged in connection with her death, which was deemed an “intimate partner homicide.” Her daughter, however, stressed to Global News that her mother and the suspect knew each other but that it was “in no way a relationship.”
The bodies of Cora-Lee Smith and her father were found on new year’s eve in Halifax after police allege her boyfriend fatally shot them.
And last Sunday, the RCMP in Nova Scotia found two people dead in Mahone Bay, which they say was the result of domestic violence.
The partners in all cases except the Edmonton case were also found dead.
Police-reported domestic violence increased by 13 percent between 2018 and 2023. with a total of 123,319 casualties reported to law enforcement across the country, according to Statistics Canada data released in October 2024.
This same data showed that between 2018 and 2023, domestic violence among people aged 25 to 64 increased by 22 percent, with people aged 65 and over experiencing a 36 percent increase.
What does domestic violence look like?
Domestic violence can include physical, emotional, financial, and coercive control.
Receive national news daily
Get the day’s top news, politics, business and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
According to de Ste Croix, non-physical signals, such as a person becoming increasingly isolated from others, should be warning signs, as should signs of fear or anxiety toward their partner.
Coercive control, such as if the person’s finances or actions appear to be controlled or if their partner checks their texts or tells them who they can or cannot talk to, is also a sign of domestic violence.
A private member’s bill in Parliament was introduced last year making such controlling behavior illegal, but it died in the Senate when Parliament was prorogued.
De Ste Croix said unexplained injuries or frequent trips to the hospital could also indicate potential violence.
Domestic violence occurs “all year round,” but holidays see a sharp increase
Holidays, like Christmas or New Year’s, see an increase in reports of domestic violence, although advocates warn it happens year-round.
Adsum for Women and Children, which provides housing assistance in Halifax, received several requests a week for a shelter bed over the holidays, said shelter director Kassandra Myer, as well as “diversion funds” for find safe accommodation.
With people home for the holidays, Amy Hertes, team leader at Agape House shelter in Manitoba, said stress levels can increase for reasons such as planning the festivities or buying gifts while respecting the budget.
“People are struggling to make ends meet and so are struggling to put food on the table and they also want Christmas to be a good Christmas for their children,” Hertes said. “They might be overdoing it or maybe they have a partner who controls the budget and they went out of budget and now someone is mad at them.”
According to de Ste Croix, financial stress, increased alcohol consumption, seasonal isolation and even family gatherings can all lead to escalating violence during the holidays.
But they could also lead to someone getting help, with Myer noting that loved ones you haven’t seen in a while might notice a change.
“Maybe the only time you see them is at Christmas dinner and you notice some of these signs and you worry about a loved one,” Myer said.
But governments must also act to make resources more accessible, advocates say.
The federal government started working on an action plan against gender-based violence in 2017 and implemented the 10-year plan National action plan to end gender-based violence in 2022, with $539.3 million over five years to help provinces solve this problem.
What that will look like after the next federal election this year is unclear.
Nova Scotia declared domestic violence an epidemic in September 2024.
In November, Manitoba expanded its electronic monitoring program for offenders to “support survivors of domestic violence.”
The Ontario NDP introduced legislation to declare domestic violence an “epidemic” and asked for government support in November for an immediate declaration.
But after the motion failed, Associate Minister for Social and Economic Opportunity for Women Charmaine Williams told reporters she did not want to “rush” the issue.
The NDP’s bill remains in committee stage, with Williams’ ministry telling Global News it looks forward to reviewing the committee’s report.
Controls over the police – both when officers are involved in domestic violence and in how law enforcement handles domestic violence cases more generally – have also intensified in recent years .
Two months ago, the RCMP in Nova Scotia faces criticism from family of woman killed by man who the force later confirmed was one of its members. The initial press release did not classify the case as domestic violence, which the force later admitted.
De Ste Croix said measures taken by governments, such as declaring outbreaks, would help improve the support shelters and other organizations can provide.
“We need epidemic-level funding to do this work. »
—with files from Melissa Ridgen, Rebecca Lau, Karen Bartko and Noor Ibrahim of Global News