Community Organizations Launch Coordinated Gender Safety Response for FIFA World Cup 2026

Jun 8, 2026 | Battered Women's Support Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Community Organizations Launch Coordinated Gender Safety Response for FIFA World Cup 2026

BWSS Expands Crisis-Line Services, Launches FIFA Safety Card Initiative, and Premieres New Public Service Announcement as Good Night Out Vancouver Expands Community Safety Outreach

VANCOUVER, BC, June 8, 2026 – As Vancouver prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitorsduring FIFA World Cup 2026, community organizations are coming together to ensure gender safety is part of thepublic safety conversation.

Today, BWSS and Good Night Out Vancouver announced a coordinated, community-based response to gender-based violence during the six-week tournament period, highlighting the need to consider safety not only in stadiums and public gathering spaces, but also in homes, workplaces, nightlife venues, andcommunities.

While much of the planning surrounding FIFA World Cup 2026 has focused on transportation, tourism, crowds, hospitality, and public celebrations, today’s announcement focused on a different question:

What would it look like if safer streets, safer nightlife, and safer homes were all part of the same public safety conversation?

Together, BWSS and Good Night Out Vancouver represent two critical components of a comprehensive safety response during FIFA World Cup 2026: prevention in public spaces and support behind closed doors.

As part of today’s announcement, BWSS confirmed it will temporarily expand its specialized crisis-line services to 24hours a day, seven days a week throughout the six-week tournament period. The enhanced service will ensure survivors have access to information, emotional support, safety planning, risk assessment, crisis intervention, and referrals whenever they need support.

BWSS also launched its FIFA Safety Card Initiative, a practical resource designed to increase awareness of available supports and provide accessible safety information to individuals who may be experiencing violence, coercive control, stalking, harassment, or other forms of abuse.

The event also marked the premiere of The Space Between, a new public service announcement developed by BWSS to raise awareness about coercive control and the realities manysurvivors experience behind closed doors.

Set during a World Cup match, the film explores coercive control through the eyes of a survivor. Rather than depicting physical violence, The Space Between focuses on fear, monitoring, isolation, tension, and survival behaviours that often precede escalation. The film asks viewers to recognize abuse before violence escalates and challenges the tendency to dismiss warning signs that are often hidden in plain sight.

Good Night Out Vancouver announced a series of FIFA-related outreach initiatives designed to support safer nightlife and public environments throughout the tournament period. The organization will work directly within nightlife and hospitality settings to support safer venues, strengthen bystander awareness, provide community outreach, and help create safer experiences for residents, workers, and visitors.

“Everyone deserves to enjoy summer events in Vancouver safely, and creating safer environments is a shared responsibility. We appreciate that the City of Vancouver recognises this and the role Good Night Out’s outreach team plays in supporting the safety of women and other marginalized genders in our city,” said Stacey Forrester, Education Director, Good Night Out Vancouver.

“During FIFA World Cup 2026, the Good Night Out Street Team will be offering support, care, and a friendly,visible presence to anyone in the public realm, including patrons, workers and people sheltering in the street. We know that large events bring increased crowds, alcohol consumption, and social activity. We also know that while most people will have a positive experience, having additional support available helps people accessassistance if needed, which contributes to a safer and more enjoyable experience for everyone. Look for our friendly team in pink.”

International research has identified increases in reports of intimate partner violence during some major football tournaments. Sport does not cause violence against women. However, periods associated with heightened emotional intensity, alcohol consumption, gambling stress, nightlife activity, and social gatherings can intensify existing patterns of coercive control and abuse.

For many survivors, the risks associated with major sporting events are not experienced in stadiums. They are experienced at home.

Today’s announcement included a joint call for gender safety and violence prevention to be recognized as essential components of public safety planning during major international events.

Both organizations emphasized that meaningful public safety requires prevention, early intervention, survivor support, and community awareness working together.

As Vancouver prepares to welcome the world, we have a responsibility to ensure that gender safety is part ofour public safety response. Through our collaboration with Good Night Out Vancouver, we are strengthening both prevention and intervention efforts related to gender-based violence and intimate partner violence. Good Night Out is helping to create safer community and nightlife spaces, while BWSS is expanding crisis response and support for survivors. Through The Space Between and our temporary expansion to 24/7 crisis-line services, we are reminding our community that not all abuse is visible, coercive control is abuse, and survivors deserve safety. Safety changes everything.” said Angela Marie MacDougall, Executive Director, Battered Women’s Support Services.

Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) A feminist voice against violence and oppression, BWSS is a strong, dynamic organization that provides support and advocacy for women who have experienced abuse, as well as community education and training about violence against women. Part of a global feminist anti-violence movement, ourlong-term goal is the elimination of all violence against women and girls. www.bwss.org

Good Night Out Vancouver

Good Night Out Vancouver works to prevent sexual harassment and sexual violence in nightlife, hospitality, festival, and community spaces through education, outreach, bystander intervention, safer-space programming, and community engagement. https://www.goodnightoutvancouver.com/ 

Before Someone Becomes a Lawmaker: Public Office Requires Public Trust

Jun 4, 2026 | Battered Women's Support Services

The BC Prosecution Service has announced that Jordan Kealy, MLA for Peace River North, has been charged with one count of sexual assault. The BC Prosecution Service has also confirmed that a Special Prosecutor was appointed because the accused is an elected public official.

The criminal court process must now proceed independently and fairly. Every person charged with a criminal offence is entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence.

At the same time, accountability is not limited to the courtroom.

Criminal courts determine whether an offence has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Public institutions have a separate responsibility to maintain public confidence, uphold accountability, and demonstrate leadership while legal proceedings are underway.

But this moment also raises a broader question.

Political parties are gatekeepers to public office.

They recruit candidates, vet candidates, nominate candidates, support candidates, and ultimately ask the public to place trust in those individuals as lawmakers and decision-makers. Communities therefore have a legitimate interest in understanding what standards exist to identify and respond to concerns involving sexual violence, violence against women, harassment, coercive control, and abuse before individuals become elected officials.

Public confidence is shaped not only by what happens after charges are approved. It is also shaped by how concerns are received, assessed, and addressed before a situation reaches that point.

Increasingly, communities want to know not only whether an individual will be held accountable, but whether institutions acted responsibly when concerns first emerged. They want to know what was known, when it was known, who was responsible for acting, and what actions were taken in response.

For decades, Battered Women’s Support Services has worked with survivors navigating systems where warning signs were minimized, concerns were dismissed, reports were fragmented across institutions, or responsibility was deferred until harm became impossible to ignore.

Violence against women is rarely sustained because no one knows.

More often, warning signs are downplayed, normalized, explained away, treated as private matters, or regarded as someone else’s responsibility. Action is delayed until public exposure, legal intervention, or tragedy forces a response.

This reality is familiar to many survivors. The harm they describe is often not limited to a single act of violence. Many speak about raising concerns, seeking help, attempting to be believed, or watching warning signs go unaddressed. Similar questions have emerged repeatedly in public cases involving individuals in positions of authority and trust.

The issue is not whether someone is entitled to due process. They are.

The issue is whether public institutions recognize that due process and public accountability are not competing principles. Both are necessary. Both are essential to maintaining confidence in democratic institutions.

When serious criminal charges involving sexual violence are approved against an elected official, communities are entitled to ask what accountability looks like while the legal process unfolds. They are also entitled to ask how someone came to occupy a position of public trust, what safeguards existed, and how concerns were addressed along the way.

Survivors and communities are watching how institutions respond.

They are watching whether accountability is treated as a public responsibility or postponed until after a legal outcome is reached. They are watching whether warning signs are taken seriously or minimized. They are watching whether leadership carries responsibilities beyond avoiding conviction.

Court proceedings will determine the outcome of the criminal case. Public confidence will also be shaped by how institutions account for the decisions, standards, and actions that brought us to this point.

Public office is not simply a position. It is a responsibility that depends on public trust. The questions that matter most are not only about what happens now, but what happened before someone was entrusted with the authority to represent the public.

 

Hon Chan — Media Coverage

Date	Source	Article Title	Link
March 26, 2026	BC Prosecution Service	Charge Assessment: Hon Chan	Read article
March 26, 2026	National Observer	BC Conservative MLA Hon Chan charged with choking, assault and uttering threats	Read article
March 26, 2026	CityNews Vancouver	B.C. Conservatives drop Richmond MLA Chan over domestic violence charges	Read article
March 26, 2026	CBC News	B.C. Conservative MLA Hon Chan charged with assault, choking and uttering threats	Read article
March 26, 2026	Vancouver Sun	Richmond MLA Hon Chan charged with assault, assault by choking and uttering threats	Read article
March 26, 2026	Global News BC	B.C. Conservative MLA charged with assault and choking offences	Read article
March 27, 2026	CTV News Vancouver	B.C. MLA removed from caucus after assault-related charges approved	Read article
March 31, 2026	AM1150	MLA Hon Chan says he doesn’t plan to resign as he faces assault charges	Read article
April 2026	Richmond News	Richmond MLA Hon Chan remains independent after assault charges	Read article

Jordan Kealy — Media Coverage

Date	Source	Article Title	Link
June 4, 2026	BC Prosecution Service	Charge Assessment: Jordan Kealy	Read article
June 4, 2026	CTV News Vancouver	B.C. legislator Jordan Kealy charged with sexual assault	Read article
June 4, 2026	CityNews Vancouver	B.C. MLA charged with sexual assault	Read article
June 4, 2026	The Canadian Press (via Castanet)	B.C. legislator Jordan Kealy charged with sexual assault	Read article
June 4, 2026	The Canadian Press (via Castanet)	CP NewsAlert: B.C. legislator Jordan Kealy charged with sexual assault	Read article
June 4, 2026	Energeticcity.ca	Peace River North MLA charged with sexual assault	Read article
June 4, 2026	CKPG Today	Independent B.C. legislator Jordan Kealy charged with sexual assault	Read article

Historical/ Related Background

Date	Source	Article Title	Link
March 7, 2025	CBC News	B.C. Peace River MLA defects from Conservatives after fellow MLA removed from caucus	Read article
March 7, 2025	CJDC-TV	Jordan Kealy denounces B.C. Conservative leader after MLA’s ejection over residential school remarks	Read article
June 13, 2025	CKPG Today / Canadian Press	Independent MLA Kealy doubts prospects of new B.C. party, but won’t rule out joining	Read article
June 19, 2025	Energeticcity.ca	‘Nothing to hide’: MLA denies blackmail allegations, welcomes investigation	Read article

Anti-Violence Organization Responds to SCC Decision as Debate Continues Over Jordan Timelines and Survivor Justice

May 31, 2026 | Battered Women's Support Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 31, 2026

Anti-Violence Organization Responds to SCC Decision as Debate Continues Over Jordan Timelines and Survivor Justice

Vancouver, BC: On Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in R. v. Vrbanic, a case examining the Jordan framework and constitutional timelines related to criminal court delay under section 11(b) of the Charter.

Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) intervened in this case to raise concerns about the impact rigid delay timelines can have on victims and survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual violence.

The Jordan framework establishes presumptive timelines for criminal prosecutions. When those timelines are exceeded, charges may be stayed and prosecutions halted. BWSS argued that intimate partner violence and sexual assault cases present unique complexities — including trauma-informed protections, vulnerable complainants, extensive evidentiary processes, publication bans, digital evidence, and coordination across multiple systems and services — which can extend the time required to prepare prosecutions.

BWSS intervened in R. v. Vrbanic after raising concerns since 2018 about the impact the Jordan framework can have on victims and survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual violence, particularly as these cases have become increasingly procedurally complex.

“While the Court did not make major changes to the Jordan framework, the decision provides important clarification regarding the complex case exception,” said Caitlin Ohama-Darcus, counsel for BWSS. “The separate reasons from Justice Rowe are also significant in recognizing concerns about the impact of stays on victims and broader public confidence in the administration of justice. These are issues BWSS and other interveners have been highlighting for years.”

BWSS intervened to ensure that the realities facing victims and survivors of gender-based violence were before the Court and reflected in the national legal conversation around access to justice, procedural fairness, and public safety.

“The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision reflects the growing tension inside the criminal legal system itself,” said Angela Marie MacDougall, Executive Director of BWSS. “Cases involving intimate partner violence and sexual violence are increasingly complex because survivors require protections, accommodations, and trauma-informed processes. When the system is not adequately resourced to support that complexity, victims and survivors can experience delay, retraumatization, and, in some cases, the loss of any opportunity for accountability or legal recognition.”

BWSS will continue advocating for survivor-centred justice system reforms, coordinated risk assessment, trauma- and violence-informed responses, and meaningful access to justice for victims and survivors of gender-based violence.

About BWSS
Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) works to end violence against women and gender-based violence through crisis support, advocacy, counselling, legal advocacy, violence prevention, training, and systemic change initiatives across British Columbia.

Standing Together: A Tribute to Kuldeep Ahluwalia

May 27, 2026 | Battered Women's Support Services

INFORMATION FOR SURVIVORS

May 20, 2026 | Battered Women's Support Services

To Survivors Accessing BWSS,

You may have heard about the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) in Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia recognizing a new tort of intimate partner violence.

A tort is a type of legal claim that allows someone to seek compensation for harms they have experienced. Unlike criminal or family law proceedings, tort claims are civil actions for damages. Many women accessing BWSS are navigating family law, immigration, criminal law, and child protection matters. This new tort exists within the civil legal system.

Last year, Battered Women’s Support Services intervened in the Ahluwalia case and asked the Supreme Court of Canada to:

• Recognize intimate partner violence as a standalone legal harm;
•  Address systemic barriers experienced by survivors, including Black, Indigenous, and racialized women;
• Provide a clearer and more accessible pathway to legal redress for survivors of intimate partner violence.

On May 15, 2026, Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in the Ahluwalia case, recognizing a new tort of intimate partner violence grounded in coercive control. This marks an important moment in access to justice for victims and survivors.

What survivors should know:

Unlike family law, there are generally very limited low-income legal representation options for civil claims, including claims under this new tort of intimate partner violence.

In addition, successful civil claims often depend on whether both parties have financial means and resources. To pursue a civil claim, a survivor must usually either:
• pay legal fees directly; or
• find a lawyer willing to work on a contingency fee basis.

A contingency fee arrangement means the lawyer is only paid if the case is successful, usually through a percentage of a settlement or damages award.

For compensation to be recovered, the perpetrator of abuse must also have assets, income, insurance coverage, or financial resources available to satisfy any damages awarded by the court.

At this time, BWSS does not provide civil litigation representation or legal advocacy related to tort claims for intimate partner violence. We are actively exploring what supports and information may be possible in the future as we continue to assess the implications of this decision.

At the same time, this ruling will benefit survivors beyond civil lawsuits themselves. The Supreme Court of Canada directly addressed many of the issues raised by BWSS and other interveners, including coercive control, patterns of abuse, autonomy, entrapment, and systemic barriers survivors face. Survivors and their lawyers may draw on this language in other legal contexts moving forward.

We are grateful to Kuldeep Kaur Ahluwalia for bravely taking on this challenge, including for a period of time as an unrepresented litigant. This new tort of intimate partner violence represents an important moment for all who care about victims and survivors of intimate partner violence.

Yours sincerely,

BWSS Battered Women’s Support Services Association

Angela Marie MacDougall

Executive Director