Crisis & Intake:
1-855-687-1868

From Grief to Action, Five Immediate Actions to End Femicide in BC

Sep 10, 2025 | Battered Women's Support Services

In the past 13 months, 34 women have been killed in British Columbia. Each was loved, cherished, and irreplaceable. Each should still be alive today.

Last week, we gathered in Gastown at the vigil for Ivy Michelle Bell. This weekend, we stood with family and community in Maple Ridge to honour Jessica Cunningham. This Saturday, we will travel to Kelowna for the celebration of life for Bailey McCourt.

These gatherings are moments of profound grief. They are also reminders of love—the love families and communities hold for women whose lives have been stolen by male violence, and the love that fuels our fight for change.

What’s at Stake

Just this past Friday, Vancouver police confirmed two women were killed and one seriously injured. A man has since been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault.

This horrific event is part of a devastating pattern. In BC, femicide is not an isolated act. It is a public safety emergency.

What We’re Doing Together

At BWSS, we are pressing forward with urgency on five immediate interventions designed to end femicide in BC—five actions that are clear and achievable:

  1. Mandate Municipal GBV Task Forces – Every city must take action, convening survivor-centred task forces to coordinate safety across policing, housing, and justice.

  2. Stabilize Frontline Services – Provide a 15% emergency funding increase so community-based victim services, STV outreach, and transition house workers can meet demand.

  3. Standardize Risk Assessment – Make intimate partner violence risk tools mandatory across police, Crown, child protection, and more, with oversight and enforcement.

  4. Launch a Province-Wide Prevention Campaign – Use government communications infrastructure to educate the public and prevent violence.

  5. Appoint a GBV Lead – Establish a provincial lead in Public Safety/Attorney General’s office to coordinate across ministries and municipalities.

Pushing at Every Level

Last month, BWSS convened a provincial roundtable on gender justice and ending violence, bringing together advocates from across BC, including organizations representing Indigenous, Black, rural, and remote communities, to meet with Canada’s Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Rechie Valdez.

The meeting opened with a territorial welcome and a moment of silence for women and girls lost to femicide, setting the tone for deep reflection and shared resolve. Together, participants presented three urgent federal asks:

  • Stable, multiyear core funding for the sector

  • Shifting investments toward the care economy, housing, and prevention

  • Independent, survivor- and Indigenous-led accountability for the National Action Plan on GBV and the MMIWG Calls for Justice

The Minister was invited to carry these priorities forward to Cabinet, and participants affirmed that survivor safety is public safety, committing to reconvene ahead of the Fall 2025 federal budget.

BWSS was joined by powerful voices including Amy FitzGerald (BC Society of Transition Houses), Nataizya Mukwavi (Black Women Connect Vancouver), Sharon Gregson (Coalition of Childcare Advocates of BC), Alice Kendall (Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre), Ninu Kang (Ending Violence Association of BC), Jennifer Mackie (Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association), Sue Brown (Justice for Girls), Lisa Schmidt (‘Ksan Society), Lynnell Halikowski (Prince George Sexual Assault Centre), Shahnaz Rahman (Surrey Women’s Centre), Laurie Hannah (Westcoast Community Resources Society), and Shannon Daub (West Coast LEAF).

We thank these incredible leaders for sharing their voice, brilliance, and presence.

Advocacy in Action

Alongside community partners, BWSS has been meeting with mayors across BC, urging immediate action—and the response has been encouraging.

We continue to work directly with the Attorney General’s office. Attorney General Niki Sharma has shown clear understanding of the urgency and what is at stake, and we are grateful for her leadership.

Just today, BWSS met with the Premier, the Attorney General, Deputy Minister Shannon Salter, and senior staff to reiterate the five immediate interventions. The conversation was effective, and while we are encouraged, we remain determined to keep pushing until change is realized.

Read More

How You Can Help

Our strength comes from survivors and communities standing with us. Thank you for signing on to #DesignedWithSurvivors. Here’s how you can support right now:

We cannot bring back the women we have lost. Together we can build a BC where survivors are safe, women’s lives are protected, justice is upheld, and femicide is no longer tolerated.