British Columbia Federation of Labour

Solicitor General Kash Heed's so-called "action plan" to fight domestic violence is wholly inadequate to deal with a problem that devastates families in all parts of the province. The plan also ignores many of the recommendations made by a Coroner's Jury last month which was investigating a mass slaying in Oak Bay in 2007 that claimed five lives.

"This government can find billions of dollars to stage the Winter Olympics but can only scrape together $25,000 to create a domestic violence team in Victoria that should have been established years ago," says Angela Schira, Secretary-Treasurer of the B.C. Federation of Labour.

"The government continues to ignore the fact women in abusive relationships have no domestic violence teams to turn to for help in many BC communities including Castlegar, Chase, Chetwynd, Golden, Houston, Ladysmith, Osoyoos, Merritt, where 3 children were murdered in 2008, and Quatsino, where 6 children were murdered in 2002," Schira added.

BC averages about 10,000 domestic-violence cases a year, but has only 664 beds in 63 transition houses in 57 communities. Those transition houses, which help women and children escape domestic violence, are facing a provincial funding cut of $1.2 million next year.

Dealing with domestic violence is obviously not a priority for the Liberal government," says Schira. "The jury that investigated the Oak Bay tragedy made a series of recommendations that would go a long way to combatting domestic violence in our province. The Campbell government needs to act on these recommendations and adequately fund the agencies that help some of the most vulnerable people in our province."

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