Warning: This story contains references to intimate partner violence.

Billie Jo Barrett says it’s hard to talk about her experiences with domestic violence, but it’s harder to know that other survivors have had their court cases put on hold because of challenges in the justice system.

That’s part of the reason Barrett, who lives in Thunder Bay with her Boston terrier, Bruce, is calling for Ontario to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic, as dozens of municipalities in Ontario and several other provinces and territories already have.

Barrett said her ex-partner was charged after he was accused of trying to strangle her during three separate incidents. CBC obtained court documents that say he was charged in October 2021 with assault with a weapon or imitation weapon. He was also charged between November 2022 and January 2023 with spousal assault, two counts of assault causing bodily harm – suffocation, suffocation or strangulation, two counts of forcible restraint, mischief under $5,000 and failure to comply with a probation order.

However, due to a lack of evidence, the case was dropped, meaning all charges were effectively dropped.

The justice system doesn’t treat women’s safety like it’s public safety.– Gwen O’Reilly, Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre

Barrett believes the lack of court staff also played a role in the outcome of the case.

“On the day I was supposed to go to court, the court was overbooked. There were not enough judges. There were interruptions, so I felt like my case was deprioritized,” Barrett said.

She is also concerned about the increasing number of criminal cases that do not go to trial due to court backlogs and what this means for survivors seeking justice.

STOP | Domestic violence survivor shares tips to help others seek justice:

Domestic violence survivor shares tips to help others seek justice

Billie Jo Barrett says she wants to see changes in Ontario’s justice system to make it easier for other survivors of domestic violence to come forward. Here’s what the Thunder Bay, Ont., resident is asking for.

CBC News recently learned that 56 per cent of all criminal cases in Ontario between 2022-2023 will result in charges. withdrawn, postponed, dismissed or released before a decision is made at trial.

“For me, knowing how hard it was to come forward, I worry that other women will be afraid to come forward, knowing that in most cases these situations don’t usually end up in court for whatever reason,” Barrett. said.

The rate of intimate partner violence reported by police in Thunder Bay is among the tallest in Canada: 551 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022.

Advocates say that, in addition to being a symbol of the importance of the problem, declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic would lead to more resources being allocated to frontline service providers such as women’s centres, victim services and the courts.

“I don’t think it should be up to the victims, the survivors, the families that it affected, to be responsible for change,” Barrett said. “I think the government, our MPs need to look at this very seriously.”

At the federal level, The Senate is expected to pass Bill S-249known as Georgina’s Law this week. This would require Canada to create a national strategy within two years to prevent intimate partner violence and require the government to update all Houses of Parliament on actions taken every two years.

“The evidence for this violence is disappearing”

The city of Thunder Bay is among 95 Ontario municipalities to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic. Also six provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan) and the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon have adopted specific legislation on domestic violence.

Gwen O’Reilly, executive director of the Women’s Center of Northwestern Ontario, said not much has changed since Thunder Bay’s statement last year.

“I didn’t expect this situation to get worse, but that’s what we’re seeing,” O’Reilly said. “What we’re seeing is that the justice system is not treating women’s safety like it’s public safety.”

In order to bring cases to court within a reasonable time frame, the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2016 decision, known as the Jordan decision, established that lawsuits must be heard within 18 months of charges being filed.

But understaffing in the courts contributed to hundreds of criminal cases that exceed this term.

When criminal cases involving domestic violence are dismissed, “the evidence of that violence disappears,” O’Reilly said.

“We see this pattern of impunity and therefore lack of accountability and therefore invisibility — and so when women deal with the child welfare system or in family court… according to the file there, nothing happened”.

Ontario works to get cases ‘heard faster’

In an emailed statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General said Ontario spent $29 million this year to “appoint at least 25 new judges to the Court of Justice from Ontario, along with 190 more Crown prosecutors and hundreds. of victim support and court staff”.

“Recruitment is underway to ensure that cases are heard more quickly and to reduce the backlog in the criminal justice system,” said press secretary Jack Fazzari.

The CBC requested a breakdown of the number of staff assigned to Northwestern Ontario, but had not received a response by press time.

A Ontario-wide bill to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic it passed second reading on April 10 before being referred to the standing committee on justice policy. says the New Democratic Party a motion to pass the bill was defeated on the first day of this year’s fall session.

“Ontario should pass Bill 173 instead of studying it,” O’Reilly said. “There is no reason to study this issue. We have all the evidence we need to understand that this is a problem.”

Both Thunder Bay–Atikokan Conservative MP Kevin Holland and Thunder Bay–Superior North NDP MP Lise Vaugeois told the CBC they support the bill.

STOP | Ontario is under pressure to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic:

Ontario under pressure to declare ‘intimate partner violence epidemic’

Ontario opposition members are pushing the Ford government to declare intimate partner violence an “epidemic.” Advocates say such a statement would make it easier for victims to get legal protection and support.

Michael Parsa, Ontario’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, said the government has supported the bill but continues to review and hear from experts on the issue.

“We are committed to making sure (service providers) have the support and resources to continue to provide these supports to families,” Parsa said.

He said the government invests $1.4 billion annually to ensure supports and services are available to Ontario families and has partnered with the federal government to The National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

“I’d like to see the whole system overhauled, and I know it’s not going to happen overnight, but if Ontario declares intimate partner violence an epidemic, that’s a good start,” Barrett said.

“Forgiveness is not a cure for injustice”

Thunder Bay and Area Victim Services (TBAVS) receives at least 10 calls a week from new people seeking services related to intimate partner violence.

“It’s very big for a city the size of Thunder Bay,” said TBAVS Executive Director Penny Radford.

Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) reported 2,300 incidents of intimate partner violence in 2022 in the city, which has a population of about 111,000, with 703 charges against 267 people. CBC News has contacted the police service for the latest statistics and will update this story once information is provided.

Barrett wants Ontario to adopt what is known as Clare’s Law in the UK – it allows police services to disclose information to a potential victim about whether their partner has a history of violence. Ontario version, Bill 274, it did not pass the second reading.

“I feel that I was not given the opportunity to make an informed decision about whether or not I wanted to continue a relationship with this person if I had known about his violent past,” she said.

One positive trend Radford has seen in Thunder Bay is an increasing number of men seeking support related to intimate partner violence — something they may have felt too stigmatized to access in the past.

There are also several programs in the city for men who are susceptible to violence, such as Caring Dads Group via Faye Peterson House.

However, Radford said, it’s important to look at the broader stressors that contribute to violence in the first place, such as the rising cost of living, mental health and addictions — concerns she hears in many calls to TBAVS .

“When you have nowhere to go and you can’t go to rehab, or you have nowhere to go and the beds aren’t available … then the violence comes home, right?”

Barrett and Bruce wore purple during their interview with CBC News in recognition of November being Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Her hope is that by sharing her story, other survivors will know they are not alone, and those in power will be reminded of the urgent need for change.

“It was very difficult for me to introduce myself in the first place. I was full of shame, and if justice doesn’t support me, then who does? Who supports women facing the same thing? Who supports the women who were killed?” Barrett said.

“I believe in forgiveness, but forgiveness is not a cure for injustice. Justice is.”

Victims of domestic violence are not alone. In the Thunder Bay area, there is more support programs available for survivors and their families. The the federal government also has a website where you can find provincial and territorial help resources. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.