Intimate partner violence advocates push municipal candidates to act before October 17 election
Battered Women's Support Services is tracking which candidates commit to five anti-violence actions. Vancouver's Sean Orr, Pete Fry and Kareem Allam have signed on.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
With B.C. civic elections set for October 17, advocates for intimate partner violence survivors are pushing municipal candidates to commit to five concrete actions to address the crisis.
Battered Women's Support Services launched the campaign, called "The Downplay Effect," during the Union of BC Municipalities convention this month. It highlights that intimate partner violence doesn't just escalate — it's normalized and minimized.
"We think that local governments have a really key role to play and that they haven't been taking up their role in addressing intimate partner violence as part of the broader public safety," said Angela Marie MacDougall, BWSS executive director.
The group is asking candidates to commit to: establishing an intimate partner violence task force; increasing funding to local victim services and anti-violence programs; improving local data collection for prevention and safety planning; investing in prevention education; and appointing a dedicated municipal intimate partner violence lead.
Nineteen municipalities have already met or agreed to meet with BWSS, including Abbotsford, Burnaby and Prince George. BWSS has created a municipal response tracker on its website and a "Downplay Detector" tool that flags candidates by city. Those who haven't committed are marked "Downplay Detected" with a warning symbol.
In Vancouver, Sean Orr (Coalition of Progressive Electors, running for council), Pete Fry (Green Party, mayoral candidate) and Kareem Allam (Vancouver Liberals, mayoral candidate) have committed to the action plan.
The push comes as B.C. data reveals a dramatic surge in intimate partner violence. The province saw a 164 per cent increase in intimate partner sexual assault between 2014 and 2022, a 14 per cent increase in physical assaults and a 38 per cent increase in indecent or harassing communications. In 2022, 117,093 people reported intimate partner violence incidents to police. Nationally, Statistics Canada reported 128,175 victims of intimate partner violence in 2024.
A B.C. chief coroner report released this spring studied 135 deaths caused by intimate partner violence and found deaths "overwhelmingly preventable."
What specific commitments have the 19 municipalities made, and how are they being enforced?
Will BWSS track implementation of promised actions after the election?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
When is the B.C. civic election?
The B.C. civic election is set for October 17, 2026.
What five actions is BWSS asking candidates to commit to?
Battered Women's Support Services is asking candidates to establish an intimate partner violence task force, increase funding to local victim services and anti-violence programs, improve local data collection for prevention and safety planning, invest in prevention education, and appoint a dedicated municipal intimate partner violence lead.
Which Vancouver candidates have committed to BWSS's action plan?
Sean Orr (running for council with the Coalition of Progressive Electors), Pete Fry (Green Party mayoral candidate), and Kareem Allam (Vancouver Liberals mayoral candidate) have all committed to the action plan.
How much did intimate partner sexual assault increase in B.C. between 2014 and 2022?
Intimate partner sexual assault increased by 164 per cent in B.C. between 2014 and 2022.
