In 2023, the County of Renfrew declared intimate partner violence an epidemic. Intimate partner violence has continued to climb to alarming rates not just throughout our rural communities but stats prove that in Canada, a woman is killed by her intimate partner every six days and one in five women faces some type of abuse in their intimate relationships.

Despite Meta's regulations blocking news and media outlets from sharing news stories on social media, if you were to search domestic violence in the Ottawa Valley, you would see numerous news stories filled with reports of domestic violence charges, intimate partner violence investigations, and Bernadette McCann House (BMH) commitment to engage with community partners to educate and support Renfrew County residents about the seriousness and long-term dangers of violence in our community.

In this episode, BMH executive director Leigh Sweeney and I chat about...

💜 Why intimate partner violence is still happening in 2024 and why there is still so much shame, embarrassment and hiding around it.

💜 How domestic violence affects everyone, whether you're a low income family, to a career professional, or in a same-sex relationship

💜 The barriers that prevents someone from leaving, but also strategies on how to prepare yourself and your children to safely (and legally) leave an abusive relationship

💜 How Bernadette McCann House offers more than just a temporary shelter, providing a 24/7 crisis helpline, outreach counselling, transitional planning, family law support, and so much more