WINDSOR – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition NDP, and MPP Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West) joined the leadership of Hiatus House and Welcome Centre Shelter for Women, to urge Ford’s Conservatives to address the harsh reality facing women’s shelters and their clients in Windsor-Essex.
“Organizations that support women and children escaping intimate partner violence are already hanging on by a thread as they continue to stretch their last dollar to help those in need,” said Stiles. “The Conservatives have rejected calls from city councils across the province to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic. They’ve proved time and time again that they are not interested in supporting survivors or starting to address the root causes of violence against women.”
In summer 2023, Windsor and Essex joined 40 other Ontario municipalities to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic.
“This declaration by the City of Windsor was more than just a symbolic gesture - it was a call to action for the province from our community to start taking this issue seriously and invest the resources to build a safe and equitable future for the women of Windsor,” said Gretzky. “But there is only so much our communities and local agencies can do without real financial commitments from the provincial government. The incredible organizations with us today deserve more than just the bare minimum. The work they do is invaluable for women and children escaping violence.”
“Shelters in Windsor-Essex told us today that they can barely cover repairs and maintenance with provincial funding,” said Stiles. “This needs to be a wake-up call for the Ford government to step up and do more. The Ontario NDP and I have the back of these incredible organizations, and the people they support.”
Background
- Stiles and NDP MPPs Jill Andrew (Toronto—St. Paul’s; critic for Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity) and Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre; critic for the Attorney General) have been urging the Conservatives to pass all provincial measures recommended by the Renfrew County Inquest, including declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic.
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