By Liam Verster

Provincial law

New domestic violence legislation could make huge impact in G.P. where calls are high

Oct 18, 2019 | 12:21 PM

A new act has passed second reading at the Alberta Legislature, which could protect people from violent partners and domestic abuse.

The Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence Act would allow someone to request access to a partner’s criminal record, and find out if they have been charged with violent offenses.

The Act is based on Clare’s Law from the United Kingdom, which was created after a woman named Clare Wood was murdered by her ex-boyfriend who became violent. Wood’s family later discovered he had a history of violence.

The proposed legislation would allow people to request background checks on their intimate partners through the RCMP or local police. The person could then check their partner’s history, and use the information to make decisions that could lead to safer lives, and avoid becoming a victim of domestic violence.

MLA for Grande Prairie, Tracey Allard, says specific details around the information that could be accessed through this legislation still need to be finalized.

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“There’s definitely some valid questions and concerns around what will and will not be able to be available for people if they are making information requests. For sure any convictions would be made available, but I’m unclear yet as to whether multiple and repeated complaints that were not resulting in convictions will be made available for the person to see.”

Allard says regulations also need to be established to ensure people’s privacy is protected and accessing the records is confidential, adding that rules need to be created so the information cannot be used as a weapon against the individual.

“There would definitely be some guidelines around what you could do with that information. For example, you wouldn’t be allowed to disclose that to other people, post it on social media, or post a public warning of any kind. There would definitely be limitations.”

She says it’s designed just for the use of the parties in the relationship, to ensure they are comfortable and feel safe, but says there are some exceptions as to who could access the records. She says a parent could be able to access records of their child’s partner if consent was given by their son or daughter.

Allard adds that this law is very specific to intimate partner violence, which isn’t a focal point in current laws, and this will help gather more statistics for domestic violence cases.

Corporal Lianne Bilodeau with Grande Prairie RCMP’s Domestic Violence Unit, says this legislation would be a helpful tool, especially in Grande Prairie where the rate for domestic violence is high.

“For 2018, we had numbers of 1,743 calls for service that were deemed domestic disharmony between parties. That can range anywhere between custody disputes to aggravated assaults and higher.”

She says comparing those numbers to other jurisdictions with Domestic Violence Units, Grande Prairie ranks the highest. In Red Deer, there were 1,583 reports of domestic disharmony, 1,028 reports in Fort McMurray, and Airdrie RCMP responded to 835 calls in 2018.

The details of the Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence Act still need to be finalized, and partners and stakeholders need to be established before it can become a law. Allard says the government needs to work with law enforcement agencies, legal groups to make sure no other laws are broken by enacting the new Act, and support services and organizations, in order to ensure this Act can be used to protect vulnerable people, and reduce domestic violence in the province, while also ensuring the privacy of the individuals in question is protected.

In the meantime, there are supports and services for people escaping domestic abuse in Grande Prairie and area.

Grande Prairie Victim Services provides support based on individual cases, and can help with domestic violence, offers grief and trauma support, personal safety tips, and more.

Odyssey House Grande Prairie is available for female victims of domestic violence and their children. They offer a range of services, including emergency shelter, childcare support, and community support services.

PACE offers counselling, support groups, and programs for both men and women dealing with sexual assault and abuse, crisis, or trauma.

The John Howard Society offers various programs to help people through counselling and assessing their situation.

There is also a 24-hour-a-day Alberta wide phone number for family violence, 310-1818.

The Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence Act still needs to go through the Committee of the Whole, then Third Reading, then Royal Assent at the Alberta Legislature. Allard says once it passes Third Reading, they will once again engage with stakeholders and key participants to make sure the legislation can be properly used to protect Albertans, including those who will have their information accessed.

Allard says she’s optimistic the legislation will pass, as there has been support from all the political parties, and she expects the Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence Act to be fully proclaimed and functional by early 2020.