Need to take domestic violence 'a lot more seriously,' shelter director says after McCreary triple homicide
Manitoba premier in talks with chief public health officer on declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic
A protection order filed against Marlon Glover was intended to help keep his former common-law partner safe after a Manitoba court ruled she was the victim of domestic violence — but it did not.
Last week Glover, 41, forcefully entered the home of the 37-year-old woman in McCreary, in southwestern Manitoba. She managed to escape and hide in a wooded area, but Glover went to a nearby residence, where he killed the woman's parents and brother, in what police described as a "horrific act of intimate partner violence."
Advocates say they are seeing an escalation in the levels of violence, which is why one says the province needs to work "across to the board" to prevent tragedies like the one from repeating yet again.
"We need to talk about it. We need to take action. I think government … needs to stand up, and we need to address this," said Kari Prawdzik, the executive director of a domestic violence emergency shelter in Dauphin — the closest one to McCreary.
Premier Wab Kinew said the province is trying to "learn from this terrible tragedy and implement further changes," including "moving out of silos" by having provincial departments work more closely together on solutions.
Manitoba has the second-highest rate of police-reported family and intimate partner violence among Canadian provinces, and Kinew said his government has had conversations about declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic, including asking Dr. Brent Roussin, the province's chief public health officer, to weigh in.
"This seems to be contagious, meaning this is a learned behaviour," Kinew said during a Thursday interview with CBC's Information Radio. "This is something that spreads through society, and are there public health experts who can help us with 'how do we stop that?'"
CBC reached out to Roussin, but his office declined to comment on the matter at this time.
Protection orders 'not effective': advocate
CBC News has learned a court granted the 37-year-old McCreary woman a protection order against Glover last year, after determining he was committing domestic violence against her.
But court documents show that Glover breached the conditions of that protection order five times in November and December of 2023.
"We're finding protection orders are not effective for people fleeing violence," Tsungai Muvingi Van Landeghem, a provincial co-ordinator with the Manitoba Association for Women's Shelters, told CBC News.
"It is a piece of paper that unfortunately does not always stop violence, because it's only … good if enforced."
But given a strained legal and justice system and jurisdictional limitations, Muvingi Van Landeghem said the ability to enforce protection orders is limited.
"The process to get a protection order is very long and complicated. Many women just give up," she said. "And then there's the thought: 'well, even if I get it, if it's not going to do anything, why bother?'"
Kinew pointed to his government's funding for law enforcement, which he said is designed in part to set better standards and accountability, including for protection orders.
Absence of shelters in rural Manitoba
Funding is also being allocated to operate more emergency shelter spaces that can run at all times, especially in rural Manitoba, Kinew said, but a "realistic expectation" is that it will be years before some facilities can open or operate on a 24/7 basis.
The province is working to identify local organizations that can run shelters in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson and Dauphin, he said.
Dauphin's Parkland Crisis Centre and Women Shelter is one of 10 provincially funded safe spaces for people fleeing gender-based violence.
Prawdzik, the shelter's director, said resources for victims are limited, especially in rural Manitoba, where she said the number of gender-based violence incidents has "increased substantially" over the years.
"We need to take domestic violence a lot more seriously," she said.
WATCH | Advocates want government action to prevent more tragedies:
The absence of community resource centres, and safe and accessible spaces for those fleeing domestic violence, is a concern shared by the Manitoba Association for Women's Shelters.
"The resources are so far spread out, it can be very challenging for victims or survivors to be able to find somewhere to go," Muvingi Van Landeghem said.
Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said the province is hoping to update the shelter system to meet current needs, saying the current blueprint in Manitoba was laid out in the 1980s.
The province and federal government are already part of a national action plan to end gender-based violence in Canada, including programming and counselling focused on engaging men and boys in the conversation, she said.
"Attempting to address gender-based violence, more often than not, falls on the backs of women, girls and gender-diverse folks," said Fontaine. "And yet we know that we are predominantly talking about male violence."
Muvingi Van Landeghem said she recognizes the efforts of different levels of government to find solutions, but better tools in the legal and justice systems are needed.
"There's a heavy gravity in these situations," she said. "We need to make sure that there is other tools being implemented to make sure that families and survivors are kept safe."
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With files from Marcy Markusa and Chidi Ekuma