Item - 2023.MM13.34
Tracking Status
- City Council adopted this item on December 13, 14 and 15, 2023 without amendments.
MM13.34 - Taking Action on the Declaration of Intimate Partner Violence as an Epidemic - by Councillor Lily Cheng, seconded by Mayor Olivia Chow
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Adopted
- Wards:
- All
City Council Decision
City Council on December 13, 14 and 15, 2023, adopted the following:
1. City Council request the Chief People Officer to assist Councillor Lily Cheng in the development of a working group which could include the Director, Indigenous Affairs Office, the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, gender-based violence and intimate partner violence community organizations, and relevant divisions and agencies and report back in the fourth quarter of 2024 as part of the Gender Equity Strategy report.
2. City Council request Chief People Officer to work with the working group to:
1. advise on developing key actions to align Intimate Partner Violence-related priorities across city divisions including but not limited to Social Development, Finance and Administration, People and Equity, Toronto Public Health, Toronto Police Service and 311 to ensure gaps identified by community organizations are addressed;
2. advise on measurable outcomes focused on collaborative synchronicity across divisions; and
3. advise on engaging the provincial and federal governments to support any key actions in need of their support.
Background Information (City Council)
Motions (City Council)
That Councillor Lily Cheng be permitted to add to the agenda of today's meeting an urgent Motion without Notice concerning:
Taking Action on the Declaration of Intimate Partner Violence as an Epidemic
Reason for Urgency:
This motion is urgent as City Council voted unanimously on July 19, 2023 to declare Intimate Partner Violence to be an epidemic and 62 victims have died by femicide in Ontario to date in 2023. Last year 6,752 calls were made to the Assaulted Women’s Helpline from women seeking safety in violence against women shelters in Toronto but only 10 percent of them secured a violence against women bed due to capacity.