On June 24, 2025, EVA BC welcomed the release of Dr. Kim Stanton’s highly anticipated final report, Independent Systemic Review: The British Columbia Legal System’s Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence, a report that provides a clear roadmap for how to improve systemic responses for survivors with increased accountability and a focus on coordination. 

The report highlighted the long history of concerns about gaps in the legal system for cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence, and outlined clear and specific recommendations for what needs to change to increase safety for survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. By the Fall of 2025, the BC government shared an update that reported on steps they were taking to act on those recommendations. 

The report’s recommendations align with several of EVA BC’s advocacy priorities. 

Dr. Stanton notes that there is a broad consensus of the need for a “standing gender-based violence death review committee” that could play a pivotal role in closing the  “critical gap in how the legal system and social services analyze, respond to, and prevent gender-based fatalities.” An intimate partner violence (IPV) death review committee is a multi-disciplinary advisory team of experts who review IPV homicides to identify what needs to be improved in response, intervention, and prevention. 

This report also recommends strengthening and funding Gender Based-Violence (GBV) coordination initiatives such as VAWIR/VIR (Violence Against Women in Relationships/Violence in Relationships) committees, Interagency Case Assessment Teams (ICATs) and DVUs (Domestic Violence Units). These cross-sectoral initiatives require stable core funding for anti-violence sector support services who co-chair VAWIR/VIR committees and ICATs. VAWIR/VIR committees consist of cross-sectoral service providers who work with survivors and people who cause harm including anti-violence organizations, sexual assault centres, community-based victim assistance programs, transition houses, Indigenous organizations, police, Crown Counsel, mental health, and probation. VAWIR/VIR committees work together to share local knowledge, develop relationships, address service gaps and barriers, and improve community and system responses to IPV.  

ICATs respond to “highest risk cases of intimate partner violence” where there is a likely risk of “serious bodily harm or death,” providing coordinated risk management to enhance survivor safety. There are over 50 ICATs across BC. 

Currently there are a number of DVUs across BC, such as the Regional DVU in the Capital Regional District, where police, community-based victim services, and in some cases, child protection workers are co-located in the police detachment to facilitate communication, information sharing, and relationship building through coordinated and collaborative responses to IPV. 

Dr. Stanton further recommends continued government support for the provincial Community Coordination for Survivor Safety (CCSS) program at EVA BC. The CCSS program supports the anti-violence sector and other system and community partners working on GBV through one-on-one support, consultations, Communities of Practice, training, as well as policy and advocacy work.  

Progress since Fall 2025 update 

The Ministry of Attorney General’s Stanton Report Fall Update 2025 details the current and planned actions to meet Dr. Stanton’s recommendations. 

The Province reports that work has advanced under three key priorities which include: 

1. The establishment of a new comprehensive and coherent provincial policy framework that offers clear guidance to all actors within the legal system— including those who support survivors — while upholding the necessary independence of each role and promoting coordination and collaboration. 
2. Implementing timely, appropriate, and standardized screening risk assessment, and safety planning in both criminal and family court processes. These assessments will centre survivor safety across all actors in BC’s legal system. 
3. The creation of an ongoing internal government mechanisms to ensure that the persistent and pervasive issues of intimate partner and sexual violence area addressed in the short, medium, and long term. 

Since the release of the Stanton report, the Justice Services Branch in the Ministry of Attorney General is working together with other government ministries to advance Dr. Stanton’s 21 recommendations. The Branch established two groups to provide cross-government and cross-sector leadership:  

• The Action Committee Cross-Government Leadership group, composed of senior leadership from the ministries of the Attorney General, Public Safety and Solicitor General, Finance, Children and Family Development, and Health 

• The Reference Group Anti-Violence Sector Leadership made up of leadership from provincial organizations that support frontline services to survivors or provide province wide supports, including EVA BC.   

EVA BC advocacy efforts 

EVA BC meets regularly with the Ministry of the Attorney General (AG), Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General (MPSSG), Gender Equity Office (GEO), Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) and Office of the Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) to share issues that we hear from our members from the frontlines to improve a coordinated response to gender-based violence in BC. 

EVA BC has also sent letters to provincial leaders, including the Attorney General, the honourable Nikki Sharma, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity Jennifer Blatherwick, Premier David Eby, Minister of Transportation and Transit (and former Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General) Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General (MPSSG), Nina Krieger, as well as letters to EVA BC’s member leaders that emphasize the importance of our advocacy work and the calls to action in Dr. Stanton’s report. 

We know that this provincial government is committed to working with partners to address the national crisis of gender-based violence in our province. In response to the murders of women by their intimate partners, we have shared Dr. Stanton’s report with EVA BC’s member programs and encouraged them to advocate to their local government leadership to keep their community leaders informed about the interests and concerns of people with lived experience of gender-based violence and to ensure the recommendations of the report are implemented. 

EVA BC was invited to attend the first IPV death review committee in September 2025 and continues to advocate for ongoing death review committee meetings as well as concrete actions to implement systemic changes to prevent future intimate partner violence homicides. A report following the inaugural meeting will be released soon. 

EVA BC is working closely with the Ministry of Attorney General and Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to inform the update of the VAWIR policy with the experience and perspectives of the anti-violence sector. 

EVA BC continues to be a strong advocate for provincial funding for the anti-violence sector to lead provincial GBV coordination tables, including VAWIR/VIRs, ICATs, and Sexual Assault Coordination committees. Anti-violence workers must be recognized for their expertise and should be compensated for co-chairing GBV coordination in their communities. Stable core funding for anti-violence organizations will strengthen their capacity to support survivors, prevent GBV and create safer communities.