PearlSpace is calling on municipal candidates across the Sea to Sky to commit to five actions addressing intimate partner violence at upcoming all-candidates meetings.
The local organization has joined Battered Women’s Support Services and other anti-violence groups across B.C. in the Downplay Effect campaign, which highlights how intimate partner violence can be minimized through language, public systems and inaction until it escalates into a crisis.
The campaign asks municipal candidates and incumbents to commit to appointing an intimate partner violence lead, establishing a municipal task force, supporting community-based services, investing in prevention and improving local data collection.
PearlSpace said the region’s housing shortage, high cost of living and distance from services can make it particularly difficult for survivors to reach safety. The organization wants local governments to consider intimate partner violence when developing policies related to housing, health and public safety.
“IPV causes immense community harm that is difficult to measure, and preventing it takes collaborative, assertive action from the people leading our communities,” said Shannon Cooley, PearlSpace’s sexual assault response coordinator.
PearlSpace representatives plan to attend the Whistler all-candidates meeting at the Maury Young Arts Centre and the Pemberton meeting at the Pemberton Community Centre, both on September 24. They will also attend the Squamish meeting at Brennan Park Recreation Centre on October 5.
Executive director Ashley Oakes said the organization will meet with candidates over the coming weeks and advocate for municipalities throughout the region to adopt the campaign’s five proposed actions.
PearlSpace has supported people affected by gender-based violence across the Sea to Sky and Lower Stl’atl’imx region since 1981. It operates emergency housing, drop-in centres and support programs in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton.
