Violence against women increases across Simcoe Muskoka
Flags at Barrie City Hall flew at half-mast on Tuesday to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
December 6 marks one of Canada's most horrific tragedies after a gunman motivated by his hatred of feminists killed 14 female students and injured 13 others at Montreal's École Polytechnique in 1989.
The pain of that day continues to linger across the country, including in communities across central Ontario.
"This is a very important day. It's a sad day," said Teresa Maclennan, executive director at the Barrie Women and Children Shelter.
Thirty-three years later, Maclennan says violence against women and girls in Barrie is rising, especially during the pandemic.
"Because women were isolating at home with their abuser," she explained. "We heard more and more women say, 'He's going to kill me."
And it's not just Barrie noting an increase in violence toward women.
Hannah Lin, executive director of the YWCA Muskoka, says dozens of women were killed in Ontario this year alone, with 17 per cent from rural areas.
"Fifty-two lives lost in 52 weeks. That's too many," said Lin. "There may be fewer housing options available to them. Some of the rural communities are less resourced, so there's less access to support services."
Advocates say those challenges need to be addressed, along with education.
"When you educate people on a) what is abuse, what does that look like, it makes people more aware of the situations they might be in where they might have deemed it as normal until it's not," said Amanda Wagner, with Huronia Transition Homes.
For Brenda Sedgwick, a psychotherapist and victim of abuse, remembering the lives lost more than three decades ago in Montreal brings mixed emotions.
"For me, it is particularly formative to understand that you're not alone and that other people do experience this," she said.
Candlelight vigils honouring the women who lost their lives will be held in communities across the region tonight, including in Huntsville, Midland and Barrie.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot multiple times in attempted assassination
Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'crypto king' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
BREAKING Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island, officials said.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION Your attention span is shrinking, studies say. Here's how to stay focused: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.