As intimate partner violence continues to be a significant problem throughout B.C., certain parts of the province are being hit harder than others, with the Fraser Health region recording the highest number of these deaths from 2016 to 2024.
In the recent report from the BC Coroners Service, it was revealed that this health authority experienced a total of 44 intimate partner violence (IPV) deaths during this time.
This is significantly higher than any of the other four B.C. health authorities, with the next-highest being Interior Health at 32 deaths.
Among these IPV deaths, the vast majority were caused by the victim’s current or ex-partner, which is in line with the rest of the province, where 76 per cent of these fatalities were at the hands of current or former intimate partners.
While Fraser Health – Langley, Delta, Surrey, White Rock, New Westminster, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Tri-Cities, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, and Agassiz/Harrison – was the worst across most IPV categories, this wasn’t the case for the population-based rate of these incidents.
Each year, there were 2.2 IPV deaths per million residents in Fraser Health, which put it in the middle of the pack and far below the 8.3 fatalities in Northern Health.
In order to try to curb these numbers, the BC Coroners Service recommended multiple actions for the provincial government to take, including establishing a standing committee to analyze IPV deaths and identify systematic gaps.
Attorney General Niki Sharma said the government was committed to pursuing these avenues, including the creation of the committee.
“We will work with the BC Coroners Service to determine the best way to establish this committee,” said Sharma.
“The kinds of reforms recommended by experts cannot be implemented overnight, but we remain committed to steady, meaningful progress.”