EDITOR’S NOTE: As part of our series looking at the issue of intimate partner violence in the province, we spoke with a New Brunswick advocate and survivor who shared her story. You can read that story at this link.
We also spoke with Lyne Chantal Boudreau, the provincial minister responsible for women’s equality, about how the province is addressing the issue. You can read that story here.
As New Brunswick — and the rest of the country — grapples with growing rates of intimate partner violence, dedicated people are working to support survivors.
Diedre Smith, who specializes in domestic and intimate partner violence (DIPV) files under the province’s Justice and Public Safety branch, says she’s seen a change recently.
Not only are the number of cases on the rise, but so too is the complexity of each case.
“DIPV doesn’t operate in isolation. It is based on systems that are integrated and issues that compound DIPV, like poverty, racism, immigration status,” she said.
“And as our population has grown, we’ve seen that complexity be reflected in what is happening on the ground with survivors coming into the doors.”
Since Smith also helps clients navigate the court system, she’s noticed the additional challenges and barriers survivors face in the legal system. It begins, she says, with how comfortable they feel speaking out about their experiences.
“‘Am I going to be believed?’ I think is one of the biggest worries for survivors. And then what type of retaliation do I face afterwards when I do speak up?” she explained.
That’s why “demystifying” the court system is so vital, as well as clearing some misconceptions and stigma around intimate partner violence.
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“One thing that I often hear from survivors is, ‘It’s exhausting having to come in and share my story over and over again. It’s re-traumatizing me,’” she said.
“So one thing I think we’re all working on collectively is acknowledging that. And trying to make our systems more trauma and violence-informed and reflective.”
Highest rate of police-reported cases
Statistics from 2023 show New Brunswick had the highest rate of police-reported intimate partner violence in Atlantic Canada. New Brunswick reported a rate of 449 per 100,000 population, while Nova Scotia reported 338, Prince Edward Island reported 288 and Newfoundland reported 420.
The national rate was 354 per 100,000.
Jan Hicks, who runs a transition house for survivors, says the reason behind the high rate in New Brunswick is likely complex in itself.
“I have a feeling (intimate partner violence) happening more more and a lot of that has to do with the complex needs of a domestic or an intimate partner violence scenario, whether it be addictions, mental health, housing, the stressors that go on inside of a family, children with special needs, or even just the complex needs of the family dynamic,” said Hicks, the executive director of Women in Transition.
She’s also noticed more support from the community in recent years, and generally more willingness to speak about domestic violence.
“For a long time, it was something that was just sort of accepted or perhaps swept under the rug,” she said.
“It takes a village and I think we have to get back to the scenario that it takes a village to raise a family or to be in a community and work together.”
In the province’s latest budget, the Holt government announced $9.2 million for gender-based violence services. The funds, which are part of the women’s equality 2025-26 budget, include $4.6 million for the transition house program, $1.5 million for the second-stage housing program and $2.1 million for the Domestic Violence Outreach Program.
Those who work in the field say that kind of financial support is an indication that intimate partner violence is gaining the attention it needs.
“I feel now that we have more support and we have more funding, that we’re able to bring in experts so now that we can envelop that woman or that family and put in some really significant resources that are needed,” she said.
It’s a difficult job — and a difficult field to work in — both Hicks and Smith agree.
What helps, Hicks says, is hanging on to the “golden nugget moments.”
“You’ll get a note or someone will come back and make a phone call and they’ll tell you how much you helped them,” she said. “So you really have to hang on to those golden nuggets as you move forward in a profession like this.”
Anyone experiencing intimate partner violence can call 911 in the case of an emergency. Support is available in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by dialling 211.
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