Search results for: Bill 161
Bill 161 could jeopardize access to justice for women fleeing abuse
Bill 161, the Smarter and Stronger Justice Act, will amend more than 20 existing pieces of legislation. Of particular concern to advocates for women fleeing abuse are the proposed revisions to the Legal Aid Services Act 1998. While it is certainly the case that this legislation is long overdue for updating, given that it has…
Read moreLuke’s Place in the news
Luke’s Place in the news 2026 May 20, 2026 The Supreme Court just granted intimate partner violence survivors a new path to justice Flannery Dean, Chatelaine May 19, 2026 Emily Murray: A way to kill me slowly: How legal bullying has trapped a Hamilton woman Nicole O’Reilly, The Hamilton Spectator 2025 July 5, 2025…
Read morePresentations by Luke’s Place
Presentations by Luke’s Place We deliver informative and powerful presentations on the intersection of family violence and family law. Webinars 2021 Making the Divorce Act work for women Ontario’s new Children’s Law Reform Act 2020 Bridging the gap between the needs of survivors of family violence and the realities of family court Safety planning before,…
Read moreThe Smarter and Stronger Justice Act could jeopardize access to justice for women fleeing abuse
Our Legal Director, Pamela Cross, appeared before Standing Committee on Justice Policy – Bill 161: The Stronger and Smarter Justice Act on June 10, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak with you about this Bill. Luke’s Place Support and Resource Centre, where I am the Legal Director, provides…
Read moreAdvocacy
Advocacy Advocacy for system change has been a key part of our work since our doors opened in 2003. Women leaving relationships in which they have been subjected to abuse encounter many systems, including the family law/court system, that do not fully understand the dynamics of abuse or the structural framework within which much family…
Read moreUnderstanding Coercive Control: A Conversation with Pamela Cross
On a recent episode of CBC Radio’s Just Asking with Saroja Coelho, feminist lawyer and advocate Pamela Cross joined the conversation to talk about a form of abuse that’s all around us, but still largely invisible: coercive control. Pamela Cross brings decades of experience to this issue. She’s a member of Ontario’s Domestic Violence Death…
Read moreOne death is one too many: Child custody, access and domestic violence homicides
Twenty-three years ago, three-and-a-half-year-old Luke was killed by his father on his first unsupervised access visit after Luke’s mother had tried to get a family court order for supervised access, because of her concerns for her son’s safety. In the intervening 23 years, far too many children have been killed by their fathers: according to…
Read more