TVO article: ‘Vagueness is a gift to an abuser’: What the Tories got right — and wrong — on Bill 207

Journalist Jane Gerster interviewed Luke’s Place and other women’s advocates/services about Bill 207 and its impact on women, as well as the importance of programs like the Family Court Support Worker Program in supporting women through the complex family law system. Advocates such as Pamela Cross, legal director at Luke’s Place, an Oshawa-based family-law support…

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Brief on Bill 207: An Act to amend the Children’s Law Reform Act, the Courts of Justice Act, the Family Law Act and other Acts respecting various family law matters

Updated endorsements – Brief by Luke’s Place Support and Resource Centre, Durham Region, OntarioPresented by Pamela Cross, October 5, 2020 This brief responds to Bill 207: An Act to amend the Children’s Law Reform Act, the Courts of Justice Act, the Family Law Act and other Acts respecting various family law matters. It expands on…

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Bill 207 Justice Committee Hearing: Luke’s Place Submission

Mother and toddler

Presented by Pamela Cross, Luke’s Place Legal Director on October 13, 2020, 1:00 p.m. Good afternoon. Thank you for this opportunity to appear before you to talk about Bill 207. I do so on behalf of Luke’s Place Support and Resource Centre in Durham Region, where I am the Legal Director. We are named after…

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Bill 207: Moving Ontario Family Law Forward Act

On September 24th, Ontario’s Attorney General Doug Downey introduced Bill 207, the Moving Ontario Family Law Forward Act.   This Bill is the province’s long-anticipated follow-up to the federal government’s 2019 changes to the Divorce Act, which are to come into effect on March 1, 2021. For that reason alone, Bill 207 is important because,…

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Webinar recording: Ontario’s new Children’s Law Reform Act

Ontario recently significantly revised its family law that deals with custody and access, the Children’s Law Reform Act, to align it with the federal Divorce Act.  In this presentation, you will learn about the changes, with a focus on their impact on women fleeing abusive relationships. This is another in the series of webinars on family law…

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Ontario’s Fall 2020 Budget Consultation Submission: Family Court Support Worker Program

young mother with small son and daughter

Ontario’s Family Court Support Worker Program provides invaluable supports to increasing numbers of domestic violence survivors who are involved in the family court process. It has done so with no funding enhancement since its inception in 2011. The following are speaking notes from a presentation to Honourable Rod Phillips, Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, MPP Lorne Coe…

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Luke’s Place in the news

Luke’s Place in the news 2025 July 5, 2025 Pamela Cross: Coercive Control Interview CBC Radio, ‘Just Asking’ May 13, 2025 ‘One woman every six days is killed’: Pamela Cross on why intimate partner violence is a Canadian problem The Hub April 15, 2025 And Sometimes They Kill You shortlisted for Donner Book Prize Luke’s…

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