Legal news & strategy
Supreme Court of Canada Recognizes Tort of Intimate Partner Violence
Luke’s Place welcomes landmark ruling paving the way for improved access to justice for survivors of intimate partner violence Luke’s Place today welcomed the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision in Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, which recognizes a new tort of intimate partner violence in Canadian law. This ruling, which centers on the corrosive impact of…
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About Luke’s Place: Luke’s Place Support & Resource Centre for Women & Children is an award-winning non-profit centre of excellence in family law support for women who have been subjected to intimate partner abuse. We are devoted to improving the safety and experience of women and their children as they proceed through the complex family…
Read moreBill C-223 (Keeping Children Safe Act)
What it does Bill C-223 proposes changes to Canada’s Divorce Act, so family court decisions better protect children and survivors of family violence. Some of the changes this Bill proposes include: Our view Luke’s Place supports the goals of Bill C-223: that family court decisions prioritize children’s and survivors’ safety. In our experience, family violence…
Read moreIt’s Time to Turn the Tide Together: 3rd Anniversary of Mass Casualty Commission Report
On March 30, 2023, the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission released its landmark final report, Turning the Tide Together, offering a wide-ranging and deeply grounded blueprint for how Canada could better prevent and respond to violence in all its forms, especially gender-based, intimate partner, and family violence. The Commission’s report laid out what so many…
Read moreLimited Scope Legal Services WAGE Promising Practices
Access to justice remains one of the most significant challenges facing women leaving abusive partners. Survivors navigating the family court system without legal representation often face overwhelming barriers, from safety risks to complex procedures that are difficult to manage alone. Recognizing these challenges, organizations across Canada have been exploring new approaches to legal support that are more responsive to…
Read moreCriminalization of coercive control may be a reality in Canada
In December 2025, the federal government introduced Bill C-16: Protecting Victims Act, which proposes significant changes to various laws, including the Criminal Code. The stated purpose of this Bill is “to better protect survivors of gender-based violence, sexual violence and intimate partner violence and keep kids safe from predators.” A key component of Bill C-16 is the criminalization of coercive control. What is coercive control? …
Read moreJoin our team! Volunteer Director, Board of Directors
About Luke’s Place: Luke’s Place Support & Resource Centre for Women & Children is an award-winning non-profit centre of excellence in family law support for women who have been subjected to intimate partner abuse. We are devoted to improving the safety and experience of women and their children as they proceed through the complex family…
Read moreFor immediate release: National Gender-Based Violence Legal Programs Face Funding Expiry, Advocates Call for Government Action
September 17, 2025 – For Immediate Release What: Federal funding for gender-based violence legal programs, trauma-informed legal support for survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence, that support the 50% of women and gender diverse people in Canada who experience gender-based violence survivors a year is set to end imminently, with no opportunity for renewal. …
Read moreInquests and Justice: Renfrew County and Beyond with Pamela Cross
What is an inquest, and why does it matter in the fight against gender-based violence? In a powerful new episode of the RAGE podcast, lawyer, author, and long-time advocate Pamela Cross joins the hosts to unpack these questions. The conversation takes a close look at the Renfrew County Inquest, which examined the 2015 murders of…
Read moreWhat is Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
At Luke’s Place, we provide support to women who have been subjected to intimate partner violence (IPV). Their stories are powerful reminders that abuse is not always visible and that understanding what IPV really looks like is essential to offering meaningful support. IPV does not always look like bruises or broken bones. Sometimes, it is…
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