Our updated advocacy toolkit is available!
As we approach the second anniversary of the CKW inquest and the release of its jury recommendations, please join us in calling for action! We’re delighted to share an updated version of our advocacy toolkit to help you get involved.
Background
On the morning of September 22, 2015, in rural Renfrew County, Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk and Nathalie Warmerdam were murdered by a man with whom each had had a past relationship. The perpetrator was arrested later that day and has been imprisoned ever since.
In 2019, the coroner’s office announced that the province would hold an inquest into the murders. That inquest – the CKW inquest — took place in June 2022. The five-person jury, after listening to three weeks of testimony and reviewing voluminous written exhibits, returned with a verdict that included 86 recommendations for change.
The recommendations
Of the 86 recommendations:
- 68 were directed to the provincial government
- 5 were directed to the Chief Firearms Officer
- 3 were aimed to the Office of the Chief Coroner
- 1 was directed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
- 5 were directed to the federal government
The jury also recommended inquest parties reconvene a year later to discuss progress made in implementing the recommendations. As we approach the second anniversary, there is still a lot of work to be done to implement all recommendations.
Why advocacy is needed
Inquest jury recommendations are non-binding, meaning there are no legal obligations to implement them. However, they are important and if implemented have the potential to save many lives. We need to provide the leadership to ensure that these recommendations are implemented.
What’s in this toolkit
We developed this toolkit to assist organizations that do not have the time or resources to develop their own advocacy strategy. It reflects the priorities we have identified for ourselves, based on our organization’s mandate.
The initial toolkit was produced quickly to support organizations and individuals wanting to get moving on advocacy efforts right away. We have updated and expanded the toolkit several times since then, as more work has been done and the political landscape has changed.
This new edition reflects work done by women’s advocates and communities to advance implementation of key recommendations. Updates include:
- a new section on how to write an op-ed and an updated op-ed tip sheet and template
- updated letter templates
- a new section on our ongoing activism
- a new section about our feminist law reform and media leadership virtual workshops
- updated helpful links
We welcome feedback, constructive criticism, and suggestions. We also welcome contributions from anyone doing intersectional feminist advocacy related to implementation of the inquest recommendations. Please send any resources or tools that you have developed and we can add them to this resource.
Let’s get those recommendations implemented!
