By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
Members of the Essex County OPP Detachment Board-North will send a briefing note version of a presentation detailing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and related stats that Hiatus House presented during its February 9 meeting to its member municipalities: Essex, Tecumseh, and Lakeshore.
The idea is to help spread awareness of IPV, and what Hiatus House does to help victims.
Hiatus House has been around since 1976 to help women and their children experiencing gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, and human trafficking. It has a 24-hour telephone crisis support and 44 bed emergency shelter open to anyone identifying as a woman aged 17 and older and their children, in addition to an array of programs and services.
The Hiatus House reps were asked to add a few helpful measures to the briefing note that they believe will assist them in their efforts.
After hearing a presentation on the services Hiatus House provides, in addition to local and provincial stats on IPV – Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy asked the Hiatus House reps if it would be helpful if the Province declared IPV as an epidemic.
Sylvie Guenther, Executive Director, Hiatus House, believes it would be helpful.
“It was a bit disappointing to have them declare the endemic, rather than the epidemic,” she added during the meeting, noting it was done in a way that did not allow for much public platform to work that out.
“The endemic sort of implies ‘this thing has been around forever – we are going to live with it forever. Yeah, it is a problem, but we will do our best as we carry on,’” she surmised. Epidemic implies there is a crisis moment that needs to be acted upon.
The Provincial government, she added, has brought funding to the sector, however, in her opinion, there is “a huge discrepancy in the levels of funding and there is so much we could be doing if we were funded differently.”
Guenther understands the Provincial government does not have copious amounts of money. She believes it would be helpful to the sector to see IPV labelled as an epidemic.
“I want to keep on this. This is really important,” Mayor Bondy added. “We see the stats every month that Intimate Partner Violence is not going away. It is at a crisis mode.”
That can be due to many factors.
“I want to make sure our local MPPs are getting the message that this should be declared [an epidemic].” In asking what next steps could be, Guenther suggested she could send the information she provided during the presentation to members of the Essex County OPP Detachment Board – North, so that they may be of use, and possibly forwarded to the Province.
Bondy wanted to send the presentation to the local municipalities to provide access to the information about what Hiatus House does and the stats it has in relation to IPV locally and provincially.
Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara wanted to see a letter sent to the Attorney General, as well, to keep pushing the issue.
He asked the Hiatus House reps why the Province is adamant that IPV is endemic and not epidemic. Guenther said she can’t speak for the provincial government, but believes that there could be some ideas and attitudes towards gender that may impact people’s thinking.
“We are raised in ways to…see the gender norms as being different,” she said, noting there are some who still have old-fashioned views on relationships.
That is likely part of it, and the financial decisions that would have to follow, Guenther said.
The decision to send the briefing notes is not the first time the North Board members have addressed IPV. When members were asked to forward primary concerns for the 2026-2029 Detachment Action Plan back in November, IPV was one of them.
In terms of IPV, the OPP has noticed an increasing trend of 39%, from 2022 to 2024. There were 485 occurrences in 2022 to 674 in 2024. There is a projected increase in 2025, the North Board members were told then.
In speaking to Hiatus House, the general length of stay in the shelter for those in need is four to six weeks, which Heather Johnson-Dobransky, Director of Operations for Hiatus House, noted is not a very long time. As an emergency shelter, it does have to move individuals through the system quickly. At the end of that timeframe, if the client does not have housing, Hiatus House conducts an extensive safety plan and ensures they have a safe place to go.
Hiatus House provided photos of eight women in Windsor-Essex County who lost their lives to femicide since 2021.
“Some of these women were known to us at Hiatus House,” Guenther said. “We want to think people are reaching out and getting help, but a lot of women are not for a lot of reasons.”
She noted they are making efforts to get the word out about what Hiatus House offers, so individuals in need can reach out when they need to.
“They do not have to want to come to the shelter to reach out to Hiatus House to get support,” she added. Sometimes, a neighbour or family member may reach out to get advice on how they can approach an individual who they believe may be experiencing IPV.
It was noted that the province has reported anywhere from 43 to 62 femicides across Ontario per year from 2021-2025. Those numbers are representative of the cases reported in the media, not necessarily the true number of femicides that took place. Sometimes, their stories are learned down the road, once the investigations have taken place.
Information they shared includes that 44% of women report some kind of psychological, physical, or sexual abuse by an intimate partner in their life. IPV is 75% higher for rural women.
Essex County OPP Detachment Board Chairperson Paul Sweet asked about the higher rate for rural women. Guenther said it has a lot to do with, or the potential for, isolation. It is harder to get transportation, there is no public transportation, and neighbours are further away. She added gun violence is heightened in rural areas.
80% of women do not report violence to the police. Guenther added that between half to three-quarters of women do not seek professional help or shelter.
“I think some of the efforts we are making to have declarations made – or bringing it to the media’s attention – is helping to create safety around making the report and talking to somebody,” Guenther said.
Johnson-Dobransky added that OPP stats show an increase in IPV from 5,325 in 2023 to 6,288 in 2024. More than 75% of the victims are women, with the majority of perpetrators being spouses or exes.
In 2023, 16% of cases involved a weapon, with 1% involving a firearm.
30% of all cases reported to the Windsor Police Service are related to IPV, Johnson-Dobransky added. 302 victims of IPV were reported per 100,000 population 15 and older in 2018.
Hiatus House received 769 calls from Windsor Police Service between October 2024- December 2025.
In 2025, Hiatus House received over 3,500 calls to its crisis line, admitted 359 women and 169 children, and had 532 transitional housing clients.
Even if Hiatus House is at-capacity, it will do what it can to help high-risk women, Guenther said.
The most dangerous time in a woman’s relationship with an abusive partner is when she is attempting to leave,” Johnson-Dobransky added.
They also spoke of Hub Without Walls (HWoW), which is working to end gender-based violence in Windsor-Essex.
Hiatus House is always working to seek funding to build a 40-unit apartment complex for transitional housing.
Hiatus House has service navigators at South Essex Community Council, the Homelessness Hub in Leamington, and the Amherstburg Central Housing location, and is working to start a partnership with the Harrow Family Health Team, as well.