Clare's Law showing early successes say police and social services agencies
In the five months since Clare's Law was enacted in Alberta, more than 200 applications were made to the province for information and support.
The law allows people living in violent or abusive relationships to fill out an online application asking police to share any violent criminal history of their domestic partners. It also puts the applicants in touch with social services that can point them towards the best supports and counselling.
"You can have a friend or family member fill it out for you or with you," said Carrie McManus, director of programs at Sagesse, an agency that helps abused women in the next steps after emergency shelters. "So I think that ease of access of "I'm not really sure what's going on, I'm not really sure if this is violence, I'm not really sure what I need for support" and the ability to fill that out and get the disclosure and the ability to get connected to social services."
According to the office of the minister of Community and Social Services, there were 226 applications in the first five months of the law being in effect. Of those, there were 102 disclosures and 127 people were referred for more help.
Some of that includes identifying abusive behaviours or making plans to reach safety or signal a need for immediate help.
Calgary Police said the law has been effective from their experience as well. Staff Sgt. Vincent Hancott heads the Domestic Conflict Unit which falls under the Major Crimes Unit. He said the disclosure of violent criminal history is important, but only one element in protecting families.
"The education, prevention, intervention," said Hancott. "That is probably the biggest underlying thing that I see as a benefit from Clare's Law."
He said as of his most recent data, a total of 57 applications have come from Calgary. Each of the 30,000 calls his unit fields each year are channeled to different investigators based on the assessed risk, from low to high.
"(To) go to these kinds of calls and be able to get help immediately for individuals that are experiencing violence in their relationship," Hancot said. "That's very rewarding."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.