What Will It Take? What Needs to Change?

January 22, 2026

On Wednesday, January 21, The Cridge Centre for the Family, alongside community and anti-violence organizations from across Vancouver Island, held a press conference, behind the Victoria Courthouse, in response to the killing of Laura Gover and to the broader systemic failures that continue to place victims, survivors, women, and their children at risk in the context of intimate partner violence.

Laura Gover, 41, was a mother of two and a respected educator. She was found murdered in her home on January 5. Her ex-husband has since been charged with second-degree murder, and the courts have identified the case as an alleged incident of intimate partner violence.

Research and frontline experience consistently show that intimate partner violence often escalates during periods of separation and that risk is frequently visible before harm becomes lethal. Community organizations are calling for action that prioritizes prevention, including meaningful risk assessment, enforcement of protection orders, and coordinated system responses, rather than explanations after the fact.

Specifically, organizations are calling for the following actions:

Mandate Municipal GBV Task Forces– Every city must take action, convening survivor-centred task forces to coordinate safety across policing, housing, and justice.
Stabilize Frontline Services– Provide a 15% emergency funding increase so community-based victim services, STV outreach, and transition house workers can meet demand.
Standardize Risk Assessment– Make intimate partner violence risk tools mandatory across police, Crown, child protection, and more, with oversight and enforcement.
Launch a Province-Wide Prevention Campaign– Use government communications infrastructure to educate the public and prevent violence.
Appoint a GBV Lead– Establish a provincial lead in Public Safety/Attorney General’s office to coordinate across ministries and municipalities.

Marlene Goley, Manager of the Cridge Transition House for Women and Outreach Services, has been working in this field for 35 years. At the gathering, she spoke to the painful familiarity of these moments, a new tragedy with the same old questions: How could this happen again? What will it take? What needs to change?

“We want women to be believed when they say they’re afraid—when they say they fear for their safety. A woman’s fear is a risk factor that must be taken seriously. She needs protection that is comprehensive, monitored, and enforced. Perpetrators must be held accountable from the moment that fear is disclosed. Our systems must stop placing the responsibility for safety entirely on victims. That burden is impossible at best and lethal at worst. Until these things change, nothing will change.”

The Cridge Centre for the Family stands with our community partners, colleagues, and collaborators in this call for systemic change. We remain committed to working together to prevent further loss of life and to ensure safety, accountability, and justice for women.

If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence, help is available. The Cridge Transition House for Women is a safe place for women (with or without children) who are fleeing violence or abuse in their homes. If you need support, even if you are unsure whether you are ready to leave, please call our outreach worker at 250-479-3963. Help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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