Dozens of people gathered outside the Victoria courthouse on Wednesday morning to demand urgent action on intimate-partner violence in the wake of the death of a 41-year-old college instructor. Laura Gover, a mother of two, was found dead in her Saanich home on Jan. 5. Her ex-partner has been charged with second-degree murder in her death. Kelsea McLaughlin, a close friend of Gover, said the large turnout was fitting for her friend. “Laura was someone who would have come to a community rally like this in support of others, and so to see community show up for her — both ...

The killing of a Vancouver Island academic is spurring calls for action against gender-based violence. Saanich police said earlier this month that Muhammed Basar had been charged with murder in the killing of a person found dead at a home on Jan. 5, later identified by an online fundraiser as 41-year-old Laura Gover, an instructor at Vancouver Island University and Camosun College. The fundraiser said Gover had two daughters and was a “beloved mother, daughter, sister, friend and teacher.” It said her ex-husband had been charged with her murder. Basar’s case has been designated as a “K file” in the ...

On a chilly January morning, hundreds of mourners, advocates and community members congregated outside the Victoria courthouse for a melancholic gathering, remembering victims of intimate partner violence. The crowd was drawn to the courthouse by the Jan. 21 appearance of Muhammed Basar, who was charged with the second-degree murder of his former partner Laura Gover. The 41-year-old was found dead in her Saanich home Jan. 5. Gover was the mother of two daughters and was lauded as a highly respected instructor at Camosun College. A GoFundMe started by a family friend has raised over $300,000 for her daughters. Records indicate Basar ...

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Victoria court house to remember a mother of two killed in an alleged case of intimate partner violence. As CBC’s Katie DeRosa reports, they’re calling on the province and the federal government to do more to protect women.

Article in Times Colonist (November 30, 2025) by Andrew A. Duffy with photo by Adrian Lam. Cridge programs help everyone from women fleeing intimate partner abuse to young parents in a difficult spot and people with brain injuries or complex health needs. With age comes experience, and the Cridge Centre for the Family has certainly picked up a few things over its 152-year history. The organization, on a hill overlooking the city at Hillside Avenue and Cook Street, has learned that being there for people in moments of crisis is important, but staying with them on the road to recovery ...