Following the recent death of a 41-year-old Vancouver Island mother, nearly 200 people of all ages gathered outside Victoria’s Courthouse on Wednesday, as the community and anti-violence organizations honoured her death and called on the government to act. Laura Gover, a 41-year-old mother of two, a university instructor and friend to many, was found dead in her Saanich home on Jan. 5. Gover’s ex-husband, 47-year old Muhammed Ali Basar, is charged with second degree murder in her death. An allegation that hasn’t been proven in court. People of all ages came to honour Gover and rally for government to act. ...

Friends and advocates of a Saanich woman who was found killed in her home this month say B.C. and Canada’s court system failed to protect her. Hundreds gathered outside a Victoria courthouse Wednesday morning to speak up about the Jan. 5 death of 41-year-old researcher and mother of two, Dr. Laura Gover. Gover’s ex-husband, Muhammed Basar, has since been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in relation to her death. Kelsea McLaughlin says her friend had done everything right to protect herself and her kids. Gover had reported her fears about her ex to police, and she had a protection ...

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 ...