We are proud and thrilled to share the following announcement:
“The Office of the Chief Coroner is pleased to announce the new members of the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee (DVDRC). In June 2022, the OCC issued a Call for Members for the DVDRC.
This was the stated Goal of the Call:
The Domestic Violence Death Review Committee (DVDRC) is undergoing a transformation to enhance the representation of Ontario’s diverse people and to modernize its processes in dealing with issues arising from deaths associated with and/or caused by intimate partner violence.
The Office of the Chief Coroner (OCC), which is responsible for the DVDRC, has developed a public process to identify suitable candidates to participate in the death review process. A clearly defined set of expectations and deliverables have been established to guide the selection of members and the contribution they will make to the work of the DVDRC. Certain specialized experience (including lived experience) and expertise may be given greater weight.
The OCC has selected 15 Committee Members (along with two Resource Members) to serve on the DVDRC for two-year terms, with possibility of extension. We believe that this reconstituted committee will continue to set the standard for high-quality and innovative reviews into intimate partner deaths.
The Members represent Ontario’s diverse communities and come from front line services, academia, public safety, and the legal field. Their deep commitment to the elimination and study of IPV and appreciation of a survivor’s experience brings tremendous credibility and value to the important work of the DVDRC.
The Members chosen have dedicated their careers to addressing intimate partner violence and each has extensive expertise and experience in IPV and related areas Their collective expertise spans:
Personal and experiential understanding of a survivor’s perspective
Child and youth welfare protection
Victim services
Immigration, family, civil, and criminal law
Mental health, family, and housing support
Law enforcement
Perpetrator understanding and prevention
Research, education, and training
Rural and remote communities
The DVDRC, which reports to the Chief Coroner for Ontario, is a multi-disciplinary review committee of experts established in 2003 in response to jury recommendations made in two major inquests into the deaths of women killed by their intimate partners. Ontario was the first province in Canada to develop this type of expert death review committee to explore the circumstances surrounding intimate partner homicides and develop recommendations to prevent further deaths.
The DVDRC reviews the circumstances of the deaths associated with IPV and analyzes issues and identifies risk factors and possible points of intervention. The committee will investigate ways to impact effective change regarding the issue of IPV and its impact on individuals and communities, taking the opportunity to address the need to be more efficient and impactful with recommendations.”
We extend our since congratulations to our Executive Director Erin Lee as well as the other new members, many of them friends of the agency: Pamela Cross, Tamara Bernard, Robyn Bourgeois, Humberto Carolo, Carolyn Fraser, Marlene Ham, Peter Jaffe, Shalini Konanur, Deepa Mattoo, Sandra Montour, Jeanne Françoise Mouè, Prabhu Rajan, Katreena Scott, Deborah Sinclair, Eva Zachary, Rebecca Law, and Sandra Parker. Congratulations all!
To read the bios of these new members, please click here.
