A provincial organization dedicated to ending gender-based violence is asking the City of Trail to continue showing leadership, following the death of a local woman last year.
Shelby Johnson of Battered Women’s Support Services, based in Vancouver, spoke to city council this week.
She said her organization, which provides intervention supports, received 52,000 requests for services in 2024, from across the province. She said municipalities “play a pivotal role” in public safety. “This is not a private issue but a public safety crisis affecting every community,” she said.
According to Johnson, while overall homicide rates have been declining, the rate at which women have died has increased: 36 women in BC were killed in the last 13 months.
“You faced this reality firsthand in November of last year,” she said. “In reading what I did about your community’s response to the tragic killing of Lindsay Batts, it was powerful.”
Batts, also known as Lindsay Danchella, died in hospital after being assaulted on her front lawn in Montrose on Nov. 4, 2024. Her estranged husband, Donald Danchella, has been charged with first-degree murder. He is expected to have his preliminary inquiry in Rossland in February.
Johnson said she recognized mayor Colleen Jones was outspoken in her support of a march for Batts.
She also said there is a hidden cost to inaction, and cities can’t afford to ignore the problem.
While Johnson said Trail has already shown leadership through its public safety task force, she had five requests for council:
• Declare gender-based violence a public safety priority, treated with the same urgency as any other crisis.
• Establish a gender-based violence task force, including survivors, police, housing, and health leaders to co-ordinate responses.
• Assign a city hall lead to ensure cross-department accountability.
• Integrate risk assessments for police and first responders.
• Track and report costs, which Johnson hopes could result in more provincial funding.
“Ultimately I think we call agree every resident of Trail deserves to be safe at home, in public, in our community,” Johnson said. “Together we can ensure Trail leads by example.”
