Government of Saskatchewan sets out new legislation for survivors of sexual violence (credit: Flickr)

By Elliott Knopp

Survivor Lease

Government of Saskatchewan sets out new legislation for survivors of sexual violence

Jan 5, 2021 | 5:38 PM

There is now new legislation set out by the provincial government to support survivors of sexual violence.

The Government of Saskatchewan passed the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act which allows people who have experienced sexual violence to break long-term leases without being penalized by providing landlords with a 28-day notice.

Amber Stewart, Executive Director of Battlefords & Area Sexual Assault Centre, said while the move is a step in the right direction, there is still more that needs to be done to support victims of these crimes.

“I think it’s an important step that the government has taken to address gender-based violence, domestic violence and sexual violence. There are a lot of reasons why women are unable to leave these situations when they occur, and being stuck in a lease should not be one of them,” Stewart said.

“People may not have the finances to break the lease or pay the penalty to break the lease, so they end up staying somewhere where their abuser is also living where the assault happened, which is very traumatizing,” she said.

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She added her belief is there is still action that can be taken to further assist victims and reduce the frequency at which these crimes happen. One of those initiatives she would like to see installed is more education and reducing the stigma around these incidents.

“We still have situations where women are going to report to police, or they’re in court, and they’re being asked questions regarding what they were wearing, how much they had to drink and things about their sexual past, and none of that matters,” she explained. “None of those questions are relevant to the fact that someone committed a violent assault against them.”

She also believes access to forensic kits needs to be improved. She claimed victims in rural and remote communities may not have immediate access to these supplies and need to be transported to bigger cities to receive adequate service.

“Sometimes that is a 3-4 hour drive with police in the clothes they were assaulted in just so they can get the medical attention that they need because rural and remote communities don’t have the capacity to do the forensic kits. That’s a huge issue as to why people don’t report. It re-traumatizes victims over and over again,” Stewart said.

The amendments will also apply to survivors who feel they are at risk in their current residence, but the individuals will need to fill out an application to be evaluated by victims’ services to determine if the person is at risk.

Stewart stated this provision is unnecessary as it can lead to someone being denied the assistance they need.

“My first thought is ‘who is making these determinations, and what are the parameters to assess someone else’s risk?’ That would be a concern for me because if someone is reaching out and saying they are scared something might happen, for me, that’s enough to support and help them. I don’t understand why those separate clauses need to be in there.”

Administrative improvements she said that revise and expand existing provisions to reflect current practices, create more efficiency, and allow more equity between the parties were also included in the amendment.

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Elliott.Knopp@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp