Advocates count 48 femicides in rural Ontario in last 5 years. Here’s why women in those areas are at risk [Video]

Advocates say domestic violence is increasing in rural Ontario but a lack of adequate transportation and a housing crisis is putting the lives of more women at risk.

Multiple rural shelters contacted by CBC News are operating at full capacity heading into 2025 and are turning women and children away.

“A lot of women in rural areas actually have no access to help. The isolation, the distance away from towns and police makes it very difficult for people to reach out,” said Diane Harris, executive director of Domestic Abuse Services Oxford (DASO), east of London.

“We get a number of calls every day and we can’t accommodate them here, so we’re trying to do referrals out into the community, but the housing crisis also limits us. That’s what scares me for women’s lives.” 

DASO is the only emergency crisis shelter in Oxford County, with one long-term transitional housing program and …