Intimate Partner Violence Report published at Ontario Legislature

January 5, 2026

Report written by Kitchener South-Hespeler MPP Jess Dixon

NEWS                                                                                                            December 9, 2025

KITCHENER SOUTH-HESPELER, ON — A report about intimate partner violence that was authored by MPP Jess Dixon was published at Queen’s Park, marking a milestone in the 18 months of consultations, information-gathering and report writing that resulted in an 877-page final report to Ontario Legislature.

The Report on Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Study on Intimate Partner VIolence was tabled in the Legislature on December 9, 2025.

“This is an 18-month effort that was built from the expertise of nearly 150 presenters including survivors, advocates, experts, and community partners across the province,” says MPP Jess Dixon. “Thank you to every organization and individual who contributed their time, expertise, and invaluable perspective.”

Intimate partner violence, (also commonly referred to as ‘domestic violence’ or ‘gender-based violence’) refers to behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm. In 2024, Ontario launched a committee to examine the scale of intimate partner violence across the province and to look at delays in Ontario’s courts in hearing sexual assault cases.

“As we listened to survivors, frontline workers, and experts, it became clear the work needed to reflect the broader landscape of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in Ontario — its causes, responses, and opportunities for prevention,” says Dixon. “I’m grateful for the support of my colleagues at Queen’s Park for the opportunity to help bring this report together, and to see it through to publication.”

Dixon notes the work reflects 14 days of testimony as well as written submissions with insights from survivors, frontline service providers, police, Crown attorneys, CAS agencies, shelters, health professionals, educators, researchers, and advocates who do this work every day. The committee focused on understanding how these forms of violence arise, and where risk increases, as well as their impacts on victims, families, and communities.

The report was published on the heels of a November 2025 declaration from the Ontario government that declared intimate partner violence an ‘endemic’ public safety issue, which is the terminology that was recommended in the report.

“The committee concluded that intimate partner violence is better understood as an endemic issue, which means it is persistent, deeply rooted, and profoundly harmful,” says Dixon. “Framing this issue as endemic recognizes the complexity and scale of the problem, and provides an opportunity to focus more on prevention, intervention, and accountability.”

For next steps, Dixon expects stakeholders will need some time to review and engage with the report recommendations. She plans to make herself available for feedback in the new year.