The province is launching consultations to hear from people who work with women affected by violence, and putting $11.5 million toward front-line services.Lisa MacLeod, the minister responsible for women’s issues, said Tuesday that $1 million of the funds will be targeted to rural and remote communities.“We are going to initiate consultations right across the province,” MacLeod told reporters at Queen’s Park. “We are looking at working with about 400 agencies and it’s going to be really important for women across Ontario who are struggling with domestic violence, abuse and sex trafficking, which has become a priority for me.”November is Woman Abuse Prevention Month, and all MPPs wore purple in the legislature on Tuesday.MacLeod, whose government recently dismantled a roundtable on domestic violence set up by the previous Liberal government, said the consultations with front-line workers “will help me integrate and improve services for women in Ontario who need it most.“It is these front-line workers who we will be consulting with so that we can ensure that we get the most important services and most important wraparound programming to the women who need it most,” she told the legislature.Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said while any spending announcement is good, “it’s clear this government is setting themselves up to cut back services,” with moves such as the minimum wage freeze or the ending of paid sick days. “All of that affects women, and our most vulnerable women, and children as well,” said Schreiner.He said it’s unclear if the government announcement represents new money, or if it is the remainder of money that was already set aside for 2018.“I have been meeting with the Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis ... not all of the 2018 money has been released yet,” said Schreiner. “For a lot of these shelters, that’s the difference between k ...
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