Everyone deserves to live in safety and with dignity.

If you believe this, you will want to hear Pamila Cross, our January speaker:

Finding Hope Despite the Despair: Moving Forward to End Gender-Based Violence

Monday, January 19th, 2026 at 6:30 p.m., exclusively on Zoom. 

Pamela Cross is a Canadian feminist lawyer and women’s advocate who has been working for change at the system level since 1998. 

Pamela’s understanding of gender-based violence has grown out of her work as a practicing lawyer and the stories of her clients. It all began when a young mother burst into her newly opened office seeking help for what was then called domestic violence. She was able to assist, but what she learned from this young woman and others has been remarkable. Pamela is now a researcher, writer, educator, and trainer with women’s equality and violence against women’s organizations across Canada. In 2022, she participated in the Inquest into Renfrew County’s triple femicide of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam, giving expert testimony as Legal Director of Luke’s Place, and reporting on the community consultation she conducted for End Violence Against Women Renfrew County. Pamela was also an expert witness on IPV in the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Inquiry.

As a faculty member of the National Judicial Institute, Pamela trained criminal and family court justices in handling domestic violence cases. As Luke’s Place Legal Director, she was lead trainer for Ontario’s Family Court Support Workers and developed training for approximately 2,500 Legal Aid Ontario staff and lawyers. She is a frequent speaker at provincial, national and international conferences and a regular media commentator on violence against women and the law. 

Her book, And Sometimes They Kill You: Confronting the Epidemic of Intimate Partner Violence, was released in 2024. Shortlisted for the Donner Prize, it looks at the root causes of IPV, the biases and stereotypes that inhibit understanding, and the challenges that confront survivors in the legal system. The book is a call to action, with options for all of us, to combat the epidemic of IPV in our region . The title of the book comes from the observations of a twelve-year-old girl In Renfrew County.

Please join us on January 19^th as we learn how to foster communities that are safe and supportive for everyone.

Registration is free and everyone is welcome.

Register for Zoom event here.