Rise of intimate partner violence reports in Ottawa
Posted Jul 7, 2025 01:30:26 PM.
Last Updated Jul 7, 2025 01:30:32 PM.
Police are noting an uptick in reports of intimate partner violence in Ottawa for the first half of the year.
Compared to the same time last year, police said there was a 9 per cent increase in reports from January to June in 2025. This, officials said, is on track with a rise in violence against women in the city since 2021.
Officials from Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said in January they would be releasing annual and semi-annual statistics of intimate partner violence. In the 2024 report, they noted that officers responded to 6,636 intimate partner violence incidents, 89 more than they did in 2023.
On average, the service receives 18 calls related to intimate partner violence incidents per day, OPS said.
Victims of intimate partner violence are both male and female, but the majority (80.6 per cent) are female, police data shows.
The most prevalent violations, according to police are:
- Assault-Partner
- Breaches (all)
- Harass communication-partner
- Assault w/ weapon or CBH Level 2
- Threats utter to person-partner
The report also notes that about half of the victims are between the ages of 30 and 45, with those aged 18 to 29 making up the second largest group (29.3 per cent).
Four femicides reported in Ottawa
Violence against women in the nation’s capital continues to be an issue, as police reported there have been four femicides this year.
“The intentional killing of women and girls, 2 Spirit, trans women and gender non-conforming individuals because of their gender, overwhelmingly committed by men,” the Ottawa police force notes.
The latest happened June 2 in the neighbourhood of Emerald Woods-Sawmill Creek, just off Albion Road in the south end.
There, officers found the body of Tracey Duncan, 54, of Ottawa. As a result, Stephen Doane, 57, of Ottawa was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
In three other instances officers called the killing of Renee Descary, 51, Brenda Rus, 61, and Rachelle Desrochers, 54, femicides.
