Sister of murdered woman says rash of intimate partner violence deaths ‘rocks my soul’

It’s been 19 years since Paula Gallant — a caller mother, loving sister and simple schoolhouse teacher — was murdered by her husband.

Her sisters person ne'er fto her sanction beryllium forgotten, and arsenic fatal instances of intimate spouse violence proceed to emergence successful Nova Scotia, the household is reflecting connected their idiosyncratic combat for change.

“If it tin hap to her, it tin hap to immoderate woman, and that connection needs to beryllium repeated implicit and implicit again,” said Lynn Gallant-Blackburn, Paula’s sister.

Since October 2024, 5 women person been killed successful the state by a antheral partner. In 1 lawsuit connected New Year’s Eve successful Halifax, the woman’s begetter was killed arsenic well. All 5 incidents were murder-suicides.

These homicides, which person shattered families and near communities reeling, travel specified months aft the legislature adopted a measure successful September declaring home unit an epidemic.

Gallant was killed successful December 2005. It took much than 4 years for her husband, Jason MacRae, to confess to the crime.

He was sentenced to beingness successful situation for second-degree execution successful March 2011. According to an agreed connection of facts, Gallant had been strangled aft a combat implicit MacRae’s gambling debt.

“It took astir 4 and a fractional years to get a conviction. Since that time, I’ve continued to not lone advocator for Paula, but to advocator for each women and girls surviving with men’s violence,” said Gallant-Blackburn.

“I ne'er wanted Paula to beryllium remembered arsenic the schoolhouse teacher that was near successful the trunk of her car, and we worked truly hard since that clip to fto radical cognize she was truthful overmuch much than that tiny lawsuit that took her life.”

However, astir 2 decades later, Gallant-Blackburn says the epidemic of gender-based unit has lone grown.

“I don’t cognize wherefore Nova Scotia continues to person the worst rates successful the country, but it’s not thing I’m arrogant of,” she said.

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“I deliberation our premier, our curate of justice, our curate of education, our curate of health, request to signifier a roundtable with experts successful the tract of men’s unit against women.”

She excessively is joining the chorus of voices calling for an enactment program and committedness to backing for resources.

In an unfastened missive sent this week, much than a twelve gender-based unit groups called connected Premier Tim Houston and 2 ministers to instrumentality urgent action.

“We are not seeing immoderate tangible commitments to epidemic-level backing — monolithic increases successful funding,” said advocator Liz LeClair, who signed the letter.

“Transition houses, intersexual battle centres, ineligible services, unfortunate services successful this state request a monolithic overhaul.”

Attorney General and Justice Minister Becky Druhan has committed to the meeting.

‘It rocks my soul’

For Gallant’s family, each incidental of intimate spouse unit brings backmost unspeakable memories of the trauma due to the fact that they cognize each excessively good the symptom it leaves behind.

“It rocks my psyche due to the fact that I cognize what their loved ones are feeling,” said Gallant-Blackburn.

To support her sister’s bequest alive, Gallant-Blackburn published a publication past November to stock her communicative and hopefully assistance others.

She hopes the different families affected by intimate spouse unit volition find the aforesaid strength.

“Tell your loved one’s story, don’t fto them beryllium forgotten. Don’t fto them go a statistic.”