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49 |Thursday October 19, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com Financial abuse - the silent partner of dom estic violence ctober is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. November kicks off the White Ribbon Campaign to end violence against women. If you were in public spaces in Oakville from Oct. 4-6 you would have seen Jamie Black's art instalation The REDress Project, a response to the more than 1,000 missing and murdered aborigi nal women in Canada. In his 2016 report focusing on family violence in Canada, Dr. Gregory Taylor, the now retired Chief Public Health Officer, stated that in 2014 there were 131 Canadians who died at the hands of a family member and 133,920 reported victims of dating or family violence. The majority of these victims were women. These numbers become even more shocking when, according to Ontario's Ministry of the Sta tus of Women, less than one third of these crimes are reported to police. In the 2016 CBC broadcast, The War at Home, Emmy Award-winning documentary flmmaker Shelley Saywell summed up the cost of violence against women in Canada to be $1 billion each year. That number includes the costs of the crim inal justice system, the police, and counselling. So, how does fnancial abuse f t into domestic violence? Financial abuse occurs when a person uses money or property to control or exploit an other person. It is so subtle that it has been called O Dollars & Sense Peter Watson Guest Contributor the silent form of domestic violence. If a woman has been subjected to domestic violence it is virtually assured she has also been subjected to fnancial abuse. Of all women who have experienced domes tic violence, 99 per cent have been victims of some form of fnancial abuse. Financial abuse, like physical abuse, is about control. If a woman does not have access to money, including bank accounts or credit cards, then her ability to leave an abusive relationship is greatly reduced, possibly non-existent. It takes money to exist in our modern world. One form of fnancial abuse is when the abuser puts all the bills in the woman's name and then doesn't pay them, or help to pay them. With non-payment, it is her credit that is ruined. A poor credit score makes it hard to recover fnancially. Forcing someone to sign documents a person see Financial on p.50 CAUSE 4 CANINES FUNDRAISER Join us fo r an evening o f fun at the second annual CAUSE 4 CANINES Fundraiser featuring cocktails, beer tasting, hors d'oeuvres, silent/live auction, 50/50 draw, music and more! D A T E : Saturday, November 18th, 2017 T IM E : 7:30 PM L O C A T IO N : Oakville Club It pays to g e t your home ready fo r w in te r G et up to $1,000 back on a new heating system , plus m ore With the Home Reno Rebate, your energy-saving home improvements do more than make your home more comfortable. You can get up to $5,000 cash back, plus additional electric appliance rebates, from Union Gas in partnership with Save on Energy and the Government of Ontario. Plus making your home more energy efficient could save you up to 20 per cent every year in energy costs. This program is available to all eligible homeowners whether they heattheir home with gas, electricity, oil, propane orwood. Learn more at uniongas.com/homerenoprogram $5,000 56 Water Street, Oakville, ON CAUSE 4 CANINES is dedicated to raising funds for global foundations committed to ending the cruelty and suffering o f the Dog Meat Trade. There will be a donation bin at the event for new or used dog items (bowls, toys, collars, beds). All donations will be given to victims o f the trade as they await adoption. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/cause4canines/ OR AT www.universe.com (search Cause 4 Canines) SP O N SO R ED BY: Before sta rtin g yo u r renovations, call a participating ce rtifie d energy advisor Amerispec ofCanada 905 - 335-9178 Barrier Sciences 1- 866 - 333-3920 BuyWise Consulting Inc. 289- 426-5039 Canada Energy Audit 1- 888 - 298-9458 Eco Advantage Energy Advisors Inc. 1- 855- 449-2387 EnerCare 1- 866- 627-6483 Energuy Canada Ltd. 1- 888 - 442-9577 Enerquality Corporation 1- 844 - 447-0077 EnerTest Corporation 1- 877- 327-1504 GCC - Green Venture 905 - 540-8787 e x t. 115 Ridge Energy Consultants Inc. 1- 888 - 236-5116 Limited time offer. Program expires Dec. 31,2017. Some conditions apply. Please go to uniongas.com/homerenoprogram for complete terms and conditions. JL LEWIS HOMES u iio n g a s An Eabridge Company Ontario