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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 12 ,2 02 0 | 14 A memorial to remember those who have lost their lives to inti- mate partner violence has been unveiled at Halton Police head- quarters. Members of the Halton police, the Halton Police Board and Hal- ton Women's Place participated in a moment of silence November 2 at the memorial, which recognizes all those who have suffered due to intimate partner violence, ho- nours all victims who have been killed in acts of intimate partner violence, and aims to increase awareness of the impacts of such violence in this community. "Intimate partner violence can take many forms. It can be phys- ical violence, it can be sexual, it can be stalking, and it can be psy- chological harm," said staff Sgt. Anita Laframboise of Halton po- lice. "It can occur between same sex or opposite sex. What we know is this crime has impacted many peo- ple ... far too many. It has only been in recent decades that the collective social conscience has acknowl- edged intimate partner violence for what it is; a social concern, not a pri- vate problem." Halton police chief Stephen Tanner said his officers see the devastating impacts of intimate partner violence all too often. He noted so far this year, Hal- ton Police have responded to 3,003 intimate partner violence calls, resulting in 736 arrests and 1,623 charges. Tanner pointed out that just last week a Burlington man was been sentenced to life in prison for the fatal shooting of his wife. The police chief said Halton of- ficers respond, on average, to more than nine intimate partner violence calls per day, but noted there are many more that are not reported to police. "This past year has introduced new stresses and new hardships to all of our lives. Now more than ev- er, victims of intimate partner vio- lence need the wraparound sup- port of our community," said Tan- ner. The Halton Police Board unan- imously approved $13,240 in fund- ing for the memorial back in Au- gust. The memorial includes a beau- tified northern area on the grounds of the Halton police head- quarters at 2485 North Service Rd., W., along with a bench and a large landscaping stone to which a plaque commemorating the vic- tims is affixed. Diane Beaulieu, former direc- tor of the Halton Women's Place, noted victims of intimate partner violence are harmed by those they should have been able to trust more than anyone else in the world. "Together, we must ask how we can change that and together we must do all we can to end it," said Beaulieu. Those experiencing intimate partner violence and/or sexual vi- olence can contact: • Halton Regional Police Ser- vice Victim Services Unit, 905-825- 4777 • Halton Women's Place, 905- 878-8555 (north) or 905-332-7892 (24-hour crisis line) • Halton Children's Aid Society, 905-333-4441 or 1-866-607-5437 • Nina's Place Sexual Assault and Domestic Assault Care Cen- tre, 905-336-4116 or 905-681-4880 • Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services (SAVIS), 905-875-1555 (24-hour crisis line) MEMORIAL UNVEILED TO VICTIMS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE Halton Women's Place past executive director Diane Beaulieu and police chief Stephen Tanner reflect on the victims, as a new Intimate Partner Violence Memorial is unveiled. Graham Paine/Torstar DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS Have you been to Tannery Park recently? You may have noticed that some of the banners along the pathways have changed for Children's Grief Awareness Month. Head to the observa- tion deck and you'll find out more, with an encouraging ask - to pause and reflect on the impact of grief on chil- dren. The biggest change, how- ever, is at night. The Tannery Park Beacon and Oakville sign are awash with a striking blue light. The light installa- tion, called "Hope," shines brightly over the harbour and across to the headlands of Toronto, Burlington, St. Catharines and Niagara. This project has been led by The Lighthouse for Griev- ing Children as part of Chil- dren's Grief Awareness Day, recognized internationally to bring awareness to the needs of grieving children and fami- lies. The blue butterfly is a symbol of hope, and is adopt- ed by all grief agencies as part of the annual campaign. "Hope" was officially lit on November 1 with Procure- ment Minister Anita Anand; town councillor Dave Git- tings; Doug Sams, executive director of the Kerr Village BIA; Dmitry Bernadiner- , CEO and president of GVA Lighting, and myself. We wanted to increase awareness of children's grief by illuminating a prominent landmark. Tannery Park ties in with our ask to "pause and reflect." Our aim each year is to ig- nite, inspire and encourage one conversation about chil- dren's grief. This year, we are sharing statistics to educate the public about the one in 14 children in Canada who will experience the death of a par- ent or sibling before they reach 18 years old. The project planning started in February, just be- fore COVID-19 hit, with Light- house approaching GVA Lighting Inc. based in Oak- ville. GVA is a globally lead- ing high-end LED lighting systems manufacturer with projects that illuminate ar- chitectural landmarks around the world. Their inno- vative lighting products bring light, art, science and tech- nology together to places like the Prince Edward Viaduct in Toronto, Washington's metro system in the U.S. and numer- ous other signature lighting projects worldwide. When Lighthouse ap- proached them for this phil- anthropic project in their hometown, they immediately connected with the cause and set about making sure it would happen. "We are pleased and ho- noured to have this amazing opportunity to contribute for such an important cause and to partner with The Light- house's passionate team," said Dmitry Bernadiner, CEO and president of GVA Light- ing. "We are deeply rooted in Oakville. We believe light is an art that inspires and en- gages. I hope that by sharing our passion we will help to raise awareness in the com- munity." Lighthouse is asking local residents, photographers and all visitors to post their night- time photos of Tannery Park on social media, tagging them @lighthouse4grievingchil- dren, and use the hashtags #oneconversation and #CGADHope to help raise awareness. Deirdre Thomas is the executive director of the Lighthouse for Grieving Children. She can be reached at dthomas@grievingchil- drenlighthouse.org. A BEACON OF HOPE SHINES AT TANNERY PARK Tannery Park is awash in blue during Children's Grief Awareness Month. Lighthouse photo OPINION BLUE LIGHT PART OF CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT CHILD GRIEF, WRITES DEIRDRE THOMAS DEIRDRE THOMAS Column