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7 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,June 2,2022 insidehalton.com Hearing odd noises from your air conditioner? Air not getting as cool as you'd like? A1's triple-certified Technicians are here to help. Whether it's a repair or a consultation on a new system, we're here to provide best-in-class products, service and installation. All to help you save on your energy bill and keep your family comfortable and healthy, no matter what the weather may bring. For a limited time, save $50 off any air conditioner (or furnace) repair in your home* *Offer expires June 30, 2022. Conditions apply. Thank you for shopping local! A1air.ca | 647-955-1849 1420 Cornwall Road, Unit 3, Oakville ON, L6J 7W5 Our customers mean the world to us. We stand behind everything we do. Proudly serving over 60,000 customers in Oakville, Mississauga and the wider GTA. Family-owned and operated since 1967. Local care for your air The Town of Oakville is throwing its support be- hind a bill known as Keira's Law, which if passed would require federally appoint- ed judges to receive better education on domestic vio- lence. Councillors voted unan- imously during a Wednes- day, May 25 meeting to call upon the House of Com- mons to support member of parliament Anju Dhil- lon's Private Member's Bill C-233. They also voted that a copy of their resolution be sent to Prime Minister Jus- tin Trudeau, Oakville MP Anita Anand, Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff, Burlington MP and Minister of Families, Children and Social Devel- opment Karina Gould, In- terim Leader of the Conser- vative Party of Canada Candice Bergen, the Cana- dian Judicial Council and several others. The law is named for four-year-old Keira Kagan, who died while on a court- ordered visit with her fa- ther, Robin Brown, at Rat- tlesnake Point Conserva- tion Area in Milton in 2020. Keira's body was found at the bottom of a cliff, her father's nearby. While a coroner was un- able to determine whether Keira's death was an acci- dent or a result of murder- suicide, her mother, Dr. Jennifer Kagan-Viater, has been adamant that her daughter was murdered by Brown as an act of revenge amid a long-standing cus- tody dispute. Ward 1 Councillor Sean O'Meara, who brought the motion to support moving Bill C-233 forward, shares this view. "In 2020, the most horri- ble thing happened to the Kagan family where little Keira was murdered by her father. It was over a court case where, I think, the judge at the time just thought it was two parents bickering and didn't under- stand a lot of what goes into domestic violence and co- ercive control," said O'Mea- ra during the meeting. "Jennifer and MP Dhil- lon and MP Damoff are re- ally spearheading this to make sure there is training and that judges under- stand what happens in cus- tody situations in order to protect not just the chil- dren, but also women in these situations." O'Meara said it is shock- ing to know some judges and judicial appointees do not get domestic violence training. If passed, Keira's Law will raise the level of educa- tion on domestic violence and coercive control for federally appointed judges. The bill passed its sec- ond reading in the House of Commons on April 29 and has been referred to the Status of Women Commit- tee for debate. The council motion, which was seconded by Ward 4 Councillor Peter Longo, listed several rea- sons for why council should support the bill. It noted violence against women is a Canadian public health crisis that demands urgent action and that one woman or girl is killed every other day, on average, some- where in Canada. The motion also pointed out that according to the National Judicial Institute, there is no mandatory edu- cation for judges on domes- tic violence. O'Meara argued a for- mal education program would ensure another line of defense for victims and prevent violence and abuse before it happens. The Ward 1 councillor said getting this bill passed now is important. He noted Halton police are voicing concerns fol- lowing a jump in intimate partner violence-related charges by more than 140 per cent in April compared to a year ago. Halton police estimate officers responded to more than 4,000 intimate partner violence calls in 2021, which equals an average of 10 calls per day. OAKVILLE COUNCIL CALLS FOR PASSING OF KEIRA'S LAW DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS KEIRA KAGAN Heather Kagan photo