Nearly seven years after her mother was murdered, Valerie Warmerdam remains furious about the systemic inaction on violence by close partners and wants to see change.
A weekly forensic examination of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Nathalie Warmerdam, as well as Carol Culleton and Anastasia Kuzyk, was formally concluded on Tuesday, with a jury sharing a verdict and a list of 86 recommendations aimed at preventing similar tragedy. 
Warmerdam, Culleton and Kuzyk were murdered on their property in the Renfrew County area of ​​Ontario on September 22, 2015, by Basil Borutski, a man with whom they had a previous relationship and a known history of violence against women. 
The recommendations are largely addressed to the Ontario government, including the formal declaration of violence by an intimate partner as an epidemic and the establishment of an independent commission to eradicate it.
“These recommendations are a good start – if they are implemented. That’s a big deal,” Valerie Warmerdam told a news conference.
Warmerdam said it was not holding its breath as the research progressed because, as previous research has shown, recommendations made from them are not always adopted. 
He particularly noted a recommendation made in a 1998 survey that was never conducted.  He called on the Ontario Attorney General to issue a directive encouraging police to use their power under the Penal Code to investigate and seize firearms and firearms licenses from a person for security reasons in domestic violence cases.
The interrogation heard that Borutsky was banned from possessing weapons of any kind for life. in 2014, but still had the firearms license and possession card that may have allowed him to buy the weapon he used to kill two of the three women.
“There are so many changes we have to make, but seeing that the only thing I thought about should be simple enough that even in the midst of all these complicated things, we should be able to do it, seeing that it was asked as recommendation from a survey 24 years ago and still did not seem to have seen much action, “said Warmerdam, who participated in the survey. 
“I’m furious and want change.”
Among the interrogation recommendations were several suggested by jurors, in addition to the recommended recommendations that lawyers and Warmerdam shared with the jury last week. 
Kirsten Mercer, Renfrew County counselor on ending violence against women, praised the jury’s recommendation that violence by a close partner be considered an epidemic. 
“This jury is screaming and screaming on behalf of the families we recognize, screaming on behalf of the women whose voices have been lost or silenced by the fear and violence they live with,” he said.
“They are screaming on behalf of all of us in this province, in this country and around the world when they say that comrade violence is an epidemic and we should call it that.” 
The jury also recommended that the province will set up a 24/7 hotline for men to prevent them from being abused by a close partner, set up an emergency fund to help women seek safety from this form of violence and create the role of advocate for survivors regarding their experience in the justice system.
Also, the The federal government should implement the National Action Plan to end gender-based violence “in a timely manner” and investigate the addition of the term “genocide” and its definition in the Penal Code, the jury recommended. 
Pamela Cross, a lawyer and expert on violence against women, praised the jury for recommending genocide.
“When women are killed because they are women, it is different from first-degree murder, second-degree murder, premeditated murder or the general term homicide,” he said. 
As my old friend and colleague told me many years ago, … “If we do not name the problem correctly, we will never find the right solution.”  And that is what we must do. ” 
In their verdict, jurors found that Culleton, Warmerdam and Kuzyk all died in homicide.  Calleton died of upper airway obstruction, and Kuzyk and Warmerdam both died of gunshot wounds to the chest and neck, they said. 
Presiding Officer Leslie Reaume thanked everyone involved in the interrogation process, including witnesses who “gave so generously of their time,” along with women from the anti-violence community in Renfrew County and beyond.
“I sincerely hope that this research will lead to real and lasting change,” he said. 
Cross echoed that remark. 
“The script has been handed down to all of us, not just to those who do this work every day, but to all of us, to every member of every community in this province and country, to all those who deal with legal systems, policing systems, social systems. “Survivors, their families, their neighbors, their friends and family, the media, politicians and decision-makers,” he said. 
In a written statement, the Attorney General’s Office said that “it will take time for these important recommendations to be reconsidered and properly considered.” 
“Our thoughts continue to be with the families and friends of the victims and all those affected by this tragedy. Every woman has the right to live in safety and dignity, without intimidation and the threat of violence,” the ministry said. 
“We thank the jury and all the participants for participating in this difficult research.” 
– with files by Sarah Ritchie
This Canadian Press report was first published on June 28, 2022.