Within the framework of Québec efforts to raise awareness to the issue of violence against women, at its regular public meeting of December 11, 2017, the Rosemère Municipal Council adopted a resolution proclaiming “that, on Rosemère territory, there is zero tolerance for violence against women and that Rosemère is a municipality allied in the fight against violence toward women.”

“The Municipal Council believes that, as a local government, it must support efforts to communicate with and raise awareness among Rosemerites of violence against women. Given that this is a major societal issue and that approximately 70% of conjugal violence in Canada goes unreported, we must do our share disseminate information and generate awareness of this issue. It is our hope that, in its own small way, this resolution will help counter this evil and invite other Québec municipalities to join the movement,” stated Rosemère mayor Eric Westram.

One of the first municipalities to adopt a resolution of this type, Rosemère’s initiative comes in the first 12 days of actions to eradicate violence against women. The UN declared November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. These 12 days wrapped up on December 6 with the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, commemorating the 1989 murder of 14 young women at Montréal’s École Polytechnique.