In a joint statement, the Government of Alberta and CFL encouraged football teams and fans to raise awareness about domestic violence, and with it came a recognition of Shift’s research on the importance of prevention.

On November 20, Leela Sharon Aheer, Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women and Randy Ambrosie, CFL Commissioner, hosted a networking breakfast with key leaders and experts to brainstorm on how the CFL can help to raise awareness about domestic violence, but more importantly, to prevent it.

The event used our 2017 research study that revealed a connection between sporting events, holidays and domestic violence in Calgary. It was found that when the Calgary Stampeders play against the Edmonton Eskimos, seen as rivals, reports of domestic violence spike by 15%. And when the Stamps played in Grey Cup qualifiers, calls reporting domestic violence increased by 40%. The authors of the study established a connection when reviewing 70,000 domestic violence reports to Calgary Policy from 2011 to 2014. Watch Lana Wells explain the results of the report.

Since the inception of the league’s policy on violence against women in 2015, the CFL has provided leadership in the movement for gender-equality. Ambrosie said in an interview with CTV News Calgary, that partnering with local women’s organizations and mandating awareness training throughout the league are a few of the actions the CFL is taking to prevent violence, but more needs to be done.

Shift applauds the CFL for leading this discussion in advance of the biggest weekend in Canadian football!
Contribute to this conversation and awareness by following #EndGBV and #Alberta_Women.