BIAWW joined advocates' rally at Queen’s Park in Support of Lydia’s Law, calling for Accountability in the Legal System
Toronto, ON — May 27, 2026
Survivors, advocates, and community leaders gathered at Queen’s Park to support Waterloo Region MPP Catherine Fife as she once again advanced Lydia’s Law, a proposed bill aimed at increasing transparency, accountability, and trauma‑informed practices within Ontario’s legal system. Lydia’s Law seeks to address long‑standing concerns about how survivors of sexual harm and intimate partner violence (IPV) are treated during court proceedings, including those living with the cognitive and psychological impacts of trauma and brain injury. Forty‑four percent of women in Canada have experienced some form of psychological, physical, or sexual IPV in their lifetimes.
Representatives from the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo‑Wellington (BIAWW), including Executive Director Mel Horvath‑Lucid and IPV Specialist Janine Vidal, attended the event in solidarity with Catherine Fife (MPP Waterloo), who presented the bill, and Aislinn Clancey (MPP Kitchener Centre). Approximately 100 survivors and advocates gathered in the public gallery to demonstrate support, with Lydia herself in attendance.
Horvath‑Lucid emphasized the immense burden survivors face navigating the legal system:
“The current system places an enormous and often invisible burden on survivors, many of whom face repeated delays, adjournments, and procedural barriers that compound existing trauma and exacerbate brain injury symptoms.”
Survivors are frequently required to miss work, secure childcare, prepare emotionally, and attend court, only to learn their case will not proceed that day.
“For many, this cycle repeats for months or years,” Horvath‑Lucid said. “The financial, emotional, and cognitive toll is immense, and this is before consideration of psychological or brain injury trauma needs, which are often overlooked.”
Nearly 1 in 3 women experience sexual assault in their lifetime. Only 6% of sexual assaults are reported to police, and of those reported, only 36% result in charges.
Advocates say Ontario’s legal process often fails to account for the neurological and psychological realities faced by survivors. Brain injuries resulting from intimate partner violence remain significantly under-recognized and under-screened, despite being far more common than many people realize.
Horvath‑Lucid noted:
“The measurements of a ‘believable’ survivor still rely on outdated assumptions. Inconsistent memory or emotional responses are treated as red flags, when in fact they are well‑documented effects of trauma and brain injury.”
Advocates pointed to the recent Sloka case, in which more than 70 survivors came forward, and 48 participated in the trial. All had been referred to neurologists and were navigating cognitive challenges that warranted neurology referrals. Yet even with this information, the court did not meaningfully integrate the medical context into its assessment of the testimony or its accommodations for survivors. Sloka was ultimately acquitted. This decision is being appealed. Since the time that this article was originally written, 11 more people have come forward, and two new charges have been laid.
Lydia’s Law aims to introduce measures that would:
Supporters say the bill represents a necessary step toward modernizing a system that has not kept pace with current research or survivor needs.
Advocates emphasize that the issue is not limited to individual cases but reflects a broader structural problem.
“The legal system has a responsibility to integrate the expert knowledge already available; these recommendations have already been made by the Auditor General in 2019” Horvath‑Lucid said. “Lydia’s Law is one step toward implementation of that.”
BIAWW is also currently advancing brain injury awareness education through this work in its partnership with the Law Foundation of Ontario, developing training materials that are now accredited by the Law Foundation of Ontario and toolkits to help family‑law professionals and community support workers better support clients who have experienced brain injury. There is still time to reach out and access our training. Janine Vidal: [email protected]
Despite strong support from survivors, advocates, and MPP’s, the bill was voted down by Doug Ford’s Conservative government the next day. BIAWW remains committed to advocating for legislative change that reflects current science, survivor realities, and trauma‑informed practice.
Bill 112, Lydia’s Law (Accountability and Transparency in the Handling of Sexual Assault Cases), 2026 - Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Survivors, advocates, and community leaders gathered at Queen’s Park to support Waterloo Region MPP Catherine Fife as she once again advanced Lydia’s Law, a proposed bill aimed at increasing transparency, accountability, and trauma‑informed practices within Ontario’s legal system. Lydia’s Law seeks to address long‑standing concerns about how survivors of sexual harm and intimate partner violence (IPV) are treated during court proceedings, including those living with the cognitive and psychological impacts of trauma and brain injury. Forty‑four percent of women in Canada have experienced some form of psychological, physical, or sexual IPV in their lifetimes.
Representatives from the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo‑Wellington (BIAWW), including Executive Director Mel Horvath‑Lucid and IPV Specialist Janine Vidal, attended the event in solidarity with Catherine Fife (MPP Waterloo), who presented the bill, and Aislinn Clancey (MPP Kitchener Centre). Approximately 100 survivors and advocates gathered in the public gallery to demonstrate support, with Lydia herself in attendance.
Horvath‑Lucid emphasized the immense burden survivors face navigating the legal system:
“The current system places an enormous and often invisible burden on survivors, many of whom face repeated delays, adjournments, and procedural barriers that compound existing trauma and exacerbate brain injury symptoms.”
Survivors are frequently required to miss work, secure childcare, prepare emotionally, and attend court, only to learn their case will not proceed that day.
“For many, this cycle repeats for months or years,” Horvath‑Lucid said. “The financial, emotional, and cognitive toll is immense, and this is before consideration of psychological or brain injury trauma needs, which are often overlooked.”
Nearly 1 in 3 women experience sexual assault in their lifetime. Only 6% of sexual assaults are reported to police, and of those reported, only 36% result in charges.
Advocates say Ontario’s legal process often fails to account for the neurological and psychological realities faced by survivors. Brain injuries resulting from intimate partner violence remain significantly under-recognized and under-screened, despite being far more common than many people realize.
Horvath‑Lucid noted:
“The measurements of a ‘believable’ survivor still rely on outdated assumptions. Inconsistent memory or emotional responses are treated as red flags, when in fact they are well‑documented effects of trauma and brain injury.”
Advocates pointed to the recent Sloka case, in which more than 70 survivors came forward, and 48 participated in the trial. All had been referred to neurologists and were navigating cognitive challenges that warranted neurology referrals. Yet even with this information, the court did not meaningfully integrate the medical context into its assessment of the testimony or its accommodations for survivors. Sloka was ultimately acquitted. This decision is being appealed. Since the time that this article was originally written, 11 more people have come forward, and two new charges have been laid.
Lydia’s Law aims to introduce measures that would:
- Improve transparency around delays, adjournments, and case “timeouts”
- Require trauma‑informed training for legal professionals
- Encourage practices that recognize the cognitive impacts of trauma and brain injury
- Reduce procedural barriers that disproportionately harm survivors
- Strengthen accountability within the justice system
Supporters say the bill represents a necessary step toward modernizing a system that has not kept pace with current research or survivor needs.
Advocates emphasize that the issue is not limited to individual cases but reflects a broader structural problem.
“The legal system has a responsibility to integrate the expert knowledge already available; these recommendations have already been made by the Auditor General in 2019” Horvath‑Lucid said. “Lydia’s Law is one step toward implementation of that.”
BIAWW is also currently advancing brain injury awareness education through this work in its partnership with the Law Foundation of Ontario, developing training materials that are now accredited by the Law Foundation of Ontario and toolkits to help family‑law professionals and community support workers better support clients who have experienced brain injury. There is still time to reach out and access our training. Janine Vidal: [email protected]
Despite strong support from survivors, advocates, and MPP’s, the bill was voted down by Doug Ford’s Conservative government the next day. BIAWW remains committed to advocating for legislative change that reflects current science, survivor realities, and trauma‑informed practice.
Bill 112, Lydia’s Law (Accountability and Transparency in the Handling of Sexual Assault Cases), 2026 - Legislative Assembly of Ontario
