WARNING: this article contains content related to intimate partner violence, which may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been harmed by intimate partner violence, contact the Battered Women鈥檚 Support Services crisis line at 604-687-1867 or toll-free 1-855-687-186.
A Vancouver-based non-profit is calling for urgent action after three women were allegedly killed by their partners in the last week in B.C.
On June 30, a man and a woman in their 80s in Abbotsford died in what police describe as a "murder-suicide involving intimate-partner violence." On July 4, James Plover allegedly killed his ex-wife, Bailey Plover, in 琉璃神社. He has been charged with second-degree murder. Then, on July 7, a woman in her 60s was found dead in her home in Surrey after what police believe was intimate partner violence. After a brief interaction with police, the man 鈥� who had a weapon 鈥� was shot and killed by police.
All three women were likely victims of intimate partner violence, according to police.
Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women鈥檚 Support Services (BWSS), noted that the three Surrey press releases issued by the RCMP, IHIT and IIO make no mention of femicide and seem to mention the woman as an afterthought. Only IHIT mentions that police were initially called to the scene for an assault taking place, stemming from intimate partner violence.
These women cannot just be an afterthought or forgotten, which is often what happens, said MacDougall.
These women cannot just be an afterthought or forgotten, which is often what happens, said Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women鈥檚 Support Services (BWSS).
"That's one of the problems with murder-suicides, is that we never get to know the victim's name, because there's nobody to hold accountable. The husband is dead, so women just disappear, which is a problem," MacDougall said.
"If all three women had been killed by a stranger on the street, on a bus and in a courthouse, the reaction would have been different. It probably would have been more swift. But when the killer is a husband or an ex-husband, the urgency disappears, and everybody is just quiet."
Homicide investigators recently also confirmed the January 2023 death of a couple and their son in Surrey as a murder-suicide. Xiao Yan Zhen, 56, is believed to have killed his wife, Li Li, 58, and their 24-year-old son, Daniel Li, in their Fraser Heights home before taking his own life, police said.
"Forty-eight percent of women and girls in British Columbia have experienced intimate partner violence. That鈥檚 not a crisis. That鈥檚 a collapse," MacDougall said.
These deaths could have been prevented and point to the "ongoing systemic failure" and the government's failure to respond urgently, MacDougall said.
"This is just an ongoing systemic failure, and, quite frankly, we know that it's preventable," MacDougall said. "There's no justice in simply naming something an epidemic, then refusing to treat it as one, and safety doesn't happen by accident. It has to be built with urgency, with expertise and, of course, with victims and survivors at the centre."
Premier David Eby recognized the "national epidemic of gender-based violence" in a January 2025 ,
The letter said that Bailey will receive assistance from the parliamentary secretary for gender equity and will work in partnership with the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs and the Attorney General.
"He gave clear direction to the ministries to respond urgently, to coordinate across sectors, to ensure survivors had access to safety, housing and justice, but that promise of coordination never came," MacDougall said.
Woman are continuing to die at the hands of their partners while the government tries to figure things out, she said.
"What happened in this past week cannot be dismissed as some tragic coincidence, because this is a direct result of what happens when we delay on what we already know."
"The Attorney General holds Dr. Kim Stanton鈥檚 report, which outlines clear, actionable steps that could have prevented deaths like these. The Gender Equity Office leads the Safe and Supported Action Plan, but with no cross-ministerial enforcement or oversight. Public Safety mandate doesn鈥檛 prioritize gender-based violence or violence against women at all," MacDougall said.
"No one appears responsible for coordinating action. While government waits for alignment, women are being murdered."
Safety strategy with survivors at the centre
MacDougall said her organization is not waiting on the province to make the issue a priority. BWSS is leading a provincewide initiative called .
"We brought together survivors, advocates, experts, health professionals, community organizations, municipalities, mayors, councils, to build a more integrated safety strategy," MacDougall said. "'We're right now working through a prevention strategy that would be about public awareness and children and youth. We are working like specifically on training first responders and feeling very happy with that. We're having specific conversations with municipalities and urging them to establish a task force."
MacDougall said they reached out to several mayors and council members after the recent sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Vancouver to ask for a task force.
She has heard back from several of them and heard that those cities already have initiatives and gender-based violence in their mandate.
"So that's been great to hear, but we have to push because we know that cities have a responsibility for public safety," she said, noting that unfortunately, the province does not seem to make it a priority in its mandate.
In a y, Premier Eby commented on Bailey Plover's death.
"This is horrific to imagine that this happened in the middle of the afternoon in 琉璃神社 as it is an example of the kind of violence against women we are seeing, not just in our province, but in Canada at elevated levels since the pandemic," Eby said.
"It was horrible cases like these that resulted in the attorney general asking Dr. Kim Stanton to take a deep dive into our criminal justice system and our support for victims of domestic violence to make sure they are as best supported as possible. We got that report a few weeks ago and will ensure that we are working with Dr. Stanton on it."
The report, entitled 'was completed on June 24, 2025.
The Surrey Now-Leader reached out to the Attorney General for comment, but the request was forwarded to Jennifer Blatherwick, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity.
鈥淭hese are heartbreaking and deeply disturbing incidents. My thoughts are with the victim鈥檚 families, and everyone affected by these devastating losses. Like many British Columbians, I was horrified to learn what happened and I understand the grief and anger people are feeling," Blatherwick said in an emailed response. 鈥淐ases like these highlight the need for continuous improvements in how we identify risk, support survivors, and ensure all parts of the justice system are working together."
Blatherwick's statement also made reference to Dr. Stanton's review and how her findings "reinforced the need for reform."
"We鈥檙e working through her recommendations to guide the next phase of our work," she added.
"We鈥檙e also working with the federal government to strengthen bail and sentencing laws, as well as issues that have long been overlooked at the national level, like stronger protections against intimate partner and gender-based violence, and the need to re-evaluate risk in cases involving repeat sex offenders."
-With files from Bowen Assman
