I am angry that the police did not act on information about the misogynist who killed 20+ people in Nova Scotia.

But I'm also angry at the mainstream feminist movement in this country which is Toronto-centric and deeply ignorant of life in rural and remote communities.

Yes, I live in Ottawa.

But I'm from rural/remote/Northern communities and have spent most of my career based in Ottawa but working in small communities across the country.

The reality of gender-based violence in rural settings is VERY different than urban settings.

Example: I was running a project on the needs of sexual assault survivors living in a rural context.

When we put together our proposal, the funder came back with "Your travel budget is high. Just give the participants bus tickets."

There is no public transit there.

The funder was receptive when we launched back with a "No, we need $$ for gas cards. That's how women get around".

But the fact that we even had to go back to them with that information tells me that the Feds never once considered rural communities when drafting their RFP.

Even after the triple femicide in Wilno, I spoke at the Ontario Roundtable on Violence against Women about living in a situation of violence in a rural setting and a bunch of urban, largely GTA based, feminists just nodded, and that was it.

No follow up. No call to action

Unless your work is hyper local and you're in a solely urban space, you absolutely need to include rural women on your committees, boards, etc.

GBA+ needs to include rural women and I'll keep banging on this damn drum until it does.

#SorryNotSorry!