A new report by the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters highlights the importance of investing in transportation in rural parts of the province in order to save lives. 

The ACWS said for people trying to leave domestic abuse, there are many hurdles regardless of geography. On average, according to ACWS, it takes a woman seven times before she leaves an abusive or violent situation.

“We do see in rural, remote, smaller communities that transportation can be a huge barrier there,” Cat Champagne, executive director of ACWS, said in an interview Monday.

“Where they’re staying in those situations, or they just have no way to get out, no way to support their children or any way to really move on to another community or move on with their lives.”

The report — A Ride Can Save a Life — draws on data from a pilot project in 2024 that allowed the Council to distribute $113,900 in provincial grant funding to 22 shelters across Alberta’s rural, remote, and northern communities.

Over 14 months, those shelters provided 2,087 adults and 1,343 children with accessible, safe, transportation. It ended a year ago.

‘Long-standing issue’

The transportation predominantly helped clients get groceries and other basic needs. It was also used to attend medical and counselling appointments, get to work and court, and take children to daycare.

One shelter noted how the extra funding meant many women no longer had to walk long distances back from the food bank with their supplies.

The money also ensured people leaving abusive situations arrived safely at shelters in communities.

“Transportation can make the difference between someone staying in an abusive relationship, or them being able to access safety and find a path to healing,” said Miranda Pilipchuk, ACWS researcher and lead author of the report.

“This is a very long-standing issue that is becoming more complex as resources start to become tighter for everyone.” 

According to Champagne, of the $62 million the province invested this year in women’s shelters, funds for transportation are minimal.

Peppered throughout the report are descriptions of real life scenarios that played out during the pilot project.

In one case, a survivor living in a shelter found a full-time job but the town did not have public transit and they did not have a vehicle. Daily taxi rides added up to $250 weekly.

In another scenario, a mother and her children needed to relocate to another shelter her abuser learned of her whereabouts but without public transit, a taxi would cost $950 dollars.

“We need sustainable funding. Otherwise women are going to die,” said Mallory Woodward, Shelter manager at Waypoints Community Services Association in Fort McMurray. 

The report also recommends improving public transit infrastructure in rural and remote regions.

Searle Turton, Minister of Children and Family Services, said he was happy to support the report and looks forward to reviewing the findings.

“I recognize the importance of access to transportation for vulnerable women and families in rural communities, and the renewed women’s shelter grant program will help support innovative ideas to improve access to life-saving supports for survivors,” he wrote in an email to CBC News.

A spokesperson said the ministry is developing a needs-based model to deliver more flexible, equitable and sustainable funding. It’s unclear how much this year’s funding is designated for transportation.