Opinion: B.C. could save more than $1 billion annually by preventing gender-based violence 

A report reveals the largest contributor to the $1.12-billion price tag of failing to prevent gender-based violence is physical and sexual assault. Photo by Getty Images /PNG

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Every day we’re facing the realities of challenging economic times. B.C.’s recently passed budget projects a record-setting deficit, international tariffs are causing uncertainty and the cost of living continues to rise.

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So, if B.C. has an opportunity to save $1.12 billion annually, shouldn’t we take it?

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That’s the cost of not preventing gender-based violence in this province.

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The Cost of Inaction: Measuring the Economic Impact of Gender-Based Violence in B.C., commissioned by YWCA B.C. through funding from The Houssian Foundation and SPARC B.C., shows us a conservative cost of our inaction to combat gender-based violence.

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The report reveals the largest contributor to the $1.12-billion price tag of failing to prevent gender-based violence is physical and sexual assault. Public service spending related to sexual and physical assault, including law enforcement, public health care and social services, totals $307 million. Lost productivity from these assaults is estimated to be $702 million. Together, these make up nearly 90 per cent of all costs the report examined.

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Statistics Canada data shows 48 per cent of women in B.C. over age 15 have experienced some form of intimate partner violence. Nearly 30 per cent have experienced physical and sexual assault, specifically. The province recently acknowledged gender-based violence as an epidemic and systemic crisis, but more than that, The Cost of Inaction shows it’s also an economic drain with ripple effects far beyond individual survivors.

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Gender-based violence reduces labour productivity, destabilizes families and increases spending on health care, policing, justice and housing. These economic consequences shape the fiscal pressures faced by governments, the stability of local communities and the long-term well-being of survivors across the province.

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For employers, gender-based violence — including workplace sexual harassment — leads to increased absenteeism, less productivity at work and early exits from employment. These are significant impacts when more than half of women employees in B.C. report experiencing harassment or sexual assault in their workplaces.

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Of course, prevention has its own price tag. However, The Cost of Inaction reveals community and social programs aimed at preventing gender-based violence average $1,000 per person, compared with $15,000 per sexual assault investigation. That price covers a police investigation alone and doesn’t account for additional costs to legal systems, health care, employers or survivors themselves. Despite the lower costs of prevention, no new funding was allocated to address gender-based violence in B.C.’s 2026 budget.