As the new executive director of Big Hill Haven, Wanda McGinnis is making it her mission to ensure that those fleeing domestic violence in the community have every support possible.
McGinnis was first on as executive director earlier this year and is the first official executive director the organization has had.
McGinnis brings decades of experience related to domestic violence mitigation and social work. She holds dual degrees from the University of Regina and the University of Calgary. She has, in her words, done it all.
“I’ve had pretty much every role within the domestic violence setting possible,” McGinnis said. “From frontlines answering phones to executive leadership.”
McGinnis said those decades in the industry have given her a deep insight into how organizations like Big Hill Haven work and what’s needed to grow them.
“I think I have a unique perspective on supporting Big Hill Haven’s pursuit of expansion and growth,” she said. “What we’re doing... is going through and making some strategic decisions about how to navigate an expansion and ensure we have processes and planning in place that supports what Cochrane is looking and needs.”
That growth is already underway, with Big Hill Haven doubling its emergency shelter capacity.
“As of the beginning of February, we have expanded our shelter space so that we’re now able to support even more people,” McGinnis said.
Locations of the new emergency shelters were not disclosed to ensure the safety of those accessing them.
McGinnis’ presence at Big Hill Haven almost didn’t happen. McGinnis “retired” last year intending to spend her time on personal endeavours but said she felt called back to duty when the position at Big Hill Haven came up.
“I saw the commitment of the community and their passion and I felt like there was more I needed to do,” McGinnis said.
McGinnis said that that type of passion and commitment allows Cochrane to stand out as a rural community dealing with domestic violence.
“The community has been amazing at stepping up and supporting the work that Big Hill Haven has been doing,” she said. “Having come from other rural areas of the province, I want to say it’s commendable the extent to which [Cochrane] steps up.”
Despite being a smaller, more rural community, Cochrane still struggles with the issue of domestic violence. According to 2019-20 statistics, Big Hill Haven supported 62 clients fleeing domestic violence and provided 82 nights of shelter to clients. Additionally, they provided more than 240 hours of peer support to people looking to leave abusive relationships and situations.
McGinnis said that her focus on rural communities comes from her own experience growing up in a rural environment.
“We didn’t talk about domestic violence,” she said. “It was like it didn’t exist. I don’t remember ever hearing about it, so I’m passionate about making sure that just because you live in a rural environment, that doesn’t mean you don’t have access to support.”
“I want to ensure that domestic violence doesn’t continue to remain a secret in small communities that don’t want to talk about,” she added.
If you or someone you know is being affected by domestic violence, you can contact the Big Hill Haven outreach team and program manager at 403-796-6564 or at [email protected] for immediate assistance.
