Continuing what has become an annual holiday tradition of generosity, Peterborough philanthropists David and Patricia Morton have donated $50,000 to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton for the fifth year in a row.
The donation, which the couple made through the Morton Family Foundation, will support the charitable organization’s services for women and children experiencing gender-based violence in Haliburton County.
According to a media release from YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, Patricia says their commitment to the YWCA stems from the epidemic of gender-based abuse and violence against women in Canada.
“About 44 per cent of Canadian women — 6.2 million people — have reported experiencing psychological or physical abuse in an intimate relationship,” says Patricia, a professor emerita who taught history and women’s studies for 26 years at Trent University.
“Gender-based violence has severe ramifications on the health of the victims, including traumatic brain injuries that can result in lasting mental health challenges and even death, as well as lasting traumatic impacts on their children.”
The Mortons have been donors to the YWCA for 12 years, and began their annual $50,000 donation at the height of the pandemic in 2020, when violence against women increased, especially during lockdowns.
“David and I feel very fortunate to be able to contribute again to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s vital support services and safe shelters for the many women who are endangered by gender-based abuse and too often deadly violence,” Patricia says.
Almost 200 women in Canada were killed by femicide in 2024 alone, with over 60 of those cases in Ontario. According to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, the actual number is even higher since the statistics only include those cases ruled as femicide by authorities.
“Clearly femicide must be stopped, and all levels of government must enact legislation that provides protection, safety, support, and affordable housing for the survivors of gender-based abuse and violence,” Patricia says.
The Mortons’ donation will support the YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s programs in Haliburton County, which include the YWCA Women’s Centre and Haliburton Emergency Rural SafeSpace (HERS).
The YWCA Women’s Centre offers the resources women need to escape gender-based violence and find safer ways to move forward with their life, by providing access to transition supports including safe transportation, individual counselling, a family law lawyer, court support, and guidance. HERS provides safe and supportive temporary accommodations for women with and without children fleeing abuse in Haliburton County, available on an as-needed basis and offering space for two families at a time so that women can move away from the abusive situation in their home without leaving their support systems, jobs and schools, families, and friends behind.
According to the YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, women in Haliburton County have reported far more serious and complex abuse since 2020.
“Isolated rural women are especially vulnerable to intimate partner abuse and violence, and to femicide,” Patricia says. “The YWCA’s services give these women hope that they and their children can have much better lives. David and I greatly hope to encourage others to give as much as possible to the YWCA, because it is the well-being and the lives of abused women that are at stake.”
The $50,000 donation from the Morton Family Foundation comes at a time when YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, like women’s organizations across Ontario, is facing both heightened demand and increasing costs.
According to executive director Kim Dolan, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton would not be able to continue operating its programs without the generous support of donors like the Mortons and others in the community.
“The Morton Family Foundation has reached a milestone in their tradition of generosity, after five years of leadership giving,” Dolan says. “I am truly grateful every day for Patricia and David’s dedication to supporting so many worthwhile community initiatives. I offer them thanks on behalf of every woman and child we serve in Haliburton County, for providing them with the resources and support they need to feel safe again.”
The Mortons are well-known philanthropists in the Peterborough community. Along with having now donated $250,000 to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton over the past five years, the Mortons have made generous gifts to other organizations including the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), Trent University, the Peterborough Humane Society, the United Way of Peterborough & District, and the Morton Community Healthcare Centre in Lakefield. In May 2024, the Mortons donated $500,000 to the PRHC Foundation to support mental health and addictions care at the regional hospital.
As for David Morton, he says he continues to be appalled at the level of violence that women suffer from men who take out their anger and frustrations with physical and emotional violence.
“I believe it is so important to support YWCA Peterborough Haliburton in their effort to protect women who are in very vulnerable situations,” he says. “I urge others to support the YWCA in this effort.”
Members of the community who wish to donate or find ways of supporting YWCA services can visit www.ywcahaliburton.org or contact the YWCA directly at 705-743-3526.
