Why we're here
We want to make Mount Royal University a safer and healthier community for everyone. This page will provide you with information about what abuse is, how to identify it, and where to go if you think that you or someone you know needs help.
COVID-19 response
The Stepping Up Program is continuing to monitor and respond to information and advisories from Alberta Health related to COVID-19. For more information on COVID-19 and MRU's response, please visit mru.ca.COVID19.
The Dating, Domestic & Sexual Violence Education and Response Specialist offers specialized support for anyone who has been impacted by dating, domestic and sexual violence. An advocate can help you with:
- confidential information
- support and information about resources on and off campus
- academic and non-academic accomodations
- reporting options
- safety planning
Accessing a response specialist:
- Book an appointment at mru.ca/ddsv.
- Phone 403-440-5623
- Email cionson@mtroyal.ca
Student Counselling Services is conducting appointments via telephone or video- see here for more information.
- During the pandemic please contact counselling@mtroyal.ca and leave your name and a call-back number to make an appointment
- 403-440-6362
MRU Health Services
- Call to schedule Health Services for either a telephone appointment or in-person appointment
- 403-440-6326
Emergency Police
- 911
Connect Family & Sexual Abuse Network
- http://www.connectnetwork.ca/
- all services are available by phone
- Domestic/ relationship abuse: 403-234-7233 or toll-free at 1-866-606-7233
- Sexual abuse/ assault: 403-237-5888 or toll-free at 1-877-237-5888
Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence
- 1-866-403-8000
Distress Centre 24-Hour Crisis Line
- 403-266-4357
- help@distresscentre.com
- all services are available by phone or online
Calgary Counselling Centre
- https://calgarycounselling.com/
- all counselling sessions will take place over the phone or online
- General: 1-833-827-4229
- Male Domestic Abuse Outreach: 403-691-5964
Alberta Council of Women's Shelters (ACWS)
- https://acws.ca/get-help/
- to speak to someone at a shelter near you, call toll-free 24/7 at 1-866-331-3933
Community responses to COVID-19
Get involved on campus...
Become an advocate for change.
Gain a deeper understanding of how to prevent dating, domestic and sexual violence for university students.
Engage in conversations and activities that will help you promote healthy relationships for yourself and your peers!
To learn more click here.
Sexual assault is complex, but the best first response is surprisingly simple- I Believe You.
More than ever, people are standing with survivors of sexual assault by embracing believing as a first response. When you start by believing, you encourage more survivors to get help and seek justice.
Mount Royal University is a proud supporter of the I Believe You campaign.
To learn more click here.
The Stephanson Cooke initiative is free for all students in the Faculty of Health, Community and Education at Mount Royal University.
Please click here for more information.
Media and other news
- Family violence during COVID-19
- Building a broader understanding of domestic violence
- 4 ways employers can support employees dealing with domestic violence
- The ABC's of addressing GBV in STEM on post-secondary campuses
- "The trouble with girls in the lab": The unacceptable costs of GBV in science
- Taking courageous action together: Recommendations for PSIs to address GBV on campus
- One in ten women students sexually assaulted in a postsecondary setting
- How to answer the call for change in the gaming industry
- Statement from RALIANCE on the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Navigating consent: Debunking the "gray area" myth
- 17 lies we need to stop teaching boys about sex
- Masks provide COVID-19 protection but surface old traumas for sexual assault survivors
- Resources for gender justice advocates to challenge anti-black racism
- COVID-19, domestic violence, and technology-facilitated abuse
- Sexual violence and oppression
- Simon Fraser University: What is consent?
- How can I tell if my relationship is healthy, unhealthy or abusive?
- Family violence prevention- actions we can take
- Prevention and early intervention for domestic violence
- Gender-based violence: Glossary
- What is gender-based violence?
- Status of Women Canada: About gender-based violence?
- His story: Shifting narratives for boys and men of color: A guide for philanthropy
- One response to systemic racism in America from EVAWI's Vice President
- Addressing domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Of course I have experienced racism
- Impact of COVID-19 on domestic violence in Canada
- Upcoming online trainings for anti-racism with sexual and intimate partner violence prevention
- Violence against women: Why race matters
- Understanding racism and its connection to sexual and domestic Violence
- Domestic violence in Alberta's gender and sexually diverse communities: Towards a framework for prevention
- Safety in relationships for trans* folk
- Domestic violence community protocols COVID-19
- Sexual violence community protocols COVID-19: Recognize, Respond, Refer
- Safety in same-gender relationships
- GLAAD statement: There can be no pride if it is not intersectional
- Ron LeGrand- Healthy masculinity advocate
- How Bumble is pivoting its marketing to virtual dates
- Covid-19 & gender-based violence in Canada: Key issues and recommendations
- Technology safety: Exploring technology in the context of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and violence against women
- A sexual violence bystander intervention toolkit
- Ontario University Student Alliance: Gender-based & sexual violence prevention & response
- Preventing violence amidst the pandemic: A spotlight on the Center at McKinleyville and National Compadres Network (Part 1)
- Preventing violence amidst the pandemic: A spotlight on Ujima, Inc. and Hogg Foundation for Mental Health (Part 2)
- Preventing violence amidst the pandemic: A spotlight on Stop It Now! and Vital Village (Part 3)
- Sexual violence on university campuses: Differences and similarities in the experiences of students, professors and employees
- Violence still an issue, says Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief as MMIWG action plan delayed
- STOP SV: A technical package to prevent sexual violence
- Addressing poverty to prevent violence
- Esta Soler: How we turn the tide on domestic violence **includes actor re-enactment of domestic violence
- Love on lockdown: Tips for dating during the coronavirus crisis
- Sexual assault services in Alberta and COVID19
- Hear from our Community Partners: Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse (CCASA), Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter (CWES), Sagesse and Centre for Sexuality
- Sex & sense ability disability, sexuality and available adaptations
- Enough abuse: Preventing child sexual abuse in schools
- Enough abuse: All adults can prevent child sexual abuse
- Calgary Stampeders and the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters (ACWS): PSA about ending violence against women
Black Lives Matter
At Stepping Up we stand in solidarity and listen to the voices of those who continue in strength to speak up against anti-Black racism. Black Lives Matter is a response to continued systemic racism, and as a program focused on dating, domestic and sexual violence (DDSV) prevention we cannot separate one form of violence from another. There is currently a lack of data in Canada representing the interconnectedness of Black people's experiences, racism and DDSV. An initial step towards our self-reflection is for our Stepping Up program coordinator to complete a primer on “center[ing] racial justice in our efforts to end sexual and domestic violence,” as well as a commitment to seek out BIPOC knowledge in the field of DDSV. We acknowledge the historic resilience of Indigenous peoples in Canada, who are also overrepresented as those victimized by DDSV. We hear the voices of racialized Canadians, and are grateful for the following resources to help educate ourselves on how we can take meaningful action.
Action Dignity’s Response Regarding Black Lives Matter
Women Of Colour Network: Domestic Violence in Communities of Color
Canadian Federation of Students: Campus Tool-Kit for Combatting Racism
Aboriginal Domestic Violence in Canada
Supporting Black LGBTQ Youth Mental Health
Deeper Anti-Racist Organizational Change: More Tools & Resources

Questions?
If you have questions about anything on this site please email steppingup@mtroyal.ca.