Bailey McCourt was only 32 years old when her life came to a violent end.
The Kelowna mother of two young children was attacked, allegedly with a hammer, in a parking lot on July 4 while out on her lunch break.
The longtime Kelowna resident was honoured at a memorial on Saturday evening at a ball diamond where she grew up playing ball.
Those in attendance, including McCourt’s grieving mother, released 32 balloons in honour of the slain woman.
“I haven’t had a minute yet to think so tonight, tonight’s my night. Tonight’s my night to say goodbye,” said an emotional Karen Fehr.
McCourt’s friend was also significantly injured in the attack but survived.
McCourt’s estranged husband, James Plover, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder the day after McCourt succumbed to her injuries.
McCourt is one of several B.C. women who died this month due to intimate partner violence.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
“The numbers are staggering. These incidents are happening every other day,” said Karen Mason, who co-founded SOAR, which stands for Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research. “We must do something drastic if we actually care to stop it or make things better.”
That drastic change said Mason, who is also the former executive director of the Kelowna Women’s Shelter, must include an amendment to the criminal code to declare femicide as its own criminal offence.
“It’s going to mean that perpetrators, accused abusers, stay behind bars until they can prove they should be let out, ” Mason said. “It can leave survivors not living in fear.”
The deadly attack occurred a few hours after Plover was convicted of domestic violence charges.
The charges, including assault by strangulation and uttering threats, stemmed from an incident in June 2024. The identities of the victims in the earlier case are protected by a publication ban.
Despite the conviction, he was not remanded in custody.
According to B.C. Prosecution Service, Plover was bound by the terms of release conditions in the earlier court proceeding. He was due in court for sentencing in mid-September.
While it would not commit to declaring femicide a distinct crime when asked by Global News on July 9, Canada’s Justice Department stated in part, “Our government has committed to cracking down even further on repeat, violent offenders by strengthening the Criminal Code to protect victims.”
Advocates however, say the time to act is now.
“The one thing that’s unique in this case is that it happened in a public space, in broad daylight, which I think has really forced a reckoning,” Mason said. “We can’t sweep this under the rug. We can’t pretend this didn’t happen.”
McCourt’s grieving mother said she will push for change in honour of her daughter.
“If this could be the one to give us a reason to actually change it, you know, I might be able to find a little more peace in what happened,” Fehr said.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Calls for ‘femicide’ to be declared distinct crime in wake of Kelowna mother’s tragic death
