Wednesday, June 10, 2020 Vol. 43, No. 24
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YOUR LOCAL PAPER
Province’s ‘raid’ on funding to expand police services has Victim Services worried Patricia Harcourt Editor
with files from Moush John Victim Services is putting out the word that a funding diversion of surplus monies will go towards hiring police officers and increase police programs instead of helping victims of crime as intended. Victim Services Alberta states that services to victims of crime will be impacted by the UCP government’s Victim of Crime Act amendments now being considered. The Victims of Crime Amendment Act, or Bill 16, “will see the tearing down of the fundamental principles entrenched in the original Victims of Crime Act created in 1990,” states Alf Rudd, President of the Alberta Police Based Victim Services Association in a June 1 news release. “A ploy such as this does a great disservice to them (victims), and those dedicated to supporting them,” said Rudd. “Association members have already felt impacts of victim funds being redirected for public safety initiatives as requests for operating funds have been reduced and training dollars all but eliminated. “This is the wrong move for this province,” he added. “Funds need to first address the needs of victim services while any expanded use be judiciously considered after consultations with the victim serving community.” At present, there is a $74 million surplus fund the province is eyeing to help with its enhanced policing initiative. Rudd said the surplus is due to “frugal use” of funds collect-
ed by community organizations under the original act’s mandate to collect a surcharge on fines assessed for various offences. “If this legislation is successful,” he said, referring to Bill 16, “the Solicitor General will arbitrarily have unfettered access to the fund to provide more police, more prosecutors and fund other undefined public safety initiatives. “This amounts to a raid on a fund that for 30 years has carefully and prudently provided a safe landing for those criminally and brutally treated.” However, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Doug Schweitzer defended the move, stating the expansion in scope of the Victims of Crime Fund to include public safety initiatives would deter crime and prevent victimization. The government plans to use the Victims of Crime Fund to fund the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), the Rural Alberta Provincial Integrated Defence (RAPID) Force, drug treatment courts and the hiring of more Crown prosecutors. Instead of being used for the victim services for which the funds were collected, the monies will go towards organized and other serious crimes like illegal drug and gun trafficking, and online child exploitation. Funds will also go towards breaking addiction cycles related to crime, and more Crown prosecutors to keep perpetrators off the streets. “Our government has heard loud and clear from Albertans that they are frustrated with a justice system that does not make them feel safe,
secure and protected in their communities,” said Schweitzer. Rudd noted that “these are not tax dollars,” but meant to support victim serving organizations in providing services directly to victims of crime and other tragedy. “The money supports a cohort of volunteers in every corner of Alberta to be there in times of crisis to support and assist when tragedy strikes,” said Rudd. These include Beaver County Victim Services volunteers who operate out of both the Viking and Tofield police detachments and provide this support for victims. The surplus funds “guarantee sustainable support for victims for many years and, therefore, no reliance on tax dollars, an achievement unlike no other in Canada,” Rudd asserted. He explained that the impact of this will definitely trickle down to smaller communities like Viking and Tofield, where all training will have to be cancelled. “We run these units with volunteers who receive specific training to deal with our clients,” Rudd added. “The bigger picture here is why are funds being used for other public safety initiatives such as policing, when the vulnerable and victims of our communities need support. We hope our program managers are able to reach out to the local MPs in order to mitigate this, and carry word to the government.” He also pointed out that last year 500 additional positions were created in the RCMP. The Association expressed concern that their front line operations which provides in person crisis sup-
port through police detachments across the province will not receive equitable funding. Right after a tragedy, the volunteer advocates are there for the victims and witnesses during the police investigation, he said, noting that, currently, annual grants are $600,000 for large municipal centres, $300,000 for mid-sized municipal centres, and a cap of $150,000 everywhere else. Meanwhile, there will be further changes in the victim services mandate. The province plans to scrap the old victim services model and unveil a new victims assistance model in 2021. This will be after a review of the financial benefits program and consultation with stakeholders and other Albertans this year to get their input. Bill 16 proposes changes to focus on victims of serious crime. An interim victims assistance program will provide new areas of support including providing out of pocket expenses, speeding up access to counselling and providing court support for victims of severe crime. “We are ensuring that we provide the system with the tools and resources it needs to prevent Albertans from being victimized and provide victims with timely support and the assurance that the perpetrators of crime will be brought to justice,” said Schweitzer. But the provincial Victim Services Association stated it was “disturbed with the direction taken by this Minister in this legislation,” as it believes that caring for victims was being downgraded in importance.