The Alberta government is rolling back changes to the victim services fund that drew criticism from advocacy groups, victims and their families.
Two years ago, the province decided to redirect some of the contributions to the fund to pay for crime reduction programs such as drug treatment courts and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).
According to Alberta Justice’s 2021-22 annual report, 59 percent of the $64.7 million spent from the fund went to public safety initiatives. About a third, or $21 million, was allocated to victim service organizations. Only 8.5 percent, or $5.5 million, went directly to victims.
Under the changes announced Tuesday by Justice Minister Tyler Shandro, the fund will once again be used entirely to help victims recover from their physical and psychological injuries and to support them in the legal process.
The province also extends support and provides emergency assistance when needed.
“We know that the previous financial assistance program was not fast enough and simply did not provide enough immediate support to those dealing with trauma,” Shandro said at a news conference. “And that was not acceptable.”
The changes come after UCP MLAs Angela Pitt and Nate Neudorf made 19 recommendations following consultation with stakeholders.
From September 1, victims will now have two years, instead of the previous limit of 45 days, to apply for help from the fund.
Counseling funding, which was capped at $1,000 under the old program, will now have a maximum of $12,000.
Victims who suffer serious brain or neurological damage will be eligible for up to $100,000 in one-time funding and monthly payments of $1,000. Victims with other types of disabling injuries can apply for a $60,000 lump sum fund.
The program will give victims of domestic violence access to emergency financial assistance for temporary housing and relocation. Victims of serious crimes can apply for up to $1,000 in immediate crisis counseling in addition to $11,000 in counseling to help them through the legal process.
The fund will also cover the costs of victims having to travel to appear in court. Families of homicide victims can receive up to $12,500 in funeral reimbursement.
The Crime Victims Fund was worth $44 million as of March 31.
The opposition NDP has criticized the fund changes since they were first introduced. Irfan Sabir, the NDP’s justice critic, said victims will still have to wait while the government takes a year to phase in the new program.
Sabir said the government’s decision to dip into the fund to pay for public safety programs prevents victims from getting the support they deserve.
“The purpose of this fund was to support victims of crime,” he said. “This should not be used to fill UCP cuts in the court system.”
A Calgary woman whose teenage daughter was sexually assaulted by a man working at a restaurant is concerned that money raised to help victims of crime has been used by the government to fund what she calls a “law and order program row’.
She said her daughter’s request for help from the fund was rejected, leaving the family to pay for tens of thousands of dollars in therapy.
The woman, whom the CBC is not identifying, hopes the government will allow victims to apply for financial assistance retroactively.
“That would be really important because victims of crime over the last four or five years have completely missed out on the compensation that they really, really need to get their lives back on track,” she said.
The government is disbanding Alberta’s 62 victim services units and creating four new regional councils representing the east, west, south and central parts of the province.
Each council will have administrative support staff, giving caseworkers more time to support victims.
Add Comment