McGuinty Government Helps Victims Of Violent Crime
Three New Services To Provide Immediate Supports
To Victims
TORONTO, July 13 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government
is investing $6
million in three new services for victims of violent crime, Attorney
General Michael Bryant announced today.
The services will be available fast and close to
home, offering swift
assistance to victims who have no other financial means to receive the
help they need. They will be available locally in over 50 communities
across Ontario starting July 16, 2007.
"This important new program is a practical
response to the most urgent needs of victims of violent crime," said
Bryant. "The Victim Quick Response Program will provide relief to
thousands of victims across the province at a crucial time to help them
rebuild their lives."
The three services are:
- Emergency Expenses - for eligible
victims, to secure premises for
victim safety, provide
crime scene clean-up, and cover
transportation and dependant care costs for a family member to
identify a homicide
victim or support a
seriously injured victim of violent crime
- Funeral Expenses - to assist
eligible families of homicide victims
- Counselling - to provide
short-term, early intervention counselling
to help victims of
serious crimes recover from their experience.
The application process will be simple and quick.
Emergency expenses will be covered within a day and the victim will learn
within three to five days of submitting a request whether funeral or
counselling services will be covered.
All payments will be made directly to service providers.
In most locations, the program will be
administered by community
agencies that deliver Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Services,
which provide immediate on-site support, 24 hours a day, seven days a
week, to more than 48,000 victims of crime in Ontario each year. More than
10,000 volunteers provided over 1.1 million hours of support to victims of
crime in 2006/07.
"The Ontario Network of Victim Service
Providers (ONVSP) supports the Victim Quick Response Program, which
addresses an identified gap in services to victims of crime," said
Christine Culham-Keays, Chair of ONVSP. "We look forward to
continuing our work with the ministry in enhancing victim services."
The new services are just one more example of
how, working together,
Ontarians have achieved results in supporting victims of crime.
Other results include:
- Implementing a five-part, $5
million provincewide strategy to
combat Internet child pornography
- Providing more than $15 million
over three years to the Community
Grants Program to fund
community projects that assist victims of
hate crimes, domestic violence, and sexual assault, as well as
child/youth victims, including victims of sexual abuse and
exploitation, and other under-served victims groups
- Increasing annual funding to Victim
Crisis Assistance and Referral
Services across the
province by 20 per cent, to $9.4 million. The
full funding increase
will be in effect in 2008/09.
Backgrounder
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VICTIM QUICK RESPONSE PROGRAM
The government is investing $6 million in three
new, easy-to-access
government services that will help to ensure that thousands of victims of
violent crime across the province receive immediate, effective and
compassionate assistance.
The Victim Quick Response Program will be
available fast and close to home, offering supports to victims who have no
other financial means to access the help they need. The services will be
available locally in over 50 communities across Ontario starting July 16,
2007. They will be available for victims of incidents that take place on
or after June 30, 2007.
- Emergency Expenses - for eligible
victims, to secure premises for
victim safety, provide
crime scene clean up services and cover
transportation and
dependant care costs where a family member must travel to identify a
homicide victim or support a seriously injured
victim of violent crime
- Funeral Expenses - to assist
eligible families of homicide victims
- Counselling - to provide
short-term, early intervention counselling
to help victims of
serious crimes recover from their experience.
Starting July 16 victims may contact the agencies
listed below.
Central Region
Barrie & Area Barrie & Area
Victim Crisis Assistance 705-725-7025
and Referral Services (VCARS)
ext 2120
Barrie
Durham
Victim Services of Durham Region
905-579-1520
Whitby
ext 1846 or
1-888-579-1520
ext 1846
Toll Free
from
calling areas
905, 416, 705
Kawartha/
Kawartha/Haliburton Victim Services
705-454-1884
or
Haliburton Coboconk
1-800-574-4401
Toll Free
Muskoka
Muskoka Victim Services
705-645-5444
or
Bracebridge
1-877-229-2217
Toll Free
North Simcoe North Simcoe
Victim Crisis Services 705-325-5578
Orillia
Peterborough/
Peterborough/Northumberland Victim
705-748-0324
or
Northumberland Services
1-888-822-7729
Peterborough
Toll Free
York
Victim Services of York Region
905-474-2955
or
Markham
905-881-1221
ext 7515
Central West Region
Brant
Victim Services of Brant
519-752-3140
Brantford
Caledon/
Caledon/Dufferin Victim Services
905-951-3838
or
Dufferin
Bolton
1-888-743-6496
Toll Free
Caledon/Dufferin Victim Services
519-942-1452
or
Orangeville
1-888-742-2658
Toll Free
Caledon/Dufferin Victim Services
519-925-1001
Shelburne
Haldimand- Victim
Services of Haldimand-Norfolk 905-768-2221
or
Norfolk
Hagarsville
1-800-264-6671
Toll Free
Halton
Victim Services of Peel
905-568-1068
Brampton
Hamilton
Niagara Victim Crisis Support Services 905-682-2626
St. Catharines
Niagara
Niagara Victim Crisis Support Services 905-682-2626
St. Catharines
Peel
Victim Services of Peel
905-568-1068
Brampton
Waterloo
Victim Services of Waterloo Region
519-585-2363
Region
Kitchener
Victim Services of Waterloo Region
519-653-7700
Cambridge
ext 2264
Wellington Victim
Services Wellington
519-824-1212
Guelph
ext 205
Victim Services Wellington
519-323-9660
Mount Forest
East Region
Frontenac
Frontenac VCARS
613-548-4834
Kingston
Lanark
VCARS - Lanark County
613-284-8380
or
Smiths Falls (from August 1, 2007)
1-866-575-0067
Toll Free
from
calling area
(613)
Until August 1, 2007
613-341-7700
or
call Leeds & Grenville VCARS
1-800-939-7682
Toll Free
Leeds &
Leeds & Grenville VCARS
613-341-7700
or
Grenville
Brockville
1-800-939-7682
Toll Free
Prescott-
Victim Assistance Services of
613-238-2762
Russell
Ottawa-Carleton
Ottawa
Lennox &
Community Crisis Assistance, Referral 613-354-0894
or
Addington,
& Emergency Support (C.C.A.R.E.S.)
1-866-680-9972
Prince Edward Napanee
Toll Free
& Hastings
City of Ottawa Victim Assistance Services
of
613-238-2762
Ottawa-Carleton
Ottawa
Renfrew County Renfrew County VCARS
613-649-2852
or
Douglas
1-877-568-5730
Toll Free
Stormont,
VCARS of Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry
613-938-8900
or
Dundas,
& Akwesasne
1-866-264-8900
Akwesasne
Cornwall
Toll Free
North Region
Algoma &
Algoma District VCARS
705-945-6905
or
District
Sault Ste. Marie
1-888-822-7792
Toll Free
Cochrane
Cochrane-Smooth Rock Falls VCARS
705-272-2598
Cochrane
Cochrane-Smooth Rock Falls VCARS
705-338-2188
Smooth Rock Falls
Fort Frances Rainy River
District Victim Services 807-274-5687
or
Program
1-866-484-5687
Fort Frances
Toll Free
Greenstone
Greenstone Victim Services
807-854-4357
Geraldton
Kapuskasing Services de
Counselling de Hearst-Kap- 705-335-8468
Smooth Rock Falls Counselling Services
Kapuskasing
Kenora
North Regional Office
807-468-2890
Ontario Victim Services Secretariat
Manitoulin North
Regional Office
705-564-7370
Ontario Victim Services Secretariat
Marathon/
Superior North Victim Services
807-229-8877
Manitouwadge Marathon
Michipicoten Wawa and Area
Victim Services
705-856-7852
Wawa
Nipissing
Near North VCARS
705-472-2649
North Bay/Mattawa
Near North VCARS
705-753-9194
Sturgeon Falls
Parry Sound District of
Parry Sound VCARS
705-746-0508
Parry Sound/Burks Falls
Sioux Lookout, Ah-shawah-bin Sioux
Lookout/Lac Seul 807-737-1700
Lac Seul
Victim Support Services
Sioux Lookout
Ah-shawah-bin Sioux Lookout/Lac Seul
807-582-9800
Victim Support Services
Lac Seul
Sudbury
Sudbury and Area VCARS
705-522-6970
Sudbury
Temiskaming Temiskaming
& District VCARS
705-647-0096
& District New
Liskeard
Temiskaming & District VCARS
Kirkland Lake
705-568-2154
Thunder Bay Thunder Bay
& Area VCARS
807-684-1051
Thunder Bay
Timmins &
Timmins & District VCARS
705-264-4242
District
Timmins
Timmins & District VCARS
705-232-4351
Iroquois Falls
Toronto Region
Toronto
Victim Services Program of Toronto Inc. 416-808-7066
Toronto
West Region
Chatham-Kent Chatham-Kent
Victim Services
519-436-6630
Chatham
Elgin
Victim Services Elgin
519-631-3182
St. Thomas
Grey/Bruce Victim
Services of Bruce, Grey &
519-376-7474
Owen Sound,
1-888-577-3111
Owen Sound
Toll Free
Victim Services of Bruce, Grey &
519-364-7817
Owen Sound,
Hanover
Victim Services of Bruce, Grey &
519-389-5000
Owen Sound,
Port Elgin
Huron
Victim Services of Huron County
519-524-4108
Goderich
Middlesex
Victim Services of Middlesex County
519-245-6660
Strathroy
Oxford
Victim Assistance Services of Oxford
519-537-2824
County
Woodstock
Perth
Victim Services of Perth County
519-271-9998
or
Stratford
1-866-387-7773
Toll Free
Sarnia/Lambton Victim Services of Sarnia-Lambton
519-344-8861
Sarnia
ext 5238 or
1-888-281-3665
ext 5238
Toll Free
Windsor &
Victim Services of Windsor and Essex
519-723-2711
or
Essex
County
1-888-732-6228
Essex
Toll Free
Victim Services of Windsor and Essex
519-791-8679
County
(Only on
Leamington
Mondays)
Disponible en français
www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca
Backgrounder
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VICTIM SERVICES IN ONTARIO
The government of Ontario is committed to
ensuring victims of crime
have a strong voice. A broad range of victim services is currently
provided through provincially funded programs. Government and
community-based services support victims in the immediate aftermath of
crime, throughout the criminal justice process and as they work to rebuild
their lives.
In addition to the new Victim Quick Response
Program announced today, other provincially funded programs that help
victims of crime include the following:
Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Services
A community response program that provides
immediate on-site service to victims of crime, 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. The program currently operates in 48 communities across Ontario
and served more than 48,000 victims provincewide last year. The government
is increasing the program's annual budget by 20 per cent, to $9.4 million.
The full funding
increase will be in effect in 2008-09.
Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centres
The province invests $13 million per year in
Ontario's 38 Sexual
Assault/Rape Crisis Centres, which offer a wide
variety of counselling,
information and support services to victims and
survivors of sexual
abuse.
Community Grants Program
The Community Grants Program has provided more
than $15 million over the past three years, including $6 million in
2007-08 for 107 locally
based, innovative projects, that enhance services for victims of crime
across Ontario.
Domestic Violence Court Program
Provides victims of domestic violence with
support from specially
trained Crown prosecutors, Victim/Witness Assistance Program staff,
police, Partner Assault Response programs, language interpreters and
other service providers. The government invests $22 million per year in
the program, which operates in all 54 Ontario court districts. It is the
most comprehensive program of its kind in Canada.
Victim/Witness Assistance Program
A cornerstone of services provided to victims of
crime, this program
received $16 million in annual funding and helped
more than 66,000
Ontarians last year. It provides information,
assistance, referrals and
support to victims and witnesses of crime,
throughout the criminal
court process, in all 54 court districts across the province. Client
surveys
consistently show that over 90 per cent are
satisfied with the services
they receive. Program staff maintain close
contact with local community agencies to ensure victims can access the
full range of supports they need.
Guns & Gangs Task Force
A dedicated 12-member victim/witness assistance
team is being put in place as part of the Guns & Gangs Task Force,
which is based at a new $26 million state-of-the-art Operations Centre.
Bail Safety Project
In 10 locations across the province, the Bail
Safety Project provides
trained teams of Crown prosecutors, victim
services staff and police to
conduct in-depth interviews with victims of
domestic violence at the
bail stage. This is a time of high risk for victims. The government has
provided $11 million over three years to help
identify high-risk
situations, allowing Crown prosecutors to make
better recommendations at bail hearings to help stop the cycle of
violence.
Victim Support Line
The Victim Support Line is a free provincewide
information line
providing services in English and French, including referrals to community
agencies, information on the criminal justice
system and information to
registered clients about the status and scheduled
release date of
provincially incarcerated offenders.
Combating Internet Child Pornography and Luring
A comprehensive, five-part, $5 million strategy
is being implemented to combat Internet child pornography and offer
support to victims and
refer them to appropriate community services. It includes:
- An undercover team of municipal
police officers working online to
identify suspects and
victims, and prevent further victimization
- Dedicated Crown prosecutors to
ensure a uniform level of excellence with respect to victim support
and prosecution
- Victim support to ensure that
identified victims are connected with
the specialized services
they need.
Hate Crimes Community Working Group
The government established the Hate Crimes
Community Working Group, which tabled more than 80 recommendations aimed
at improving services to victims of hate crimes and preventing further
victimization.
Community HAte-crimes Response Grants Program (CHARG)
The government is investing $1.35 million in this
program, which
responds to several recommendations of the Hate Crimes Community Working
Group.
Four kinds of community-based initiatives are
being funded under this
program:
- Projects to enhance community
resources and/or address gaps in
services to victims of
hate crimes
- A hate crime forum to strengthen
networks and share information
among victims groups, educators and members of the criminal justice
system
- A website for victims containing
provincewide information about
hate crimes and victim services - Templates for
community-based victim impact statements, for use in court.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation
The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is receiving more than
$700,000 over three years to provide services to male victims in
northern Aboriginal
communities who have suffered sexual abuse.
Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
The clinic is a multi-service agency for female
victims of violence in
Toronto. The Ministry of the Attorney General
funds a specialized legal
service for assaulted women at the clinic.
Child Victim/Witness Centres
Child Victim/Witness Centres in three Ontario
communities - London,
Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo - offer court
assistance to thousands of children who are victims or witnesses of
violent crime.
SupportLink Program
Provides victims of domestic violence, sexual
assault and stalking in
20 Ontario locations with intensive safety planning and 911-programmed
cell phones.
