Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer responds to a question about the future of the victims of crime fund from the opposition on May 29. (Screenshot courtesy of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta)

By Alex McCuaig

VICTIMS OF CRIME FUND

Victims group calls out provincial government for raid on fund

Jun 2, 2020 | 6:37 PM

MEDICINE HAT – A former Taber police chief and current president of a provincial association for victim services is calling out the Alberta government saying it is raiding a fund designated for those affected by crime.

“Victims are an integral part of this entire justice system,” said Alf Rudd, president of the Alberta Police Based Victim Services Association (APBVSA). “And they deserve the best we can give them. Taking the direction of removing the only support some of them will ever see in a crime or tragedy is misplaced right now.”

Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer announced sweeping legislative changes to the provincial Victims of Crime Fund last week which would result in money collected by way of a surcharge on fines and convictions diverted, in part, to rural crime-fighting initiatives.

Rudd says the province has increased its take of fine revenue which previously went to municipalities while passed on additional RCMP costs to rural jurisdictions.

“That should be the fix for supporting the policing costs, not going backwards and helping yourself to a fund well managed and robust and we have provided great stewardship of over the years,” said Rudd.

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The idea of additionally garnishing a fund designated for victims for the last 30 years – which currently is reporting a $74 million surplus – is something the current government should rethink, said Rudd.

He takes issue with the government, “going in and taking that money and putting it for another purpose that maybe you haven’t done such a fine job of managing the resources for – despite the new level of taxation on every level of government – to pay for additional policing.”

When it comes to the value of the fund to rural policing and prosecution services, as a 45-year police veteran of the RCMP, two First Nations and Taber police, Rudd said, “when it comes to victims services, I’d rather sell a car than give up my victims service unit.”

But Medicine Hat Police Chief Andy McGrogan says the fund has been underutilized over the years and while he doesn’t want to see money taken away from victims of crime, he does want to see more funds to combat crime to prevent victims being created in the first place.

“I have to trust the funds are being divvied where they need to be,” said McGrogan. “I know there was a huge pool of money that sat there for a long time that did nothing. That did nothing for victims before or after they were victimized. So let’s do something with it. Let’s try to get ahead of the curve.”

While victim support organizations in Alberta have been advocating for a wider scope for the use of the fund, sources tell CHAT that has been primarily in the form of greater assistance to victims.

The fund currently provides financial support for victims impacted by violent crime, something the director of Medicine Hat’s Sexual Assault Response Committee (SARC) says has been life-altering for successful applicants.

“We’ve seen people use those funds to remarkably change their situations,” said Christina Johnson, SARC director. “(Including) moving from the home where the violence happened, living lives well, re-educating and really rebuilding a life after it has been destroyed.”

Johnson says there has been talk about providing therapeutic resources for victims of sexual violence through the fund.

“However, I’d love to know where those services are going to be delivered through,” said Johnson. “Hopefully that is through sexual assault centres throughout Alberta.”

Multiple interview requests have been made by CHAT News for comment from Doug Schweitzer over a number of months to discuss the future of the fund. Those requests began after Medicine Hat’s senior citizens’ advisory committee raised the issue of access to the fund earlier this year stating it was unable to apply to it to hire an elder abuse coordinator.

A statement from the ministry states, in part, “the government consulted widely and what we heard from Albertans is that they wanted improvements to the Victims of Crime Fund that would provide more timely assistance and would be more easily-accessible to better meet victims’ needs.”

The ministry went on to state it has established a working group to study the benefit program.