Canada

Provides a listing of articles on restorative justice developments in Canada. Articles appear in the order in which they were added to the site with the most recent appearing first.

Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission adopts a restorative justice approach to human rights disputes

from the article by Michael Darcy for Canadian Civil Libertise Association Rights Watch: The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission has changed its procedure for resolving human rights disputes. As of January 1, 2012, the NS HRC has adopted a restorative justice approach that emphasizes the need to reconcile the relationship between complainants and respondents,while reducing the time it takes to resolve a dispute (which the commission notes could have taken up to two years before the recent amendments).

Fearmonger and Through The Glass: Books that undermine Harper's omnibus crime bill

from the review by Matthew Behrens in rabble.ca: It's a rare event in the Canadian publishing world when non-fiction books line up in sync with current events, but these two titles are perfectly timed as Canadians consider the serious consequences of the Harper government's dramatic omnibus crime bill, one that will radically alter an already deteriorating judicial system. ....Those who'd like an inkling of what could come down the pipe can do no better than read Paula Mallea's appropriately named Fearmonger, an outstanding overview of recently passed and proposed crime legislation.

Standing Committee

from Wilma Derksen's entry on Bittersweet: I am meeting with the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights this morning. This is what I will be saying. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to have this opportunity to address you and the rest of the committee regarding Bill C-10, The Safe Streets & Community Act. ....My daughter, Candace, was 13 years old when she was abducted and found murdered six weeks later. We lived without knowing the details of what happened for two decades.

Restorative Justice Week 2011 materials now available

from the Correctional Service Canada website: Every year, the Restorative Justice Division and the Chaplaincy Branch work collaboratively with community partners to develop a variety of complimentary resources to be shared with individuals and communities around the world. Included below are resources meant to inspire and assist those who plan to promote and celebrate the Week.

Alberta solicitor general to fight for restorative justice

from the article at CBC News: Alberta's solicitor general is vowing to fight to restore funding for restorative justice programs in the face of mounting criticism from his party and a retired chief justice. "I will fight to restore it," Frank Oberle told CBC News. "I'm going to fight to restore the grant money next year." Oberle said he was forced to eliminate the $350,000 grant for the program to reach budget targets. His department is responsible for jails in Alberta and most of his budget is taken up by salaries where there is no room to cut.

Zeal to punish eliminates a useful tool

from Emile Therien's op-ed in the Toronto Star: ....The “conditional sentence of imprisonment” (CSI) was introduced in Canada in 1996 as an alternate form of incarceration subject to specific criteria. It is not, as some assume, the same as probation. When sentenced to less than two years, an offender deemed not to pose a danger to society is allowed to remain in the community, but with more stringent conditions than offenders on parole. The offender must abide by a number of typically punitive conditions, such as a strict curfew. If a condition is broken without a lawful excuse, the offender may serve out the rest of the sentence in prison. Unfortunately, conditional sentences for the type of offence Tobin committed — impaired driving causing death — were eliminated in the last session of Parliament, thus ending Canada’s tradition of granting discretion and independence to the judiciary. The accident last Christmas Eve that killed his friend Alex Zolpis can only be described as “tragic and senseless.” But giving Jack Tobin a prison sentence may well also prove to be “tragic and senseless,” as there is mounting evidence that jail time does not reduce the chances of re-offending.

Victims' advocate says more energy should be invested in restitution programs

from Michael McKiernan's article on Legal Feeds: Justice systems in the North should invest more energy in developing restitution processes that work, according to a leading Canadian victims’ advocate. Irvin Waller, a professor at the University of Ottawa and the president of the International Organization for Victim Assistance, was a speaker at Justice for All: A Comparison of the Crime Victims’ Rights in the U.S. and Canada, put on by the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice section this morning.

David Daubney of Canada presented the 2011 International Prize for Restorative Justice

by Dan Van Ness David Daubney has been awarded the 2011 International Prize for Restorative Justice in recognition of the public policy leadership he has provided in support of restorative justice. The presentation was made during the Prison Fellowship World Convocation underway in Toronto, Canada from 28 June – 2 July, 2011. Daubney’s interest in restorative justice began twenty five years ago when he was a Member of Parliament, chairing the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice. The Committee was engaged in a year-long study of public and professional attitudes about crime and criminal justice. As it conducted hearings across Canada, its members began to hear about a concept that was new to all of them: restorative justice. They heard from grassroots organizations operating victim offender reconciliation programs in Canada and from crime victims who spoke about the personal healing they had received from their involvement in these programs. The Committee was so impressed that it recommended in its 1987 report “Taking Responsibility” – known to many as the Daubney Report – that restorative values and principles be incorporated into the Canadian Criminal Code.

Reformed Surrey graffiti artist works to rehab those drawn to life of 'tagging'

from the article by Tom Zillich in The Vancouver Sun: Reformed graffiti artist Pontus Agren is drawing up plans to save a rehab program aimed at the kind of "criminal" he used to be.

An introduction to the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Program (NSRJP)

from the paper presented by Janet E. Briggs: Restorative justice is not a particular practice or type of program, but rather a philosophy, or a set of principles. Restorative justice principles have been emerging in communities across the world. The Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Program (NSRJP), over the past decade has gained attention as a national and world-class leader through its innovative and progressive model. The Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Program is not intended to replace the current criminal justice system....

The restorative approach in Nova Scotia: A partnership of government, communities and schools

from the article by Mary Shafer and Laura Mirsky on IIRP.org: ....There is now a significant interest across Nova Scotia to bring the restorative approach to schools. Said Pat Gorham, director of crime prevention for the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, “Our provincial government is trying to find out what the capacity might be for RJ in Nova Scotia, identifying frameworks that might be put into place for schools that want to participate. The work has largely been from the community up. All pilot programs are at the local level, with individual school administrators opting to commit to a restorative approach, supported by regional RJ agencies.” The Tri-County Restorative Justice agency exemplifies this integration; it handles diversion of police-referred youth, and it founded Bringing Restorative Justice into Schools, the first project to develop a program using restorative approaches within schools in Nova Scotia. This program trains students throughout the province as RJ facilitators.

The Salvation Army and restorative justice

from the article in The Dignity Project: “I will never forget my first brush with injustice” says Matt Delaney. “I was so hurt. I wanted pay back. I wanted to retaliate, to return the favour that I didn’t ask for. I did fight back. Strange though, after I unleashed my vengeance, all I felt was empty and alone. What was wrong with me? Where was the justice I was looking for? Why didn’t I feel justified?

Restorative justice project for greater Toronto area Muslim community

from the article in IQra.ca: “What we are hoping to do is to infuse Restorative Justice as another way of thinking about justice in the Greater Toronto Muslim Communities”, say Michael AbdurRashid Taylor, Coordinator of Victims with Diverse Voices, an innovative Restorative Justice project. “Many of Toronto’s Muslims come from a variety of backgrounds. People come from all over the world and settle here, and they come with varying experiences with justice and the law. Sometimes they come with ideas about how justice might be done with them in mind and sometimes they want to participate in how victims and perpetrators are handled in the justice system. Restorative Justice gives them just that type of opportunity”, Taylor added.

ARJAA: The present state of restorative justice

This seven minute video presents several short interviews from individuals who attended the conference of the Abbotsford Restorative Justice Association in 2010. The speakers talk about their restorative justice experiences in various areas including the Rwandan genocide, immigrant communities in Canada, and schools.

Jodi Cadman finds peace after forgiving man who murdered her brother

From the article by Cheryl Chan in The Province: Jodi Cadman still recalls hanging up the phone in shock. She had just been told that the man who stabbed her 16-year-old brother to death almost two decades previously wanted to get in touch. "You literally get a phone call out of the blue saying, 'Would you like to receive a letter from the person who murdered your family member?'" Jodi says. "I was pretty shocked."

Community Groups Urged to Apply for Restorative Justice Grants

From the announcement on the AUMA website: Applications are now being accepted for 2010/11 provincial grants for restorative justice projects that support victim-offender mediation, training programs, leadership development in schools, and Aboriginal restorative justice programs. Through the Alberta Community Restorative Justice grant program, the Alberta government has allocated $350,000 to support restorative justice programs and initiatives throughout the province.

Meet the modern high schooler

from the article by Joanne Laucius in The Ottawa Citizen: ....Meanwhile, it's hard to be angst-ridden when you are the product of anti-bullying and self-esteem initiatives. Many high schools have a part-time addictions councillor and a gay-straight alliance. Programs like restorative justice, peer mediation and Online Safety Week bring a sense of justice and consequences to students on a day-to-day basis.

Tougher legislation needed on hate crimes

from Kristopher Wells and Murray Billett's article in the Edmonton Journal: ....Here in Canada, the gravity of hate crimes was officially recognized in 1970, when the government amended the Criminal Code to include hate propaganda as a punishable offence. In 1996, the government also introduced enhanced sentencing provisions for offences motivated by hate, and in 2001 included mischief to religious property as a specific hate-motivated offence. Despite this evolution, we argue that these legislative responses to hate have not gone far enough. The problem most concerning to many diverse communities and law enforcement officials involves the fact that there are still no direct provisions in the Criminal Code to identify hate crime as a violent offence (such as assault) or as a crime against a person or individual property (such as vandalism).

Church arsonist doubts God will forgive him

from Alexandra Zabjek's article in the Edmonton Journal: A man who torched two Wetaskiwin churches in what a judge described as a "totally senseless wanton act of destruction" was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison. But he was offered hope by one of the ministers whose church was destroyed. "We have not been abandoned and we don't want you, Peter Terence Jones, to feel abandoned," Wetaskiwin First United Church minister Ruth Lumax told the 24-year-old arsonist in her victim impact statement, which was read in court.

Equity leaders learn how to take restorative justice beyond the circle

from Rob Faulkner's article on Media@HWDSB: When the term “restorative justice” is used in education circles, many educators will think of, well, circles. The best-known tool associated with the RJ approach is likely the blame-free, multi-party conversation in the round that lets the person who caused harm and the person harmed find a solution. But it’s certainly not the only way to use RJ.