TORONTO, August 14, 2013 - The Honourable Peter MacKay, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Central Nova, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the allocation of almost $250,000 in funding to help the Scarborough Family Justice Centre provide services that will ease the trauma for victims of family violence.
“Home and family should be safe havens, but unfortunately that is not always the case,” said Minister MacKay. “In 2011, police reported almost 95,000 victims of family violence in Canada. Our Government is committed to addressing the trauma experienced by victims of violence.”
The Scarborough Family Justice Centre is a pilot project being operated by Victims Services Toronto, in partnership with Toronto Police Services and community organizations. It aims to provide a more victim-focused and victim-friendly approach to criminal justice and social services intervention. For example, the Centre will ensure that each victim is provided with an advocate for support, counselling, case management, case co-ordination and consistent, timely access to information about the criminal justice process.
In total, the Government of Canada has allocated $249,127 over three years, starting in fiscal year 2012/2013 for the Scarborough Family Justice Centre. This money is being provided through two funding programs within the Department of Justice Canada. The first program is the Family Violence Initiative, which supports the development, implementation, testing and assessment of ways to improve the justice system’s response to family violence. The remaining funding is being provided through the Victims Fund, which focuses on responding to the needs of victims of crime.
Backgrounder: Family Violence and the Family Violence Initiative
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Ref.:
- Paloma Aguilar
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621
- Media Relations
Department of Justice
613-957-4207
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