MOOSE JAW — The Moose Jaw Police Service’s (MJPS) acting chief is excited that the provincial government is providing extra funding so the agency can better address child exploitation cases and support traumatized youths.
“It’s fantastic news. The application process was started about a year ago and we were delighted to find out that we were approved for this,” Acting Chief Rick Johns told reporters on April 11, following the funding announcement at police headquarters.
Tim McLeod, the MLA for Moose Jaw North and the province’s justice minister and attorney general, revealed during the news conference that the province was distributing $1.1 million from the criminal property forfeiture fund to police agencies, the provincial Victims’ Fund and other community programs.
Of that money, policing agencies in Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and File Hills (Fort Qu’Appelle), along with Regina Search and Rescue, will receive over $564,000.
The MJPS will receive $223,344, including:
- $78,500 to create the Little Oak Child and Youth Advocacy Centre to provide a trauma-informed, child-friendly space to support the investigation and prosecution of offences against children
- $54,217 to purchase audio, video and recording equipment for the centre to interview abused children and youths to facilitate investigations and prosecutions; this may also allow victims to testify remotely instead of appearing physically in court
- $90,627 to enhance the investigation and prosecution of internet child exploitation (ICE) cases, including training two new ICE officers, upgrading video recording equipment in interview rooms and purchasing Faraday bags to prevent the loss, erasure or tampering of electronic evidence
The province set aside the $1.1 million in its 2024-25 budget, while all affected policing agencies have now received the funding.
Meanwhile, the criminal property forfeiture fund acquires revenue through the sale of forfeited property that was allegedly used in unlawful activity.
Having extra money to hire two officers for the ICE unit is great news since the province is helping the MJPS tackle significant operational pressures, specifically, many files that regularly come in, said Johns.
Furthermore, the agency will hire a second co-ordinator for its Victim Services Unit who can support Terri Roney, the main co-ordinator, and her support dog Sven, he continued.
“It’s been a vision of the Moose Jaw Police Service for about a year (to create a justice centre), and it really got some traction when we received approval for the funding,” the acting chief remarked. “We had a project team that we put together that … has done some really great work trying to get this justice centre up and running.”
The new centre will be in the community services branch office, which is in the former Times-Herald building, Johns said. The agency hopes the new venue will be open in a month or two.
The acting chief added that the oak tree was chosen as the justice centre’s logo because it symbolizes strength, resiliency and the ability to withstand challenges, while the centre’s “branches” — or partners — include the MJPS, social services, RCMP, health care and the Crown prosecutor’s office.
Roney said the advocacy centre is a vital community resource — a “centralized, compassionate response” — that represents a significant step in supporting vulnerable children and families who experience violence, abuse, neglect and trauma.
“Until now, children in our community who disclose abuse might have to tell their story multiple times, often in intimidating settings,” she told the crowd. “This adds unnecessary stress to an already traumatizing experience.
“Little Oak changes that … . The goal is to have children only tell their story once in a safe, supportive and trauma-sensitive environment,” Roney continued. “This improves co-ordination, speeds up interventions and … reduces the emotional burden of a child.”
The victim services co-ordinator added that staff will support children’s recovery physically, emotionally and psychologically, while the centre will help break the cycle of abuse.
