The Government of Alberta is making changes to victim services that will affect All Albertans. The plan is to prohibit all currently operating experienced, professional, local and impactful victims services units from delivering police-based victims services, and transition to a service operated in four geographic zones.

With these changes scheduled to take effect April 1, 2024, the boards governing the more than 60 registered victim services units are being forced to consider the future of their organizations this year. They have been informed that they will not be permitted to work in police detachments as part of this redesign, and will not have access to case files to support their work with victims of crime. Their funding agreements with the Government of Alberta will not be extended once the redesign is implemented.

As well, the redesign process will change and sever many important relationships. Existing partnerships with law enforcement, the courts, and other service providers will be redefined, and relationships between current victim service units and volunteers, donors, and sponsors will end. Volunteers and workers will all need to reapply for their positions if they want to continue helping people who have experienced crime, abuse, loss, tragedy and trauma.

At the Rural Municipalities of Alberta Conference, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was asked, “why are you making changes to Victim Services in areas where Victim Services isn’t broken?” Premier Smith responded that she “will be looking into this more because it does sound like the regional approach isn’t a good approach for all.”  

We agree with the Premier that the regional approach isn’t a good approach and believe the Government of Alberta can reach its goals in a better way.

The current plan does not reflect an understanding of the key issues and drivers for victim services, and we believe that the experts in this community of practice who can help the government to achieve their goals have not been adequately consulted. Victim service units are a part of every municipality’s emergency response team, and while their teams do incredible work we acknowledge that there are opportunities to improve service to Albertans.

Ensuring continuity and sustainability of independent victim services is important to residents of Alberta. These services have a positive impact on women, children, men, employers, and entire communities. They help people return to work, to school, and to wellness sooner after times of crisis.

Alberta Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, has made it clear that he wants All Albertans to have access to appropriate victim services.

We agree with Minister Ellis that All Albertans should have access to victim services. And we believe that meaningful consultation with experts in victim services will provide better results for the Government of Alberta than the current plan will.

There is a better way, a more efficient way, and a way that will result in better outcomes for people who have experienced a crime, abuse, loss, tragedy or trauma.

We, the undersigned residents of Alberta, petition the Legislative Assembly to meet with Victims Service Units as a collective group to discuss:

• Pausing the current trajectory for the victim services redesign until meaningful consultations have concluded and experts have had the opportunity to help the Government of Alberta meet goals related to:
  • Service Delivery: Establishing a service standard for all people who access victim services in Alberta.
  • Reporting and Accountability: Ensuring that the Government of Alberta receives reliable, quality data to report back to all Albertans on all key metrics and stories that victim services are responsible for.
  • Collaboration and Knowledge Transfer: Building a program to harness the decades of expert knowledge and experience currently deployed across Alberta for the benefit of all victim services units.
  • Sustainability: How organizations are funded and how they fundraise to ensure that community needs never go unmet.