Western Standard - Alberta Takes Action Against Gender-Based Violence

00:00:00.000 Thank you all for joining us this morning for this important announcement.

00:00:08.880 Before we begin, I want to acknowledge that Edmonton is on Treaty 6 territory, the traditional

00:00:13.880 home to Alexander First Nation, Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Enoch Cree Nation, Whitefish

00:00:21.160 Lake First Nation and Paul First Nation.

00:00:24.080 This land also has deep importance for the Métis people of Alberta.

00:00:28.000 I want to thank Minister Turton for joining us today to speak about how the Ministry of

00:00:32.240 Children and Family Services is working hard alongside us and so many ministerial departments

00:00:38.560 to end gender-based violence. Thank you to Roxanne Thiessen, Executive Director at the

00:00:44.880 Saffron Center for being here and for all the compassion and support that your center offers

00:00:50.240 to Albertans fleeing abusive situations for being a safe haven and offering healing services to

00:00:56.240 survivors and thank you to riley miller executive director of rise up society for joining us and

00:01:02.160 for your work to create equitable and safe environments for women to join the oil and gas

00:01:07.040 sector one of my ministry's key initiatives is to break down barriers to women's economic 0.68

00:01:12.640 participation and supporting organizations like yours ensures they will have a safe workplace to

00:01:17.920 flourish in all albertans deserve to live a life free from the fear and experience of violence it

00:01:25.280 is important to recognize the ways gender-based violence affects the lives of so many Albertans

00:01:31.040 and to make it clear that it has no place in Alberta. Gender-based violence of any kind is a

00:01:37.200 deeply traumatic experience, one that can shatter lives and leave lasting scars. It is disheartening

00:01:43.920 to know that it continues to impact Albertans. As Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women,

00:01:50.560 the work to end gender-based violence is very important to me and i am proud of the work we

00:01:56.560 are continuing the opportunity to join you today as we reaffirm our commitment to supporting

00:02:02.480 survivors in alberta ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met and to make it

00:02:09.200 clear that we will not tolerate gender-based violence in any form and we will work together

00:02:14.080 to stop it from happening to any more Albertans as we have engaged with survivors indigenous women

00:02:20.960 experts and organizations that are on the ground to develop Alberta's tenure strategy to end

00:02:25.760 gender-based violence we have heard clearly that preventing violence from occurring in the first 0.99

00:02:31.040 place must be part of the solution and that we cannot wait for the strategy to be fully in place

00:02:37.120 before we take action that's why our government has invested two million dollars in grant funding

00:02:43.120 to support frontline organizations across the province that are implementing prevention

00:02:48.400 strategies so that we can end the violence before it starts. This is in addition to the

00:02:54.000 millions invested across government in the last year into actions and initiatives aimed at ending

00:02:59.440 gender-based violence and supporting survivors because it will take effort from all Albertans

00:03:05.280 to end gender-based violence. One of the main pillars to end gender-based violence is prevention.

00:03:11.600 that is why we developed the gender-based violence prevention grant to target the root causes of 0.99

00:03:17.120 gender-based violence and to stop it before it occurs with the two million dollars announced

00:03:23.040 today we are directing funds to support 11 critical frontline organizations that are

00:03:28.080 implementing prevention strategies across our province the grant focuses on primary prevention

00:03:34.400 projects which means they focus on changing environmental factors and social norms known

00:03:40.000 to contribute to gender-based violence while also promoting healthy relationships consent

00:03:45.760 and fostering safer spaces and strong communities this grant will support albertans across the

00:03:51.440 province through prevention programs in schools workplaces and rural areas i want to share a few

00:03:58.400 stories of the work being done so far calgary center for sexuality society is one of the

00:04:04.320 recipients of the prevention grant and with that they are working to implement culture wise an

00:04:10.080 initiative to expand the delivery of gender-based youth programs through ethno-cultural expertise

00:04:15.520 to advance the prevention of gender-based violence within black immigrant refugee and newcomer

00:04:21.680 communities this community-driven initiative is changing how gender-based violence is perceived

00:04:26.400 and in turn prevented within ethno-cultural communities it will directly impact nearly

00:04:32.000 1 000 albertans another example of the work being done across the province is the cameral's women's

00:04:37.680 shelter society initiative to prevent gender-based violence in rural communities with this grant

00:04:43.360 funding the society will implement the east central alberta gender-based violence prevention

00:04:48.720 program in schools local sports teams local businesses and police services in the east central

00:04:54.800 alberta area they will also work to reach underserved and at risk communities through

00:05:00.720 outreach and social services to prevent gender-based violence. Approximately 600 Albertans

00:05:05.680 in rural communities will directly benefit from this initiative. This is all in addition to a

00:05:11.120 number of other important programs carried out by the recipients of this grant that are working to

00:05:16.080 prevent gender-based violence and support survivors in every corner of our province.

00:05:21.360 By supporting these initiatives we are making strides in the fight to end gender-based violence

00:05:26.320 and to ensure that all Albertans live free from the fear and experience of violence.

00:05:32.480 I am proud of this new prevention funding as it is an important piece of the collaborative

00:05:37.680 approach government is taking to end gender-based violence. And as I mentioned earlier, our

00:05:42.240 government is investing millions annually to programs and initiatives that focus on ending

00:05:47.760 gender-based violence and supporting survivors. Just this past year, Alberta's government invested

00:05:54.080 $4 million in annual grant funding to support Indigenous-led projects and initiatives to

00:05:59.760 prevent violence and increase the safety and economic security of Indigenous women,

00:06:04.960 girls and two-spirit plus people. Alberta's government is also investing another $9.7

00:06:10.880 million over the next three years to target elder abuse prevention and provide supports

00:06:16.480 for elders across the province that are survivors of elder abuse as well 625 000 was directed to

00:06:25.120 working with post-secondary institutions to provide supports and advanced gender-based

00:06:30.080 violence prevention efforts on campuses across alberta one million dollars was invested last

00:06:36.320 year into the rural sexual assault support program to increase training opportunities for rural

00:06:41.680 health care providers to administer sexual assault evidence kit exams in rural communities by

00:06:47.760 supporting training programs and initiatives to enhance the skills of rural health care providers

00:06:52.400 to provide comprehensive sexual assault care we are ensuring that survivors receive the support

00:06:58.480 they deserve regardless of where they live in our province we recognize that we all need to work

00:07:04.400 together to end gender-based violence and we will continue our cross-government efforts to end the

00:07:09.760 cycle of violence and support survivors by giving them the help they need when and where they need

00:07:15.600 it working together means educating ourselves about gender-based violence knowing the risks

00:07:21.520 and signs of violence taking action to prevent it and supporting survivors but our commitment

00:07:27.520 doesn't end there no one should have to feel scared or unsafe in their homes or their communities

00:07:34.000 we need to target the root causes of this debilitating societal issue that is why we're

00:07:39.920 developing the made in alberta 10-year strategy to end gender-based violence and support survivors

00:07:45.520 the strategy will help us identify and fill gaps in services and coordinate our efforts across

00:07:51.600 government we have undertaken a comprehensive and intensive engagement across the province with a

00:07:57.760 variety of community stakeholders, service providers, and First Nation, Indigenous, and

00:08:03.280 Métis communities to inform our Made in Alberta strategy, what we are hearing is that this strategy

00:08:09.280 will make a difference in the lives of many Albertans. It is important to emphasize the

00:08:14.960 need for us to collectively work together to put an end to gender-based violence.

00:08:20.480 So, as we make this important announcement during Sexual Violence Awareness Month,

00:08:26.000 let us join in solidarity with survivors and give them the support that they need to heal

00:08:31.600 it will take every one of us working together in every corner of our province to end gender-based 1.00

00:08:36.960 violence thank you for being here today and i will now pass the mic over to my colleague minister

00:08:49.600 well thank you so much minister fair and good morning everyone and thanks for being here and

00:08:53.760 for tuning in we all have a role to play in ending gender-based violence it doesn't have a 0.54

00:08:59.680 simple easy solution and that's exactly why it's so important as minister first said that we don't

00:09:06.000 wait to take action and we aren't children family services is proud to be a partner ministry focused

00:09:12.320 on supporting survivors and investing in prevention nearly half of albertans 1.8 million

00:09:19.120 have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime and women are two times more likely

00:09:24.560 than men to experience sexual abuse and that's why i recently announced that our government is

00:09:30.400 delivering on our promise to provide sexual assault centers an additional 10 million over

00:09:35.840 three years to ensure survivors have access to the compassionate care and support that they need

00:09:41.520 no matter where they are on their healing journey we've also committed an additional 10 million

00:09:46.560 dollars for women's shelters to help stabilize capacity and support innovative programs and

00:09:51.600 services and our work doesn't just end there with funds through the national action plan to enter

00:09:57.600 gender-based violence children and family services launched the prevention of family violence

00:10:02.640 campaign this campaign and you'll see the posters next to me is aimed at increasing awareness of the

00:10:09.200 family violence info line as well as the supports we have for survivors their loved ones and those

00:10:15.600 struggling with abusive behaviors who want to change. A first nations college said that their

00:10:21.120 students held a sharing circle to talk about the campaign. Some groups plan to use a video

00:10:26.480 testimonial in their men's counseling which features a man who got help with ending his

00:10:31.200 cycle of violence through government funded programming. I know the two million dollars

00:10:36.000 in grant funding being announced today will help provide a more fulsome approach to ending gender

00:10:41.600 based violence before it even starts because the recipients including sexual assault centers women 0.99

00:10:46.960 shelters and organizations supporting first nations women children and two-spirited people

00:10:52.640 are already doing amazing work in the violence prevention and support sector i'm so proud of the

00:10:58.800 collaborative work that we are doing across the province to end gender-based violence and i'm

00:11:03.840 confident that it will make a difference because we share the same goal of creating a future where

00:11:09.440 where every Albertan is able to live without fear of violence.

00:11:12.440 Thank you again to Minister Furr for your work and leadership and collaboration on this issue.

00:11:17.440 And I believe today's funding announcement shows that we're serious about our government's work to end gender-based violence. 0.81

00:11:23.440 And now I'd like to invite Roxanne Thiessen to the podium.

00:11:26.440 Good morning, my name is Roxanne Thiessen, I'm the Executive Director of Saffron Centre,

00:11:39.740 a charity working to support the healing and empowerment of those who have been affected

00:11:43.920 by sexual violence.

00:11:45.740 It is an honour to be here today to share with you how this funding will further Saffron

00:11:56.440 Teal ribbon I'm wearing. It is sexual violence awareness month in May and I wear it to show my 0.86

00:12:02.240 support for all those who've experienced sexual violence. Saffron Center is based in Sherwood

00:12:07.500 Park and has a satellite office in St. Albert. We've been serving Strathcone County and the

00:12:12.660 greater Edmonton region for almost 25 years. As a sexual assault center, we offer comprehensive

00:12:18.480 programs which include counseling, police and court support, and prevention-based education

00:12:23.540 and training our counseling program is available for children as young as four years of age

00:12:29.780 youth adults and seniors and we support their unique healing journey through counseling and

00:12:35.620 therapy clients find their strength and journey back to healing our police and court program

00:12:40.980 supports those who are considering or have reported the violence perpetrated against them to police

00:12:46.420 we walk alongside survivors providing information support and advocacy throughout the criminal justice

00:12:52.740 process and our education and training programs cover topics such as boundaries consent healthy

00:12:59.140 relationships and internet safety it's available for youth children and adults as well we really

00:13:05.140 believe strongly in the importance of prevention through education awareness and advocacy

00:13:11.300 gender-based violence impacts every person in our community with almost one in two albertans

00:13:17.940 experiencing sexual violence at some point in their life someone you know has lived with the

00:13:23.940 fear and trauma it has caused it disproportionately affects women and girls as well as many marginalized

00:13:31.140 communities such as indigenous people those living with disabilities and gender and sexually

00:13:36.260 diverse individuals but this violence is not inevitable it can be prevented and being here 1.00

00:13:43.380 today gives me hope that we will continue to work together to end this violence this investment from

00:13:50.260 the government of alberta demonstrates a strong commitment to working together to end gender-based 0.99

00:13:55.780 violence and we are honored to be a part of this initiative which will allow us to expand

00:14:00.980 upon our work by focusing on prevention strategies with youth through this project we'll be working

00:14:07.220 with youth serving agencies in our region and engaging with young people directly

00:14:11.940 we'll be fostering safer spaces with schools through outreach collaborations with family

00:14:16.900 resource networks as well as increasing our rural and urban community and school education initiatives

00:14:23.140 at saffron we witness firsthand the incredible strength and courage of survivors we believe

00:14:30.260 that everyone deserves to live free from fear and trauma and violence which is why this government's

00:14:35.940 commitment is so so important on behalf of saffron center thank you to minister fur and minister

00:14:42.740 turton and the government of alberta for tangibly supporting this vision of ending gender-based

00:14:48.180 violence we can stand together we can advocate for change we can support survivors and we can

00:14:55.300 create a world together where everyone feels safe and respected thank you i'd like to invite riley

00:15:01.700 miller executive director from rise up society alberta to share a few words

00:15:11.780 good morning i would like to thank the alberta government for the invitation to speak this

00:15:16.340 morning my name is riley miller and i'm the executive director of rise up society alberta

00:15:21.860 rise up is a charity that provides counseling to those impacted by intimate partner violence

00:15:26.900 we also aim to be proactive in ending that violence by educating and spreading awareness

00:15:31.380 about this pervasive issue that impacts all Albertans.

00:15:35.620 It is a charity that provides counselling to those that are impacted by this type of violence.

00:15:40.500 At Rise Up, we are a small but mighty team that currently provides direct service to Edmonton

00:15:45.460 and its surrounding areas. We believe that services for those impacted by violence should

00:15:50.260 be accessible and affordable and we continue to make that happen. We do this by providing

00:15:55.940 counselling over the phone, virtually and in person with little to no cost as we know that

00:16:00.900 many people are limited financially during these times according to the council of alberta women

00:16:07.460 shelters domestic violence is at a 10-year high in our province specifically there were 59 000

00:16:14.260 calls for help within a year we want to be able to answer all those calls for help whether it's

00:16:19.540 for counseling support or for getting someone connected to other resources that they need

00:16:25.380 it's important to note that even though gender-based violence heavily impacts the

00:16:29.300 person the violence is afflicted upon its effects are also systemic it impacts everyone many of the

00:16:36.500 clients we serve express that impact that surpasses them it often impacts their children friends and

00:16:44.180 they and the um and their broader network of support due to the high demand for services for

00:16:49.780 those experiencing gender-based violence it even impacts the amount of resources that are available

00:16:54.820 to them if we put an end to gender-based violence we would not only be lifting up the survivor

00:17:01.220 but also those that they touch that is why the focus and attention from the alberta government

00:17:06.820 regarding this is appreciated in a lifeline for some as the leader of rise up i'm very grateful

00:17:12.420 to have been invited to represent our agency here today it is reassuring to see the alberta

00:17:17.300 government investing in gender-based violence prevention this will allow agencies like rise up

00:17:23.300 to do the frontline and preventative work needed to see change with these funds our agency will

00:17:29.220 be focusing on a project that extends our support and psychoeducation to communities in the oil and

00:17:35.140 gas industry this project intends to identify the unique risks of gender-based violence in

00:17:41.700 our energy driven province so that beyond support future services can extend in more rural areas

00:17:48.660 i would like to thank the alberta government and minister fur for this announcement today

00:17:52.820 and for the recognition that gender-based violence is a worthy cause to be prioritized.

00:17:57.700 These funds will enable agencies to do meaningful work

00:18:00.740 and hopefully will make strides so that one day there will be no calls left to answer.

00:18:05.300 Thank you and I will pass it on to Press Secretary Garrett Kohler.

00:18:13.940 Thank you very much. I'll go to the floor for questions first.

00:18:18.820 Seeing none, anyone on the line operator?

00:18:22.820 There are no questions in the queue at this time.

00:18:25.260 All right.

00:18:25.600 Well, with that being said, let's have one big round of applause for our ministers and our stakeholders today.

00:18:29.540 Thank you very much.

00:18:52.820 You

Western Standard - May 14, 2024

Alberta Takes Action Against Gender-Based Violence

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