: Kaan House Socuery cL OUNSELL IN SERVICES: nbn! “fotraes Seand so ‘a i Mheneays Ceti VICTIMS’ services programs available here and around the pro- @mployee, shows a brochure which outlines the various counsel- vince are changing. Fiona LaChance, a K’san House Society |iNg services available through the society, ne changing face _ of victims’ services a) B.C’S Attorney General has .no plans to ex- a amine, the effects of axing-a victims services m program: ‘once run out of court houses around oc the! province ‘despite evidence other groups are ce filling: the gap’ with less money ‘and people. ©. “We'don’t currently have a plan for a for- > mal ‘evaluation but as time goes on we will surely have to examine the extent to which government is meeting its obligations to assist ~ victims,” ‘Geoff Plant says. cos The Crown-based program was for people involved in high end court cases involving fa- -talities, sexual assaults, spousal abuse, histori- “cal-abuse and cases involving young children. Workers ‘here also served in Stewart, Iskut, :, Dease Lake, Telegraph Creek and other north- on communities. . og a: very Meten environment,” says Kate Spangl, the former regional manager of. the program. “It's not a user friendly system.” Workers would also accompany people ta “court, advise them about upcoming court «dates, date changes, adjournments and when graphic testimony might be forthcoming. s-:In the year since the program was axed, the . two remaining victims services programs in Terrace are starting to feel the pressure, » > What's: happened with the elimination of -Crown’s service is it’s left all of their work up “to the remaining two victims services,” says os Kristi Hanna, coordinator of K’san counselling - services and Terrace's specialized victims ser- . Vices. program. e - That program is run out of the Terrace sex- “ual.-assault centre and operated by K’san House: Society and the other is a police-based “service based at the local RCMP detachment. “os The specialized program here is not only - contending with an increased work load it's . doing it with less workers and money. cv “The-reality of fiscal restraint is that some “people will be working harder to serve their -s¢lients and having to make due with fewer = resources,” says Plant. , “>” #That's it, You can not avoid financial _real- . ity, You can't: The dollars surround this issue — “they're above it, they’re below it, they’re on every side of it.” In 2002 the K’san program received $121, 000 from the province, Hanna says. ‘That ~~ .paid for two full time equivalent positions. Last year that money was chopped in half. Workers asked Skeena MLA Roper Harris +, Ad A special report by Sarah A. Zimmerman ot for more money, arguing they provide services not only to people in Terrace but also serve clients from Kitimat and other surrounding areas, “They came back with a proposal and I ad- vocated for that,” says Harris. The money was then increased by $15,000 to $75,000. The province also kicked in $15,000 to help the organization make ends meet until it moves into a new location. The new location will see several K’san House’ Society programs housed ih one building shar- ing administrative and other costs. The additional money was very well re- ceived and Harris’ lobbying in Victoria was in- _Strumental to the increase. But from’ 2004 onward, the Program will have to “operatdi on “a?$75) 000. | budget 'w and an increased work demand. Numbers of people using the sexual assault ‘centre and specialized victims services here “We find we are being approa- ched for legal information, court information ~ we are becoming a one-stop shopping centre.” \ has increased 50 per cent over the last, year. “We find we are being approached for legal information, court information,” Hanna says. “We are becoming a one-stop shopping centre,” The police-based service is also startin ‘to see the effects of the elimination of {he Crown-based service. “Obviously. we're. seeing more of an.-in- crease but we've also incxéased our numbers of volunteers as well, so, it’s\sort of helped al- leviate it,”. says police-based Terrace Victims Assistance Progam {TVAP) mangger Jan Le- Francois. Last year the government increased money to police-based victims seryices. TVAP oper- ates on an annual budget of of $90, O00" shared by the province, the city and the regional district;‘* The extra money adds up to a 3.78 per cent increase totalling $3,400, “T think that we lost a very valuable re- source wilh losing the Crown service, person- ally we really feel a void there,” LeFrancois 4 says. “ guess my. biggest concern is getting | information out to the community that there. are services available,to- fill’ the. gaps for people that.are victimized.” Crown: lawyers here and around the pro- 7 vince are alsq: stepping up to the plate to spend more-time with victims and witnesses: “There’s no doubt that there is a reduction of, services and that the task of dealing with ; victims of crime has now moved to a number of different services including RCMP-based, community-based and to a degree, Crown counsel themselves,” says provincial Crown counsel spokesman, Geoff Gaul. Attorney General Plant says the elimination ‘ of Crown Victims/Witness Services (CVWS) will save $1.5 million per year, which"? He wasn't able to say how having Crown - amounts ‘to“1.5 full” time* “equivalent “workers. “Counsel ‘take’ on’ “atiditional: duties, which res", quires more time and money, would take away from those potential savings. “Many of the functions that CVWS workers performed were functions that a few years ago were performed by Crawn counsel and to some extent Crown counsel has been expected to pick up the burden of the work that was done by CVWS workers,” says Plant. When it came down to making cuts, the cheice was between axing the Crown-based service or cutting lawyers working for Crown - counsel, he says, But some of the services once provided by that service are not tangible in terms of dol- lars. It used to offer completely separate waiting areas and access to an alternate route to the courtroom for witnesses, explains Spangl. That meant witnesses could avoid having contact with the accused or his or her friends or family in the public corridors, That service was noticeably absent at the February trial of three young offenders accused of aggravated assauit in relation to the brutal beating of local teen Justin Galloway last year. One teen-aged witness had no friends or fa- mily supporting him in the gallery nor was a victims services worker with him. During breaks he had to wait in the public corridors along with the accused and their supporters. Plant says if more money were made avail- able tomorrow he wouldn’t reinstate the Crown-based service. Instead, he says, he would see if any of the existing victims ser- vices programs could be made more efficient by getting more money. Province launches 24-hour crisis line ’ examples.of this type of capitalist behaviour: OA NEW 24-HOUR crisis line for victims of family and sexual abuse was launched by the pro- . vince April |. The toll-free line is supposed to --provide increased access to sup- port for women around B.C. and particularly in areas’ which pre- - viously. had limited access to sup- oe port services. before. ‘.*-The-line’s 17 staff members all come from a victims services counselling. training to deal with “ 4ssues: ranging from sexual as- ” sault, historical abuse and. violent ~ telatibnships to elder abuse and oe multicultural’ sensitivity training, + officlals say, The line will be-operated by a. “aminimum. of two people at any - “given time and those numbers. will be. -increased:-for high ‘yolume.. ~~ language,” says Dahlin. : The ine t is not designed to pro. tines," Dalilin ‘says. They. will: Provide what: We call emotional support,” says Sus- anne Dahlin, director of victims’ services for the Ministry of Public Safety and the Soliciter General. “These people who work on the line have training in what victims’ needs are and what victims go vide extensive counselling ser- vices but lo provide referrals to existing service providers in the community the call is coming from. Dahlin says 40 per cent of the callers to the province’s former “We will be looking at statistics from the crisis line that will indicate to me where those calls are coming from and who they are referring to.” through in terms of being. victi- mized.” The. line also has access to-a automated program called Can- range . of. languages, so people calling the line. can receive .an- swers in their mother. longue...” SIPs. pretly. much “every a “3 crisis line were ‘asking. questions such as whether or not they can bring their children. with: them _ Should they leave an abusive tela talk which is designed to provide _- translation services’ for. a wide. tionship. ° Other Issties include making a safety plans and legal questions, ‘The line's. workers can not pro- vide ‘legal advice but can’ give legal information and make. refer- . als to other setvices available, - _ Some, victims Services, workers are worried the telephone line won't help women in very isolated communities or people in abusive situations who do not have access to a telephone. “One would hope that occa- sionally she would visit a doctor or go t6 someplace public,” Dah- lin says about women in control-. ling situations like that. “IT guess, you know, we can only do the best that we can do.” While the crisis line does not subscribe to services such as call- er identification, statistics will be compiled so officials can examine where the’. ‘most, need for victims _ services-in the’ province aré, “We will be looking ‘at statis- tics from the crisis ling that will indicate to me where those calls are coming from and who they are ‘referring to,” Dahlin says. The phone. nutiber is 1-800-' 256 563-0808. Ine Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 9, 2003 -A5 CORRESPONDENCE TERRACE STANDARD E The Mail Bag Won't be price war Dear Sir: I wish to. correct a statement attributed to me in the April 2 issue, “Hawkair.to fight Westjet arrival. y Although the report is accurate overall, I did not at any time state that Hawkair would cut prices in an effort to compete ‘with Westjet. 1 did not say we would cut prices because we cannot do so. We have no intention of getting into a price war with anyone. That is a mug's game, and a race to the bottom and is a significant part of’ what has gone: wrong with Air Canada. In Smithers, Terrace and Prince Rupert, Hawkair is not in a price war with Air- Canada. Air Canada is in‘a price war with us. I leave ¢ it to you to decide who is winning. What we have done since starting the passenger service is set our fares based on our costs, and allow : our competitor to do whatever they want. Then we just go back to work. We have a very strong “stay the- course” philosophy, and to attempt to match . Westjet’s pricing would be a departure from that. . If there are people who will only fly if they can get * an $85 ticket we are more than happy to have another airline carry them, because that other carrier isn’t going to make a dime on that fare either. I was correctly quoted as saying that we would dig ‘ our heels in. This is nothing new. We're already doing , that. Terrace is our home. And we’re not leaving it * without a fight. Would anyone expect us to do. anything different? Dave Menzies, Hawkair Aviation Services Ltd., Terrace, B,C, ‘ Not a hick town. | ! Dear Sir: ° The arguments presented against Wal-mart is that the company will plunk itself into town, lure the- citizens of Terrace and surrounding areas with its ; ' falling prices, and consequently pull customer bases * away from smaller tocal stores.. © ' And, unfortunately, the residents of Terrace have Hello Warehouse Club. Good-bye Co-op. Oh, Hello Canadian ‘Tire but oh well, there goes Home; Hardware, ‘ Recently Sandra I. Kuhar wrote to the paper' suggesting that the residents of Terrace are against: ‘ Wal-mart because they still have a small. town | mentality. But they continue to want lower prices, hence their reasons for shopping on the Internet and’ yearly pilgrimages by youth to go shopping.in Prince. George or Vancouver. But Kuhar did not cite higher’ prices in Terrace because of higher shipping costs + nor the fact that even though businesses are charging | astronomical prices they continue to close because they cannot make enough money to stay apen. Also, Kuhar writes that residents of Terrace are. afraid of growth and having to work stat holidays. I. would argue that people are afraid of Wal-mart. Wal-* mart is not a company that attempts to treat their‘ workers with compassion, nor bring products to communities that are any where near some sort of fair J trade regulatio I piie Tesiace bi bist prekihitly Ti ain niin Wy Westminster. Wal-mart has just‘driven itself in. Even though we live in a big city, and New Westminster — kicked and screamed so it would not set up house, - . construction starts relatively soon. Even the residents _ of Vancouver do not have a Wal-mart and continue to* fight against one. ; To find other reasons why Wal-mart is not something ‘that you want in your city go-to: http://www.walmartwatch.com. So, hopefully you see Terrace is not some backward hick town that is not , afraid of change and glitz. The people of Terrace are afraid of a corporate giant: the exact kind of : capitalism that kills small towns. Diandra Oliver, New Westminster, B.C. Keep French immersion Dear Sir: I'm a French immersion graduate from Caledonia - and I graduated in 2000 with 15 other people. Even , back then we were hearing threats of immersion being cut and band, also. Northern B.C. students only have a few resources . available to us when it comes to extracurricular activities. It’s not fair to cut programs that have been ° so successful for our community. It’s hard enough as it is being a teen in town let alone have something that you enjay cut so people can save money. . French immersion students are learning life skills ' they will keep with them forever, and it would be , — unfair, especially for those students who have made it so far in the programs, to have something cut that -May open many doors for them in the future. _ Janine’ Garneau, Prince George, B.C. : Don't fight nature Dear Sir: v The front page of The Terrace Standard, of March : 5 informs the readers that the Skeena River bank is ’ eroding.and advancing and the “dancing” outfall pipe ; ‘has broken its moorings. Does this reduce the . efficiency of the sewage lagoon in its purpose to render human waste harmless? There are engineers dedicated to their profession. In fairness they are scientists. The tops should be engaged to thoroughly examine and provide the answers. Epidemics respect no person. Forget rip-rap. Stop fighting Mother Nature. You cannot win. We must all make sacrifices. Our dreams, our plans for the future must be put on hold. Our health and that of our children, and of our wildlife must be- protected at all costs. We must start now, Gerald Doffus, Terrace, B.C. About the Mail Bag. The Terrace Standard welcomes letters. Our © * address is 3210 Clinton St, Terrace, B.C. VEG 5R2. You can fax us at 250-698-6492 or e-mail us at newsroom @terracestandard.com. No - attachments, please. We need your name, “ address and phone number.for verification. Our ‘« deadiine Is noon: reer or noon Thursday it it's a “tong weekend.