About VFCYJC

Our Mission

To facilitate connections between municipal and Indigenous governments, school districts, service providers, and the broader community to educate and advocate for options to address the challenges and shortfalls facing youth and families who may come into contact with the justice system.

Our Vision

We envision families and youth having access to timely and appropriate supports within their communities so that they may achieve their full potential

VFCYJC Membership

Funded through the Capital Regional District, the VFCYJC brings together:

13 municipalities
3 school districts
provincial ministries
youth service agencies
police
Capital Region Action Team for Sexually Exploited Youth (CRAT)

2023 VFCYJC Membership List

Municipal and CRD Appointees

Marie-Terese Little, Chair and Mayor, District of Metchosin

Adam Flint, Vice-Chair, Communications Subcommittee Chair and Citizen Representative, Town of View Royal

Cynthia Day, Past Chair, Youth & Family Matters Subcommittee Chair and Councillor, City of Colwood

Bill McElroy, Treasurer, CRD Appointee and Capital Region Action Team on Sexually Exploited Youth

Marcie McLean, Priorities Subcommittee and Chair, Councillor, District of Highlands

Jeff Bateman, Councillor, District of Sooke

Sara Duncan, Councillor, Town of Sidney (alternate)

Kimberley Guiry, Councillor, City of Langford

Gordon Irving, Citizen Representative, District of Central Saanich

Kim Jordison, Councillor, City of Colwood (alternate)

Krista Loughton, Councillor, City of Victoria

Ron Mattson, Councillor, Town of View Royal

Jack McClintock, Councillor, District of North Saanich

Terry O’Keefe, Councillor, Town of Sidney

Esther Paterson, Councillor, District of Oak Bay

Jim Rondeau, District of Central Saanich appointee (alternate)

Darlene Rotchford, Councillor, Township of Esquimalt

Rose Stanton, Councillor, District of Highlands (alternate)

Celia Stock, Councillor, District of North Saanich (alternate)

Mena Westhaver, Councillor, District of Saanich

Corey Wood, District of Central Saanich appointee

School District Representatives

Cendra Beaton, Trustee, School District #62 (alternate)

Karin Kwan, Trustee, School District #61

Nola Silzer, Trustee, School District #63

Trudy Spiller, Trustee, School District #62

Terri Vanwell, Trustee, SD #63 (alternate)

Resource Agency Representatives

Ranj Atwal, Director of Operations, Youth Justice, Ministry of Children and Family Development

Cate Bennett, Youth Services, Ministry of Children and Family Development

Justin Douglas, Board Member, Restorative Justice Victoria

Mia Golden, Mobile Youth Services Team and Crime Reduction and Exploitation Diversion (CRED) program

Cindy Hendricksen, Youth Justice Consultant, Province of BC

Melissa Hyland, Director, Wakata’keri:te Resiliency Rising Society

Gillian Lindquist, Executive Director, Restorative Justice Victoria

Gord Magee, Victoria Police Department and Mobile Youth Services Team

Sara Radford, Program Manager, Pacific Centre Family Services Association

Jen Shortt, Youth & Family Counsellor, Artemis Place Society & Thirteen Moon Farm

Colin Tessier, Executive Director, Threshold Housing

Central Saanich Police Service

Ministry of Public Safety and the Solicitor General

Saanich Police Department

Victoria Police Department, Youth Outreach

Victoria Court Registry Services, Province of BC

Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre

VFCYJC Secretary

Marnie Essery

Capital Region District Staff Liaison

Steve Carey, Senior Manager, Legal Services & Risk Management

Sharon Orr, Corporate Services

Notable Accomplishments 2004 – 2023

Clothing, computer and bus tickets for Sanctuary Youth Drop In to assist homeless youth
Funded Girls Circle training and sessions at Rockheights Middle School in Esquimalt
Furnishings for the Victoria Sexual Assault Health Clinic Family Comfort Room
Submission to the Children’s Representative Five Year Review
Increased Indigenous Cultural Awareness: through promotion and acceptance of necessity for Cultural Sensitivity Training; attendance at First Nations Court in Duncan; education on Impacts of Colonization and TRC obligations
Advocacy for support of Federal Motion M-47, addressing health outcomes of youth exposure to pornography
Funded Restorative Justice Resource Group multi-media tools to educate the public and to assist in training the region’s first case facilitators
Funded the development and implementation of the Restorative Justice Resource Group ‘Trainer of Trainers’ course to launch restorative justice in three communities across the CRD
Funded Restorative Justice Resource Group training for youth participating in Restorative Justice Victoria’s Youth Theatre Outreach Project for schools in the CRD
Funded Advanced Training of Restorative Justice trainers and volunteers throughout the CRD to better equip programs for Crown and other complex cases
Funded Restorative Justice Victoria to develop, deliver and evaluate Mentor Training and to produce a manual for province-wide sharing on best practices and procedures
Advocated for improved provincial funding for Restorative Justice with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General
Brought Children of the Street Society to present Taking Care of Ourselves: Taking Care of Others annually in Schools for more than 10 consecutive years at no cost to the school districts
Advocated for Youth Mental Health with Resolutions to the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities
Advocated for School Based Mental Health Clinics
Advocated for the first Youth Medical Clinic in a School Setting (Belmont), de- stigmatizing mental health issues and increasing ease of access
Advocated for a Youth Medical Clinic on the Peninsula along the lines of the Belmont Clinic, with special interest in cultural sensitivity for Indigenous participants and, contributed essential funding
Identified gaps in services for youth, youth in care and Youth Mental Health and Addictions Services.
Identified youth at risk situations that exist in less visible ways, e.g., couch surfers and the inadequately housed
Advocated for supportive youth housing
Hosted five years of networking workshops for service providers and youth through the Bright Ideas Conferences
Co-hosted Training for Regional Police Services with the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons on several occasions with a huge uptake in training
Relaunched VFCYJC website with resource listings, member’s section, downloadable reports, etc. (2019)
Increased VFCYJC Profile through presentations of the Annual Report to Councils and Boards
Organizational review and incarnation as a designated committee of the Capital Regional District (2022)
Supported the Mobile Youth Services Team and helped secure one-year funding renewal (2023/24) with advocacy campaign involving support from the CRD, Metchosin, Sooke and Colwood.

Funded through the Capital Regional District, the VFCYJC brings together:

13 Municipalities
Capital Regional District, including electoral areas
3 School Districts
Provincial Ministries
Youth Service Agencies
Police
Capital Region Action Team for Sexually Exploited Youth (CRAT)

A great way to meet with other youth serving agencies and gain the attention of your local municipal and school district representatives.

Meetings are the fourth Thursday of every month, except December, July and August, from 11:30 – 1:30. Guests may attend with advance notice to the committee. Lunch is provided. If you have a topic you would like to present or see presented, email us with your suggestion and any speaker contact info you may have. Contact:

Secretary: Marnie Essery vfamcourt@gmail.com
Chair: Marie-Térèse Little mtlittle@metchosin.ca
Vice-Chair: Adam Flint flintadam@gmail.com
Treasurer: Bill McElroy bill@mcelroys.ca

Territorial Acknowledgement

The Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee meets on the unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Lekwungen-speaking and WSÁNEĆ nations. We acknowledge and thank the Lekwungen-speaking peoples, also known as the Songhees, Esquimalt and Beecher Bay First Nations communities for allowing us to live on their lands.

The VFCYJC further acknowledges that the capital region spans the Traditional Territories of Coast and Straits Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth peoples and that, by virtue of being represented by all 13 municipalities, our committee is responsible to help build respectful and enduring relationships with our First Nations neighbours.

From Facebook

Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

2 days ago

Kids Help Phone is deeply committed to sharing continued supports for First Nations youth who are leaving care and young adults who have already left care. Our free, online portal provides mental health resources and dedicated Indigenous programming to First Nations youth and young adults. Learn more by visiting: KidsHelpPhone.ca/SupportsForLeavingCare ... See MoreSee Less

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Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

2 days ago

"VICTIM SERVICES....it is not just about ‘tissues and teddy bears’. Our highly trained staff provide emotional and practical support as mandated by the British Columbia Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and the rights under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights." www.gvpvs.orgBC Victims of Crime Act: www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96478_01Canadian Victims Bill of Rightslaws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-23.7/page-1.htmlOur Annual Report is up! Victim Services is grateful for the support of our partners-our funders, donors, board members, volunteers, and most importantly our police and justice partners. We extend our sincere appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved in assisting Victim Services as we support people in our community impacted by crime and trauma.www.gvpvs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-ANNUAL-REPORT-FINAL.pdf ... See MoreSee Less

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Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

2 days ago

PLEASE SHARE: A Drug Poisoning/Overdose Advisory has been issued for Greater Victoria.There are options for safer use:- For harm reduction services and information, including naloxone programs, visit Toward the Heart at ow.ly/Nlzv50PLkLO - To tell us about a toxic drug event/poisoning text OD to 253787. - If you’re using alone, try the Lifeguard App at ow.ly/183a50PLkLN or the Brave App at ow.ly/rbxN50PLkLG, or call the National Overdose Response Service at 1-888-688-6677- Check out Island Health’s Overdose Prevention Services page at ow.ly/FgyS50PLkLF to find information on overdose prevention and supervised consumption sites, drug-checking services and more- For Indigenous-specific information, visit the First Nations Health Authority’s Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction pages at ow.ly/ktA450PLkNW ... See MoreSee Less

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Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

2 days ago

Multiple events across the region on Saturday marking the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation/Orange Shirt Day. Largest of them will be the South Island Powwow 2023, beginning at Noon at Victoria's Royal Athletic Park. It recognizes "Survivors and their families in the spirit of reconciliation. Through song and dance, we will celebrate traditional Indigenous cultures and resiliency." 🧡 ... See MoreSee Less

South Island Powwow

www.songheesnation.ca

Songhees Nation Council Website. This website is for the Songhees Nation and the Songhees Wellness Center including programming and events in Victoria, BC.

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Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

2 weeks ago

www.victoriafamilycourt.ca(Re)visit our routinely updated website for VFCYJC news briefs and ongoing grant opportunities on the home page, an archive of our annual reports, links to family justice legislation, a directory of related service-providers and resources + more. 🌱 ... See MoreSee Less

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About VFCYJC

Our Mission

Our Vision

VFCYJC Membership

2023 VFCYJC Membership List

Municipal and CRD Appointees

School District Representatives

Resource Agency Representatives

VFCYJC Secretary

Capital Region District Staff Liaison

Notable Accomplishments 2004 – 2023

Funded through the Capital Regional District, the VFCYJC brings together:

Territorial Acknowledgement

Important Links

From Facebook

Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

From Twitter

About VFCYJC

Our Mission

Our Vision

VFCYJC Membership

2023 VFCYJC Membership List

Municipal and CRD Appointees

School District Representatives

Resource Agency Representatives

VFCYJC Secretary

Capital Region District Staff Liaison

Notable Accomplishments 2004 – 2023

Funded through the Capital Regional District, the VFCYJC brings together:

Territorial Acknowledgement

Important Links

Follow Us

From Facebook

Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee

From Twitter