It’s my honour to have been re-elected as chairperson of the Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee for 2026.
As you’ll read in our annual reports, we have been busy on multiple fronts in support of front-line agencies serving youth and families in Greater Victoria. By far the most significant news for us in recent years is that the VFCYJC has formally become a delegated commission of the Capital Regional District (CRD) as approved by the CRD Board of Directors. This followed an extensive two-year review that involved multiple participants including all of us on the committee, our dedicated working groups and CRD staff members. The process was arduous and taxing yet also entirely positive, respectful and necessary for a long-standing organization like our own.
This new chapter as a CRD commission continues a now 59-year tradition dating back to when the City of Victoria launched the committee with initial representation from Victoria, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, and Saanich. Since then, it has grown to include participation from throughout the CRD – local governments, school boards and citizen representatives included.
In brief, our goals are twofold: To educate and to advocate.
To educate by providing a safe space within which regional decision makers and leaders can meet and learn from those doing the frontline work and take these lessons home to their own councils, service providers and local contexts.
To advocate for service agencies as they work on behalf of families and children throughout the CRD. (Our focus in recent year has been on Greater Victoria’s Mobile Youth Services Team. Its vital work with children in crisis on Victoria’s mean streets requires increased financing, human resources and, above all, guaranteed and stable long-term funding.)
I would like to extend my gratitude, in particular, to Vice-Chair Kimberly Guiry (and the late Adam Flint before her in that position) and our Committee Chairs. A special word of thanks also to two long-time members who have now stepped down after many years of dedicated service — Esther Paterson and Bill McElroy — as well as Past-Chair Cynthia Day, who guided the VFCYJC for more than a decade.
Appreciation always to Secretary Marnie Essery, who for many years has provided administrative services. Our evolution and ongoing work would not have been possible without Steve Carey, the CRD’s Senior Manager, Legal Services and Risk Management. We also very much value support from from the CRD Corporate Services team in the person of Tamara Pillipow and Sharon Orr before her.
With new and returning appointees now assigned from our municipal and school board partners, we’re aiming for a productive and meaningful year ahead. I look forward to working with everyone to demonstrate the VFCYJC’s renewed relevance and commitment to the region’s young people and their families.
Respectfully submitted,
Marie-Térèse Little, PhD
Chair, Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee; Mayor, District of Metchosin; and Vice-Chair, Capital Regional District Board of Directors
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