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)
Executive | |
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Cynthia Day, Chair | cday@colwood.ca |
Andrew Kerr, Vice Chair | akerr018@gmail.com |
Marnie Essery, Secretary | vfamcourt@gmail.com |
Bill McElroy, Treasurer | bill@mcelroys.ca |
CRD Appointees | |
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Geanine Robey | geanine_robey@outlook.com |
Georgia Peters | gejpeters@shaw.ca |
Sigurd Johannessen | sigurd.johannesen@shaw.ca |
Bill McElroy | bill@mcelroys.ca |
Sandra Sarsfield | sarsfieldlaw@shaw.ca |
School Districts | |
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Angie Hentze, Trustee, SD61 | ahentze@sd61.bc.ca |
Margot Swinburnson, Trustee, SD62 | mswinburnson@sd62.bc.ca |
Alicia Holman, Trustee, SD63 | aholman@saanichschools.ca |
Municipal Councillors | |
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Cynthia Day, Colwood | cday@colwood.ca |
Jeff Bateman, Sooke | jbateman@sooke.ca |
Sharmarke Dubow, Victoria | sdubow@victoria.ca |
Matt Sahlstrom, Langford | trakside99@shaw.ca |
Lee Mauro, Esquimalt | leemauro@gmail.com |
Marie Terese Little, Metchosin | mtlittle@metchosin.ca |
Esther Paterson, Oak Bay | epaterson@oakbay.ca |
Marcie McLean, Highlands | marciemclean@shaw.ca |
Heather Gartshore, N. Saanich | hgartshore@northsaanich.ca |
Barbara Fallot, Sidney | bfallot@sidney.ca |
Resource Agencies | |
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Restorative Justice Victoria | www.rjvictoria.com |
Mia Golden Mobile Youth Services Team (M.Y.S.T.) and Crime Reduction and Exploitation Diversion (C.R.E.D.) | https://www.pacificcentrefamilyservices.org |
Victoria Police Department Youth Officer | https://www.vicpd.ca |
Central Saanich Police M.Y.S.T (Mobile Youth Services Team) | https://www.cspolice.ca |
Saanich Police Youth Officer | https://www.saanichpolice.ca |
West Shore RCMP Designated member | https://westshore.rcmp-grc.gc.ca |
Ministry of Children and Family Development Youth Probation Officer | https://bit.ly/2xXRn34 |
Ministry of Children and Family Development Youth Services Representative | https://bit.ly/2xXRn34 |
Indigenous Perspectives Society | https://ipsociety.ca |
Pacific Centre Family Services Debra Wilson, E.D. | https://www.pacificcentrefamilyservices.org |
Wakata’Kari:te’ Resiliency Rising | resiliencyrising@gmail.com |
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria | https://bgcvic.org |
Citizen Representatives | |
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Andrew Kerr, Victoria | Marilyn Holman, Saanich |
Notable Accomplishments 2004 – 2018
- 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
- 23. Supported the Mobile Youth Services Team with letters of support for additional resources
- Identified Resource Listings available to community members (CRAT website link)
- Increased VFCYJC Profile through presentations of the Annual Report to Councils and Boards
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 third Wednesday of every month, except December, July and August, from 11:30 – 1:30, usually at Victoria City Hall Council Chambers. 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 at: vfamcourt@gmail.com
- Chair: Cynthia Day (cynthiaday@colwood.ca)
- Vice-Chair: Ron Mattson (rmattson@shaw.ca)
- 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.
Important Links
From Facebook
Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee
4 hours ago
Kudos to District of Saanich councillors Karen Harper and Ned Taylor.Last night myself and Councillor Karen Harper submitted a Notice of Motion to #Saanich Council to take actions to address the overdose crisis.
We are asking that Saanich Council explore ways to support safe consumption sites, and other actions to help reduce overdoses. Additionally we are requesting that Saanich advocate to senior levels of government for numerous actions, including declaring the overdose crisis a National Public Health Emergency.
The overdose crisis is taking lives on a daily basis. In fact, over 1,500 lives were lost in 2020. It is clear that new actions and approaches are needed at all levels of government.
If you support these actions, you are welcome to let your council know by writing to council@saanich.ca
The full wording of our Notice of Motion can be found at this link: docs.google.com/document/d/15-k4aOC6NjU8wfo1FNc5Jzs94J3TK9LL8E5HNWwbqDo/edit
#SafeConsumption #HarmReduction #OverdosePrevention #OverdoseAwareness #bcpoli ...
From Twitter
After a COVID delay, amendments to the federal Divorce Act come into effect in March 2021. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/fl-lf/famil/c78/03.html https://www.chatelaine.com/living/family-court-jennifer-kagan/
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