Skip to content

Local victim services going regional

The Athabasca Regional Victim Services Unit is set to move under the Lac La Biche umbrella Jan. 1, and it is looking for board members, volunteers and staff to fill the new array of positions.

The Athabasca Regional Victim Services Unit is set to move under the Lac La Biche umbrella Jan. 1, and it is looking for board members, volunteers and staff to fill the new array of positions.

Serving as the regional Athabasca-Boyle-Lac La Biche police-based victim services, the unit will operate under one committee. All police-based victim services calls are set to go to this unit as of Jan. 1.

Lac La Biche Victim Services Unit program co-ordinator Melody Littell said the Lac La Biche board will be transforming to represent all three areas equally. She said the unit is now recruiting board members, volunteers and staff, and will likely have a name change. 

"I can’t answer any questions about what happened with Athabasca," she said. "All I know is that ... in the new year, there will be a new — I’m going to call it a micro-region, a regional model, that will encompass Lac La Biche, Boyle and Athabasca."

Littell said the unit will have a full-time position in Athabasca, a full-time position in Lac La Biche and a part-time position in Boyle, as well as a person in a full-time position running between these areas. She said the people in these positions will all work under a regional manager.

She also said there will be Indigenous outreach positions, one for the Lac La Biche area and one for the Athabasca-Boyle area. She added in an email that these positions would also service Calling Lake and Buffalo Lake.

The RCMP-based unit will be looking for board members and advocates, she added.

“We’re working really hard just to get the base in place, so that we can make sure there’s enough coverage for everybody,” she said.

The unit is provincially-funded, but they will also be looking for outside funders, Littell said.

“As a standalone unit, we’ve had a portion of our funding always covered,” she said. “And if we want to provide more services than what was applied for within that provincial funding agreement, we have to fundraise.”

Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater MLA Colin Piquette said it is his understanding that there would be no gap in victim services in the Athabasca area. He pointed out that the unit is looking for staff and board members in Athabasca and Boyle.

“The plan is to have boots on the ground there,” he said. “This is a transitional plan.”

He also said considering the situation, he believes the service will depend on how quickly staff can get into position.

“I’m going to keep an eye on the situation and stay in close touch with the community and victim services and with Justice on this as we go forward, to make sure there aren’t any gaps in service,” he said. 

Piquette said though the Athabasca Regional Victim Services Unit had not been happy that their funding request was turned down, it was no reflection on the volunteers on the committee. He noted, however, there had been concerns about the level of service. 

“I do wish that there had been a way to resolve the concerns with the existing committee, of course, but considering the situation, I think it’s the best course for what’s right now,” he said. “The main thing is, of course, to make sure that when people need help and support because they’ve been victimized by crime or by tragedy, that that support is available for them.”

Littell also noted that the unit is working on its name, noting that “this is in its very first stage.”

“This just isn’t going to happen overnight, because there has to be a transition phase,” she said. “We’re right in the very beginning stages.”

Athabasca unit

A letter included in the Town of Athabasca’s Oct. 16 council agenda package, written by Athabasca Regional Victim Services Society chair Doreen Van Eaton, stated that Alberta Justice and Solicitor General did not approve the society’s annual $130,000 operating grant for this year. 

Van Eaton also stated that for the society’s 26 years of operation, there had been no issues with its grant applications.

“On Sept. 17, we received a letter from (Justice and Solicitor General) informing (us) we were unsuccessful in the funding application with no explanation as to why,” she wrote.

In an email Oct. 19, Justice and Solicitor General senior communications advisor Lisa Glover confirmed the Victims of Crime Committee declined the Athabasca branch’s grant application.

“Due to considerations of confidentiality, we are not able to share details regarding the grant applications and committee decision,” she added.

Village of Boyle

Boyle RCMP Sgt. Steve Genereaux told the Village of Boyle’s council about the victim services changes at their regular council meeting Dec. 19.

While giving his detachment commander report to council, he said Lac La Biche Victim Services will be taking over services for Athabasca and Boyle starting Jan. 1, when the Athabasca Regional Victim Service Unit is set to shut down.

He said that as a result, the Boyle area will get an increase in services.

“Access for Boyle will increase from 10 hours a week to about 20 hours,” Genereaux said. “Victim Services in Lac La Biche is a very active organization within the community, and that will be a big benefit for the Village of Boyle.”

Boyle Mayor Colin Derko said that it is good to see more commitments coming for the community.

“The province really should be giving more tools to police as well as to the volunteer groups like victim services that help them,” Derko said. “Volunteers do not get paid for what they do for the community, and they need help.”

Genereaux also noted the new providers are looking for some volunteers to come forward in each community.

— With files from Bryan Taylor

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks