May 25, 2020

Premier Jason Kenney

307 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 2B6

Dear Premier Kenny,

This letter is being sent to you on behalf of a collective group of victim serving organizations that
currently or in the recent past, have received funding through the Victims of Crime Fund (VOCF).

We understand that the Minister intends to review the Victims of Crime Act. We want to ensure that the
intent of the Act remains the same, with the priority being to serve victims and organizations that
provide services for victims of crime rather than expanding the mandate. We acknowledge that the
2016 Auditor General Report has recommendations that have not been implemented, and as the subject
matter experts, it is essential that we participate in any consultations. Our knowledge of the needs of
victims would allow us to operationalize those recommendations within victim serving organizations in
the most cost-effective manner and to ensure best practice.

The Alberta Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), established in 1996 allowed for funds to be collected, through
surcharges, on both Criminal and Provincial convictions. The funds raised through the VOCA were
prioritized and intended to financially support victims and victim serving organizations throughout the
province without placing any financial burden on taxpayers.

Over the years, this process has evolved and developed into the funding of a wide variety of victim
serving organizations such as police and community-based victim service programs, women’s shelters,
sexual assault centres, and child advocacy centres. This has resulted in Alberta being recognized in
Canada as a leader in the diverse, extensive, province-wide services available to victims of crime,
something Albertans can be exceptionally proud of.

Victims play a critical role in the criminal justice system. Our organizations support victims and ensure
they receive the help, support and rights to which they are entitled, and which are entrenched in both
provincial and federal legislation. In the course of our work in supporting and meeting the unique needs
of victims, we have built a broad base of knowledge when it comes to the challenges victims face and
impacts on victims when they don’t receive timely and appropriate services. Without this critical support
throughout the process, many victims choose not to engage with the criminal justice system or exit the
process before resolution, resulting in offenders not being held accountable and endangering the safety
of our communities.

Holding offenders accountable, ensuring the safety of the public, and supporting victims of crime is the
mandate of this Ministry as reflected in the following priorities and goals:
 Albertans are safe and protected through focused work on a preventative and sustainable
model of community safety;
 Vulnerable Albertans are safe and supported during interactions with the justice system;
 Albertans have access to information and services to help resolve their civil, criminal, and/or
family legal issues, and when required.
We have concerns that safeguards to ensure the original, intended recipients of the Victims of Crime
Fund, victims and victim serving organizations, may not be made a priority if the Victims of Crime Act is
amended.

The Office of the Auditor General concluded in its review on the Victims of Crime Fund 1released in
February of 2016 the department needed to develop a plan that:

 clearly identifies what the actual current needs of the victim of crime population are and
are forecasted to be,
 identifies gaps in service,
 shows how much funding will be required to meet these needs and what the impact on
Albertans will be if it is not made available, and
 can be monitored and measured for success, with the results publicly reported.

Calling on our collective group with a long history of serving victims in Alberta, offers the
Government and the Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General, the opportunity to implement the
Auditor General’s recommendations and fully embody the legislation and intent of the Victims of
Crime Act. As agencies serving victims, we have the expertise to support the government with
efficient, cost-effective, and successful strategies to implement in your review of the Act and Fund.

Premier, would you please assure us that the review of the Victims of Crime Act will not change the
original intent of the Act, with the priority being to serve victims and victim serving organizations rather
than expanding the mandate and that the recommendations of the 2016 Auditor General’s report will
be implemented as proposed amendments to the Act.

Sincerely,

Jan Reimer
Alf Rudd, President Jan Reimer, ED
Alberta Police-Based Victim Services Association Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters

Debra Tomlinson, Chief Executive Officer Areni Kellippan, ED

Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) Society

Fion Lee
Barb Barclay, Chairperson Fion Lee, ED
Alberta Restorative Justice Association ASSIST Community Services Centre

cc: Minister D. Schweitzer, Dennis Cooley, Bill Sweeny, Kathy Collins, Julie Peacock, Rachel Notley, Kathleen Ganley

1
See attachment for details
Attachment 1

Excerpts from the OAG VOCF Review – https://www.oag.ab.ca/reports/jsg_VOCFfeb-2016

The department and VOCF program have adequate systems and processes to manage the day-to-day
administration of the fund. However, the department is not completing the necessary strategic planning,
analysis and reporting to establish desired results, and the resources necessary to achieve those results.
There is also no plan how to appropriately and productively use the fund’s growing accumulated surplus
to best meet the needs of Albertans as intended by the Act. The government’s and department’s current
budget process treats the fund like any other generally funded program even though it is self-financing
and has its own independent funding source. Business and budgeting practices are potentially restricting
operating decisions intended to better serve victims of crime.

The government’s and department’s current budget process, which is applied to the fund, is not designed
to assess or consider its unique funding source, the changing needs of victims or increased fine surcharge
revenue inflows. Because of this disconnect, and with revenue trending higher, the fund’s accumulated
surplus continues to grow and these excess funds are sitting unused, without the department having a
clear plan for intended future use. Underlying this is the lack of an achievable, budgeted and approved
plan to guide the priorities and direction of the fund.

The department has not completed the necessary analysis and forecasting of the financial resources
required to achieve the desired results set out in the Victims of Crime Act. The department cannot
presently answer the question: Are the resources currently available adequate and being used
appropriately to deliver the desired result of accessible, appropriate and timely services to victims in
accordance with the legislation? The fund is growing at a rate faster than payments to victims are being
made.

The government’s and department’s current budget process, which is applied to the fund, is not designed
to assess or consider its unique funding source, the changing needs of victims or increased fine surcharge
revenue inflows. Because of this disconnect, and with revenue trending higher, the fund’s accumulated
surplus continues to grow and these excess funds are sitting unused, without the department having a
clear plan for intended future use. Underlying this is the lack of an achievable, budgeted and approved
plan to guide the priorities and direction of the fund.

VOCF program management has drafted planning documents to set the priorities and guide the direction
of the fund. The documents outline how the program can become more accessible, appropriate and
timely, and be more responsive to victims’ needs.

Additional funding would be required to fully implement these objectives. However, the program does
not have the ability to access the surplus funds to maintain and expand services to victims without
approval from the department.

The department also needs to determine an appropriate and productive use of the VOCF’s
accumulated surplus, which is supported by proper financial analysis, as a necessary starting point to
facilitate discussion with the Department of Treasury Board and Finance to show the impact current
budgetary and business policies have on potential uses of the fund’s surplus and victims of crime.