Two years ago, the province decided to divert some contributions to the fund to pay for crime reduction programs such as drug treatment courts and Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).
According to Alberta Justice’s 2021-22 annual report, 59 per cent of the $64.7 million spent from the fund went to public safety initiatives. About a third, or $21 million, went to victim service organizations. Only 8.5 percent, or $5.5 million, went directly to victims.
Under changes announced Tuesday by Justice Secretary Tyler Sandro, the fund will again be used entirely to help victims recover from their physical and psychological trauma and support them through the legal process.
The province also extends supports and provides emergency assistance when needed.
“We know that the previous financial benefits program was not fast enough and simply did not provide enough immediate support to those dealing with trauma,” Sandro told a news conference. “And that was not acceptable.”
The changes come after UCP MLAs Angela Pitt and Nate Neudorf made 19 recommendations following consultation with stakeholders.
From September 1, victims will now have two years, instead of the previous limit of 45 days, to apply for help from the fund.
Funding for counseling, which was capped at $1,000 under the old program, will now be capped at $12,000.
Victims who suffer serious brain or neurological injuries will be eligible for one-time funding of up to $100,000 and monthly payments of $1,000. Victims with other types of disabling injuries can apply for a lump sum of $60,000.
The program will give victims of domestic violence access to emergency financial assistance for temporary housing and relocation. Victims of serious crimes can apply for up to $1,000 in immediate crisis counseling, as well as $11,000 in counseling to help them through the court process.
The fund will also cover costs for victims who have to travel to appear in court. Families of homicide victims can be reimbursed for funeral expenses up to $12,500.
The fund for victims of crime was worth $44 million as of March 31.
The opposition NDP has criticized the changes to the fund since they were first implemented. Irfan Shabir, the NDP’s justice critic, said victims will still have to wait while the government takes a year to phase in the new program.
Shabir said the government’s decision to dip into the coffers to pay for public safety programs prevented victims from getting the support they deserved.
“The purpose of this fund was to support victims of crime,” he said. “This should not be used to supplement UCP cuts to the justice system.”
A Calgary woman whose teenage daughter was sexually assaulted by a man who worked at a restaurant is frustrated that money raised to help crime victims has been used by the government to fund what she calls “an agenda of law and order”.
She said her daughter’s application for help from the fund was rejected, leaving the family to pay for tens of thousands of dollars in treatment.
The woman, whom the CBC is not identifying, hopes the government will allow victims to retroactively apply for financial assistance.
“This would be very important because victims of crime over the last four or five years have completely missed out on the compensation they really need to get their lives back on track,” he said.
The government is disbanding 62 victim service units across Alberta and creating four new regional boards representing the eastern, western, southern and central regions of the province.
Each council will have administrative support staff which will give caseworkers more time to support victims.
