Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

BC Attorney General David Eby announces opening of the new integrated court in Kelowna

 


Starting on Thursday, May 6, 2021, a new integrated court at Kelowna Provincial Court will improve access to health and social services to help to address the underlying mental health and addiction issues that lead people to become chronic offenders. This will be the third such integrated court in B.C., following Vancouver and Victoria. The community of Kelowna advocated for this kind of court, and we are responding to that call.

 

Integrated courts aim to reduce recidivism by bringing together government and community organizations with the court, to support people in regular contact with the criminal justice system. This serves to deliver more effective responses that help offenders break the cycle of offending and protect the broader community from crime at the same time.

 

With an integrated court, social workers, nurses, counsellors and others will work closely with offenders to understand their individual circumstances. With this additional information, judges are able to make a more informed decision when sentencing.

 

An integrated court is not a trial court, but eligible individuals may have bail hearings or plead guilty and be sentenced in the integrated court. People who plead not guilty have their trial in the regular court system.

 

This model works to divert people away from the justice system, offering them lasting help to overcome the challenges they may be facing that lead them to being arrested again and again, such as addiction, mental-health issues or homelessness. The new court will work with individuals following sentencing to provide continued support.

 

Like so many things over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges to the opening of this court. Yet, through the perseverance, dedication and hard work of many individuals and organizations in Kelowna, the integrated court will now be able to provide more people with the services they need to turn their lives around.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BC cannot regulate, redesign, and reinterpret its way to a stable forestry sector. Communities need clear rules, predictable timelines, and accountability for results.

Photo credit:  Atli Resources LP   BC’s Forestry Crisis Continues with Closure of Beaver Cove Chip Facility   As industry leaders, Indigenous partners, and contractors gather this week at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, the gap between government rhetoric and reality could not be clearer. Just hours after the Eby government once again touted reconciliation, certainty, and economic opportunity under DRIPA, Atli Chip Ltd, a company wholly owned by the ’Na̱mg̱is First Nation, announced it is managing the orderly closure of its Beaver Cove chip facility. The closure comes despite public tax dollars, repeated government announcements, and assurances that new policy frameworks would stabilize forestry employment and create long-term opportunity in rural and coastal British Columbia. “British Columbians are being told one story, while communities are living another,” said Ward Stamer, Critic for Forests. “This closure makes it clear that announcement...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stamer: Hope for Forestry Completely Shattered After Another Provincial Review Driven by DRIPA

IMAGE CREDIT:  Provincial Forestry Advisory Council Conservative Critic for Forests Ward Stamer says the final report from the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council confirms the worst fears of forestry workers and communities; instead of addressing the real issues driving mill closures and job losses, the NDP has produced a report that ignores industry realities and doubles down on governance restructuring. Despite years of warnings from forestry workers, contractors, and industry organizations about permitting delays, regulatory costs, fibre access, and the failure of BC Timber Sales, the PFAC report offers no urgency, no timelines, and no concrete action to stop the ongoing decline of the sector. “ This report completely shatters any remaining hope that the government is serious about saving forestry ,” said Stamer.  “ We didn’t need another study to tell us what industry has been saying for years. While mills close and workers lose their livelihoods, the NDP is focused on re...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH – My question is, ‘How do we decide who is blue enough to be called a Conservative?’

How do we decide who’s blue enough to be a Conservative? AS OF TODAY (Friday January 30 th ), there are now eight individuals who have put their names forward to lead the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Having been involved with BC’s Conservatives since 2010, and having seen MANY ups and downs, having 8 people say “I want to lead the party” is to me, an incredible turn-around from the past. Sadly, however, it seems that our party cannot seem to shake what I, and others, call a purity test of ‘what is a Conservative’. And that seems to have already come to the forefront of the campaign by a couple of candidates. Let me just say as a Conservative Party of BC member, and as someone active in the party, that frustrates me to no end. Conservatives, more than any other political philosophy or belief, at least to me, seems to have the widest and broadest spectrum of ideals.   For the most part, they are anchored by these central thoughts --- smaller and less intru...
1 comment
Read more

Labels

Show more