Monday, December 29, 2025
ADVT 
National

Alberta sexual assault centres to be consulted on spending additional $10 million

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 30 Apr, 2024 04:01 PM
  • Alberta sexual assault centres to be consulted on spending additional $10 million

An additional $3 million is being allocated in 2024-25 to support 15 sexual assault centres.

There will be another $3 million in 2025-26 and $4 million in 2026-27.

"Nearly half of Albertans have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. That's 1.8 million too many," Family Services Minister Searle Turton told a news conference Tuesday.

"I've heard how it impacts every aspect of their well-being and their relationships, not to mention their ability to trust and feel safe."

Alberta signed a deal last fall to receive $54 million in federal funding to create and implement a 10-year strategy to end gender-based violence. 

The funding, which will be allocated to the province over four years, is part of a national plan to tackle gender-based violence. 

Turton said how the money will be spent will be determined by the sexual assault centres in roundtable discussions in the coming weeks.

"This will allow government to hear directly from centres and those who work with survivors every day how this funding can best address their urgent needs," he said.

Tanya Fir, Alberta's minister for the status of women, said the facilities represent "hope and safe havens" where survivors can receive support. 

The news was welcomed by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services.

Corinne Ofstie, co-chief executive officer, said it will help members respond to the increasingly complex needs of individuals and communities affected by sexual violence.

"It is difficult for survivors to reach out for help in the aftermath of sexual violence," she said.

"It is critical they receive help in a timely way as close to home as possible."

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C.-based Helijet orders first electric vertical-takeoff aircraft

B.C.-based Helijet orders first electric vertical-takeoff aircraft
Vancouver-based Helijet International has placed what it says is Canada's first order for an electric vertical-takeoff aircraft to add to its current fleet of passenger and cargo helicopters. Helijet president Danny Sitnam said Tuesday that the ALIA aircraft built by Vermont-based BETA Technologies would allow quicker, quieter and more efficient landings and takeoffs from hospitals and other emergency zones.

B.C.-based Helijet orders first electric vertical-takeoff aircraft

Medication could have been confused with Halloween treats in Colwood, B.C.: Police

Medication could have been confused with Halloween treats in Colwood, B.C.: Police
Police in a community west of Victoria are urging parents to check their children's Halloween candy carefully for medication that might have been mistakenly handed out to trick-or-treaters. West Shore RCMP say they received a call from a senior living in Colwood, near the intersection of Bette Drive and Charlotte Drive.

Medication could have been confused with Halloween treats in Colwood, B.C.: Police

B.C. pair accused of neglect in death of North Okanagan youngster in 2020

B.C. pair accused of neglect in death of North Okanagan youngster in 2020
Two North Okanagan residents have been ordered to appear in a Vernon, B.C., courtroom in January as they face charges of neglect that led to the death of a child nearly four years ago. RCMP Cpl. James Grandy says police were called to the Lumby area east of Vernon on April 4, 2020, after paramedics located a critically ill boy.  

B.C. pair accused of neglect in death of North Okanagan youngster in 2020

2 men shot outside South Vancouver nightclub

2 men shot outside South Vancouver nightclub
Police say they're investigating after two men were shot at outside Gallery nightclub in south Vancouver early Sunday morning. They say officers responded to reports of gunfire and found a 44-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his arm, while the other man wasn't injured.  

2 men shot outside South Vancouver nightclub

Body found in a Kelowna park

Body found in a Kelowna park
R-C-M-P in Kelowna say a man's body has been found in a park on the city's north side. A statement from the detachment says the body was found this morning in Sutherland Bay Park and it appears the victim may have been there through the night.  

Body found in a Kelowna park

Deadly crash in Kitsilano

Deadly crash in Kitsilano
Vancouver police hope witnesses will have information or dashcam video that could assist the investigation of a deadly crash in the city's Kitsilano neighbourhood. Police say a 53-year-old pedestrian died last Wednesday -- almost a week after she was hit when two cars collided (at the intersection of 4th Avenue and Balsam Street) and slid onto the sidewalk where she and a second pedestrian were standing.  

Deadly crash in Kitsilano