Justice Minister Mickey Amery held a news conference in Calgary on Tuesday to announce details about a new grant the Alberta government is offering to help with community-based initiatives that offer alternatives to the formal court system.
“Community justice programs are a proven and innovative alternative to the formal court system,” Amery was quoted as saying in a news release issued Tuesday morning.
“This grant will help community organizations explore and create innovative programming to provide even more options for Albertans accessing the justice system and help reduce pressure on the courts.”
The one-time grant is being backed by a $1.2-million investment from the province.
The government said the Alberta Community Justice Grant is aimed at increasing access to justice “within a community setting that is proactive, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed and tailored to the specific needs of vulnerable Albertans.”
Some examples of problem-solving that the government says community justice initiatives can offer are mediation and “peacemaking.” The government added that it believes community justice initiatives can offer help with crime prevention.
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Eligible community-based organizations will be able to apply for a one-time grant ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, beginning Jan. 31. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 29.
At Tuesday’s news conference, Amery was joined by representatives from various organizations with a stake in community justice, all of whom voiced support for the new grant initiative.
Diana Lowe, a justice system consultant with Re-imagining Justice, said she believes the grants are “really going to fill a need across the province.”
Yusuf Ali, board chairperson with the Horn of Africa Educational and Economic Development Society, told reporters that he welcomes the new funding “because it is moving forward, bringing justice to the community.”
Denise Blair, the executive director of the Calgary Youth Justice Society, explained that not only does she believe community justice efforts ease the strain on the justice system’s resources, but also provide a path for young people to avoid a life of crime, which also benefits victims of crime and society as a whole.
She said the grants are welcome news for organizations like hers that rely on donations and grant funding.
“The overwhelming majority of young people make the most of this second chance on a bad decision, …” she said of her organization’s work, “without a criminal charge or conviction to hold them back.
“We’ve experienced firsthand the incredible impact that results when caring adult volunteers work together with young people, their families and victims to repair harm and to see and nurture the innate strengths in each young person to help them realize their full potential.”
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