CAC in the News

[PRA] Saskatoon Citizen Advisory Committee Reaches Out to Community Partners

[Jan 15,2010 ]

By: Nell Hales, Project Officer, Community Engagement, RHQ-PRA

Representatives from various organizations in and around Saskatoon recently attended a public forum hosted by the local Citizen Advisory Committee ( CAC ). The one-day, interactive forum titled Mental Health, Offenders and Community Engagement: Myths, realities and dialogue for action, provided many of our community partners with an opportunity to share concerns and discuss matters of mutual interest.

The CAC , which serves both the Regional Psychiatric Centre and the Saskatoon Area Parole Office, submitted a successful proposal for funding through the CSC Outreach Program. The purpose of the forum was to raise awareness about CSC efforts to address offenders' mental health concerns and to facilitate dialogue, exchange and networking.

The day started with welcoming remarks from Karen Wright, Chairperson of the Saskatoon/RPC CAC , and Lesia Sorokan, Area Director, North Central Saskatchewan Parole.

Dr. Terry Nicholaichuk, Director of Research at the Regional Psychiatric Centre, gave the keynote address. He provided information on the characteristics of offenders who present with a combination of mental illness, cognitive impairment and substance abuse issues. His address highlighted the need to effectively assess and provide appropriate treatment, interventions and discharge planning for these individuals.

Dr. Nicholaichuk then joined Jason MacKenzie, CSC Regional Headquarters Project Manager for Community Mental Health, Lesia Sorokan and Chief Clive Weighill of the Saskatoon Police Service on a discussion panel. They responded to questions and concerns surrounding support services and programming for supervised offenders, community policing and the CSC Mental Health Initiative. Forum members who participated in the discussion had been invited from a cross-section of agencies and partners.

Following lunch, René Durocher, a former offender, provided the attendees with an insightful account of the choices and circumstances surrounding his 23 years in prison for a series of armed robberies. He shared his thoughts, feelings, beliefs and behaviours throughout his childhood, criminal career and subsequent return to society.

Now the Volunteer Coordinator at Stony Mountain Institution, Mr. Durocher has been involved with the John Howard Society, the United Way, the LifeLine In-Reach Program and the Canadian Family Correction Network, to name a few. He is also the founder of the Winnipeg Police Service Accent of Youth program, which reaches out to at-risk youth, as well as a founding board member of the Association in the Defence of the Wrongly Convicted in Manitoba . Mr. Durocher also led the initiative to start the Candace Derksen Trust Fund for the healing of victims of crime.

Mr. Durocher was recently honoured with the 2008 Pierre Allard Award, presented to a former federal offender who has made a significant positive contribution to society and served as an inspiration to others. His presentation certainly was inspiring; he is an engaging speaker and the audience was very attentive to his compelling presentation.

The final dialogue component of the forum focused on the “gaps” in the community with respect to providing adequate services not only for offenders, but for all clients of the forum's participants. Discussion focused on the increased need for safe, low-cost housing, the challenges in finding employment, the necessity of having proper identification upon release, and the common characteristics of some of the services provided by the organizations represented.

Feedback on the event was very positive; many attendees exchanged contact information, and invitations to visit community facilities, such as the Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre, were extended to all. Several people expressed interest in the Citizen Advisory Committee programs and thanked the organizers for the valuable opportunity provided.

One of the most important roles of the Citizen Advisory Committees is to provide a liaison to our community partners. This forum is an outstanding example of the valuable service provided to CSC by these committees.