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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 8, 2003Cav Minutes / Meeting Summary Aftt P ICKERING ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON RACE RELATIONS & EQUITY PICKERING January 8, 2003 7:00 PM Attendees: Marisa Carpino, City of Pickering Lewis Williams, Durham District School Board Joe Mitchang, Durham Regional Police Kisho Umar, Community Representative Karen Lam, Dunbarton High School Navi Boparai, Dunbarton High School Amy Chiang, Pine Ridge High School Florence Tse, Pine Ridge High School Debbie Kearns, Committee Coordinator Guest: Fraser Copeland, Community Justice Alternatives of Durham Region Jacqueline Moriarty, Community Justice Alternatives of Durham Region Suzette Clunis, Community Justice Alternatives of Durham Region Kathy Maher, Community Justice Alternatives of Durham Region Regrets: Councillor Dave Ryan item / Details & Discussion ,& Conclusion Action Items I Ref # ' . (summary of discussions Status - (include deadline as appfopna te 1. Presentation ` A presentation was made by the Members of Community Justice Alternatives of Durham Region. (Information concerning the organization and overheads of the presentation are attached). 2. Adoption of Minutes Notes The Minutes of the November 13"', 2002 Meeting were approved. 1 2003 Heritage Week Event Marisa provided the following update concerning 2003 Heritage Week Event: • as in past years the City will be partnering with the Pickering Town Centre • past participants will be invited to participate, eg. cultural groups, police, school boards, library, etc. Page 1 s Community Justice Alternatives of Durham Region Agency Community Justice Alternatives(CJA)is a non-profit charitable organization providing services to offenders and victims of crime in Durham Region. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The two main programs are the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program(VORP)and the Community Service Order Program. Established in 1981,VORP is the second oldest program of its kind in the world! It was modeled after the original Kitchener VORP,a similar service provided by Community Justice Initiatives of Kitchener-Waterloo. Today there are over 50 VORP Programs in Canada and over 100 in the United States. Length of Service CJA has been providing service to residents of Durham Region for 21 years. Durham Region includes eight municipalities: Pickering;Ajax;Port Perry;Scugog;Uxbridge;Clarington;Oshawa and Whitby. Services Offered •mediations•community service orders•information and referrals to victims•preparation of victim impact statements for the court•conflict resolution training•post-secondary student placements•provide practical mediation experience for community volunteers•promote public awareness of restorative justice principles•represent Durham Region at Restorative Justice and Youth Violence Prevention Conferences• assist in the continued implementation of the Toronto Drug Treatment Court Statistics In the last three years CJA has served 2,520 individuals,including primary and secondary victims and trained seven Community Agencies in Conflict Resolution and currently offers volunteer opportunities to 55 volunteers and has partnered with over 200 agencies. Referral Sources The VORP program receives referrals from Probation Officers,Crown Attorneys,Lawyers and Judges. Membership Individuals can express their interest in CJA programs and services by becoming a member. Volunteering CJA depends on volunteers to provide its services. Call Susette Clunis at 905-420-2401 if you are interested in helping out. Funding CJA is funded by the Ministry of Public Safety and Security,Ajax/Pickering United Way and individual and corporate donations. Donations CJA is a non-profit,charitable organization and relies on donations for its operation. Please call Susette Clunis at 905-420-2401 to discuss interests and desired arrangements. Durham Community Mediation Program The Durham Community Mediation Program(DCMP)is a community based non-profit group established to assist residents of Durham Region in resolving conflict through mediation. Services are provided by trained community volunteers at no cost to participants. What is Mediation? Mediation is a voluntary process used to help parties resolve conflict. The goal is a fair and reasonable agreement that meets the needs of all parties. The mediator facilitates constructive communication in a non-adversarial atmosphere where disputing parties work toward a win/win solution to their conflict. Purpose of Community Mediation • To provide a fair and accessible forum through which community members in dispute can obtain quick and satisfying resolutions •To resolve issues before they escalate to the point of court and police involvement Vision • Fewer incidents of violence in the community • A community skilled in conflict resolution Values F—fairness R—respect I—inclusiveness E—empathy N—neutrality D—diplomatic Item l: Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items / Ref # (summary of discussion) Status (include_ deadline as a rr� riate • the stage component will be held on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon • booths will be on display Saturday only • letters of invitation were mailed to past participants on December 9th • the photographer and DJ have been confirmed 4: Ontarians With Disability Act — Accessibility Advisory Committee Marisa advised that a membership application package was devised for the community to become involved in the Accessibility Advisory Committee. This application package included the Mandate, Terms of Reference, Application and Information. She advised that no applications were received. Councilor Ryan and Marisa will meet to discuss the next step to be taken. 5_ Development of a Web Page Marisa will work with Councilor Ryan on this project. 6_ Other Business a) March 21 — Lewis suggested recognizing and celebrating Bromley Armstrong — the suggested theme being race relations activists. A student representative suggested this theme be past (Bromley), present (current activist) and future (youth interested in increasing awareness). b) Anne Greentree, Supervisor, Legislative Services will attend the March 12th Race Relations & Equity Meeting to demonstrate the Touch Screen Voting which will be implemented in the upcoming 2003 Municipal Elections to assist Pickering residents who are visually impaired. 7. Next Meetin The next meeting will be held on March 1 91h , 2003. Meeting Adjourned: 8:12 p.m. Copy: T. J. Quinn, Chief Administrative Officer Page 2