Policy Centre for Victim Issues Fall 2026 Webinar Series

The Policy Centre for Victim Issues (PCVI) at the Department of Justice Canada is hosting a series of six free webinars from October 20 to 22, 2026.

Register for the event in advance. If you experience difficulties with the form, please contact pcvi-cpcv@justice.gc.ca for assistance.

Beyond the Offer: Building Victim-Centred Pathways to Restorative Justice

Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 11 am to 1 pm ET

Restorative justice can offer people affected by harm opportunities for voice, acknowledgement, answers, and meaningful participation. However, people can not always access programs safely or make an informed choice about participating.

Drawing on a literature review completed as part of Community Justice Initiatives’ Victim-Initiated Restorative Responses project, this webinar will explore what it means to position victims more meaningfully within restorative justice. The session will examine common needs following victimization, including information, safety, choice and validation, as well as the potential benefits and limitations of restorative justice processes.

Participants will also consider the practical and systemic conditions that support victim-centred restorative justice, including accessible information, flexible referral pathways, skilled facilitation and collaboration across justice and community organizations. The webinar will invite participants to consider how restorative justice can be presented as an informed option rather than a persuasive pitch and how organizations can create the conditions for meaningful choice and safer participation.

Presenter:

Aurra Startup
PhD Candidate, Faculty of Education
York University

Aurra Startup is a PhD candidate in York University’s Faculty of Education, where her research explores the experiences of restorative justice practitioners working in Ontario schools and community organizations. She facilitates the Restorative Responses to Harm or Crime program and supports the Victim-Initiated Restorative Responses project at Community Justice Initiatives, which are funded by the Department of Justice. Aurra has a deep belief in creating a range of options for people navigating healing and justice. Her practice centres choice, dialogue and opportunities for those most affected by harm to speak to impact and imagine repair.

Justice through a Trauma-Informed Lens

Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm ET

Led by a survivor of serious violent crime, this is presentation will examine how experiences of serious crime shape a survivor’s relationship to justice, safety, and healing. This session centres lived experience alongside trauma-informed principles to explore how justice systems and service providers can respond with greater empathy, accountability, and care. The justice system often prioritize procedure and outcomes while underestimating the profound and lasting effects of trauma. This workshop will challenge participants to reconsider justice not only as a legal result, but as an experience that can either support healing or deepen harm. Through personal narrative and applied examples, this workshop will also highlight how trauma affects memory, trust, emotional regulation, and engagement with institutions. Participants will learn about common barriers faced by victims of serious crime and how trauma-informed approaches can preserve dignity, strengthen participation, and restore a sense of agency for those navigating justice systems.

Presenter:

Celine Lee (she/her)
Chairperson
Pacific Region Victim Advisory Board

For over 30 years, Celine has applied her lived experience to present a victim’s voice on policy, practices and training related to victim engagement within the criminal justice system and restorative justice initiatives. Celine has spent over 25 years working in various capacities for police-based victim services and crime prevention programs in British Columbia. Since 2015, Celine has served as the Chairperson for the Pacific Region Victim Advisory Council. In her spare time, when not chasing her active 5-year-old daughter around, she enjoys experimenting with culinary creations and dabbling in various forms of creative expression.

ICARE: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Supporting Victims in Policing

Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 11 am to 1 pm ET

Crime and Trauma-Informed Support Services (CTSS) is a non-investigative unit within the Edmonton Police Service, dedicated to supporting individuals, families, and communities impacted by crime, tragedy, and traumatic events. At the heart of CTSS is the ICARE Service Delivery Model: Intake, Contact, Assessment, Referral, and Evaluation. Each stage plays a critical role in ensuring that the victims and survivors we serve receive consistent, comprehensive, and culturally responsive support. ICARE has become a culture of care woven into every CTSS client interaction. With roots in trauma-informed principles, ICARE recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and the importance of creating safe, and supportive environments. Participants will be introduced to ICARE and its application within a policing environment to strengthen trust, resilience, and collaboration. Using anonymized case examples and interactive discussions, participants will explore practical strategies for intake, assessment, and referral, while learning how evaluation ensures continuous improvement in victim services.

Presenter:

Megah Tornwe (he/him)
Manager, Crime and Trauma-Informed Support Services
Edmonton Police Service

Megah Tornwe manages Crime and Trauma-Informed Support Services with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS). He brings more than a decade of experience in crisis intervention, victim support, and community justice, supported by a background in criminology. Within EPS, Megah has served in both frontline and specialized roles, including Integrated Offender Management and the Y-FIVE-O youth initiative. In his current role, he leads trauma-informed victim support across the service, advancing culturally responsive, survivor-centered practice. His approach emphasizes psychological safety, intersectionality, and community healing, shaping how first responders connect with and support individuals and families impacted by crime, trauma and tragedy.

Developing a Police-Based, Victim-Centred Response to Mass Victimization Incidents

Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm ET

An increase in mass victimizations globally and within Canada, has highlighted the need for coordinated, victim-centred responses that provide clear, timely, and consistent support to those affected.

When large-scale or high-impact incidents occur, victims, families, and communities often face uncertainty, rapidly changing information, and challenges in accessing the support they need. This webinar will explore the development and implementation of a police-based, victim-centred response model designed to strengthen coordination and establish a consistent, province-wide approach to supporting those impacted by mass victimization incidents.

Participants will gain insight into how coordinated processes can improve communication, streamline response efforts, and ensure that individuals and families receive accurate, timely, and accessible information throughout the response and recovery phases. The session will also highlight how a victim-centred approach prioritizes dignity, compassion, and respect, while recognizing the diverse needs of those affected.

Presenters:

Nicole Borkowski (she/her)
Project Manager, Crime Prevention & Community Support Bureau
Ontario Provincial Police

Nicole Borkowski has been a civilian member of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) since 1998. She began her career as a 911 Communicator and has since held a variety of positions supporting operational and organizational initiatives, including roles in policy development and project management. Nicole currently co-leads the development and implementation of the OPP’s victim-centred mass victimization incident response model, helping to strengthen organizational readiness and support for those affected. She is dedicated to advancing trauma-informed, victim-centred practices that improve outcomes for victims, families, and communities while fostering collaboration and consistency across the OPP and partner agencies.

Shauna Marshall (she/her)
Staff Sergeant, Program Manager
Victim-Centred Approach Team, Crime Prevention & Community Support Bureau
Ontario Provincial Police

Shauna has been a member of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) since 1998, beginning her career in general law enforcement in Arnprior, Ontario. In 2006, she became a certified Forensic Identification Officer, serving central Eastern Ontario. Through her work in trauma-impacted environments, Shauna developed a strong focus on improving how victims and families are supported during and after serious incidents. In 2019, she supported the development of the OPP’s Framework for a Victim-Centred Approach and Victim Specialist Program. She is now Program Manager for the Victim-Centred Approach Team, overseeing victim-centred protocols, including the Mass Victimization Incident Rapid Deployment Unit, and contributes to national and international victim-focused initiatives.

Technology for Victims: Enhancing Safety through a Collaborative Approach to the Justice System

Thursday, October 22, 2026, 11 am to 1 pm ET

This webinar will introduce Robine™, a mobile app powered by EyeNation™ and linked to a monitoring centre available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The presentation will focus on the role that protective technology can play within the continuum of services for victims, particularly when the individual needs to travel, return to work or study, or document incidents of concern. The webinar will highlight potential links with victim support organizations, police forces, healthcare professionals, prosecutors, lawyers and other partners in the criminal justice system.

Beyond immediate protection, the presentation will also address the value of objective and authenticated digital documentation. When reliable evidence is available, it can facilitate understanding of the facts, support the work of stakeholders and help reduce the number of situations where a case relies primarily on conflicting accounts of events. This approach can promote more efficient handling of some cases, improve access to justice for victims and enable the various stakeholders in the system to devote more time to supporting victims and analyzing situations.

Using real-life examples, participants will gain a better understanding of how Robine™ can help prevent revictimization, document certain events, share relevant information and establish a safety net for victims.

Presenters:

Gino Desautels (he/him)
Co-founder
EyeNation™

Gino Desautels is co-founder of EyeNation™, a Canadian company specializing in the development of technologies designed to enhance the safety of victims of crime. For several years, he has been working with community organizations, healthcare professionals, police partners and stakeholders in the justice system to develop tools that promote protection, the documentation of incidents and the prevention of revictimization. He is the creator of Robine™, a mobile app linked to a 24-hour monitoring centre.

Pierre-Hughes Boisvenu (he/him)
Founder and President
Association for Families of Persons Assassinated or Disappeared

Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu is the founder and president of the Association for Families of Persons Assassinated or Disappeared (AFPAD). He founded this association with three other fathers after the murder of his daughter Julie in June 2002. In December 2005, Mr. Boisvenu lost his second daughter Isabelle in a car accident while she was travelling in Abitibi with her spouse. Mr. Boisvenu is a strong advocate for the rights of victims of crime. He is also the co-founder of Le Nid, a shelter that helps abused women in Val d’Or, and of a school camp for underprivileged youth in Estrie. Between 2004 and 2010, Mr. Boisvenu was the architect of several legislative changes in Quebec to better help families whose loved ones had been murdered or had gone missing. In 2010, Prime Minister Harper called on Mr. Boisvenu to advocate for victims’ rights at the federal level by serving in the Senate of Canada.

Working with Children in the Criminal Justice System – From Research to Practice

Thursday, October 22, 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm ET

In this webinar, Dr. Heather Price and colleagues will discuss their newly developed handbook, “Working with Children in the Criminal Justice System – From Research to Practice.” The Handbook provides research-based recommendations for investigation and prosecution of crimes involving child victims and witnesses and focuses on understanding children’s needs and capabilities. The webinar will include discussion of memory, disclosures, interviewing, preparation of witnesses, and the courtroom experience.

Presenter:

Dr. Heather Price (she/her)
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Children and the Law
Thompson Rivers University

Dr. Heather Price is a Professor of Psychology and Canada Research Chair in Children and the Law at Thompson Rivers University. Dr. Price’s research focuses on children’s memory and evidence, investigative interviewing, eyewitness identification, and memory for past events. Dr. Price regularly works with police, social workers, lawyers, and Child Advocacy Centres on evidence-based practices involving child witnesses.