4. Medium to long-term mechanisms

A range of medium to long range engagement bodies were reviewed for this section. Some were committees or councils associated with criminal justice institutions, notably police forces across Canada at the municipal and national levels (no victim engagement bodies were uncovered at the provincial or territorial level for police services), and also Correctional Services Canada. To provide additional examples, particularly for seeking advice and engagement from the four designated communities, we also reviewed a number of examples from the non-profit sector.

Our review led to the identification of two main models, each of which is discussed in the following sections, along with some examples of each.

4.1 Advisory models

Overview

Some of the key characteristics of advisory groups include the following:

The vast majority of bodies in the policing and justice sector, that we were able to identify, use the advisory model. It should be noted that there have been additional advisory bodies in the past, for example, with respect to Victims and Survivors of Crime Awareness Week, but information on them may have been taken down as none was found in the online search.

Discussion

Advisory councils are a useful forum for providing voice to community members who may otherwise feel excluded or unheard in the criminal justice system. The opportunity to express one’s views directly to the institutions with power and responsibility can be both satisfying to the participant and helpful to the institution. However, the nature of the advisory structures is that communication is largely uni-directional. Certainly, the police (as it is generally a police service in the examples we uncovered) can provide information and briefings and may possibly comment on the advice received, but this is not the same as being on the inside of the institution in the internal discussions and decisions.

The capacity to have impact is partly related to knowledge of the system the advisors are seeking to influence, and the operational parameters, intentions and institutional momentum shaping it. Sometimes the community members have extensive knowledge of these factors, either from their own experience or through briefings from officials. Often, though, it is difficult for community members to know how to frame their suggestions and recommendations in a way that is most likely to have the desired results.

The contextual factors outlined earlier in the Considerations section of this report are complex concepts to fully reflect and integrate. It is challenging enough for the advisory body to do so, but even more so to convey these to the police or government agency such that they understand these concepts in the same way the advisory committee intends and are able to implement the committee’s suggestions in a way that fully embodies these concepts.

In some cases, the institution at least partly recognizes the importance of these larger factors. For example, the Toronto Police Service specifies that members of their Community Advisory Panel advising them on race-based data collection need to bring an understanding of systemic racism and experience in research, analytics, advocacy, and frontline work (Toronto Police Service, n.d.).

Advisory bodies can also be a pathway to developing relationships with the communities in question, although that is not necessarily a given.

Membership of the advisory body is an important consideration, and several factors are relevant, including intersectionality, the uniqueness and diversity of each community, and ways of working together. Selection processes that involve community members in choosing the advisory body, such as the Peel and Hamilton police examples referenced above, can be helpful in this regard.

Intersectionality is important in ensuring a range of identities within each represented community are part of the advisory entity, including gender, age, disability and so on.

Each of the four identified communities of interest has a diversity within it as well. Within Indigenous communities, this includes, as a minimum, a distinction-based approach which recognizes the unique realities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The Halifax Regional Municipality recognizes some of the diversity within the Black community by ensuring the advisory committee includes representation from at least five of the historic African Nova Scotian communities, as well as youth and newcomers (Halifax Regional Municipality, 2022).

Community advisory committees focused on violence against women have been common in police services in the past, but this practice seems to have waned in favour of other approaches such as collaborating with community-based umbrella groups, such as the Domestic Violence/Sexual Violence Coordinating Committees in Ontario. The only example our search uncovered was Sisterwatch Committee of the Vancouver Police Department, which is intended to “provide a safe space for women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals of the Downtown Eastside, to voice their concerns and stay informed about ongoing police investigations”. The committee includes community members and police members and is co-chaired by the Chief Constable and an Elder from the community (Vancouver Police Department, 2024).

Indigenous advisory committees are present in a number of federal agencies and municipal police departments, including the RCMP, Correctional Services Canada (CSC), and several police services, particularly in western Canada, including Vancouver, Saskatoon and Regina. Not all of these include a focus on victims of crime. The mandate of the CSC National indigenous Advisory Committee is focused on re-integration of offenders. However, there is often a link between past victimization and committing offences, so the scope of the committee’s work may be somewhat broader than the mandate implies.

The police services which have an Indigenous advisory committee often integrate Indigenous cultural practices, most frequently the role of Elders (Vancouver Police Department, 2024; Saskatoon Police Service, n.d.; Regina Police Service, n.d.).

Youth advisory committees are very common in police services, including in Ottawa, Sudbury, Toronto, Peel Region, Calgary, Saint John, Kennebecasis (New Brunswick), and Cornerbook (Newfoundland and Labrador), as well as the RCMP nationally. There are also youth advisory groups in some non-profit organizations, including the BC Centre on Substance Abuse. The experience of the BC Centre and the Ottawa Police Service indicate that youth advisory bodies thrive when the members are offered a wider range of activities than is typically the case for other advisory groups. This may include organizing awareness and education events in the community, social and sports activities among group members, training and skill development, and having access to innovative tools for sharing their advice and experiences, such as videos or films (BC Centre on Substance Use, n.d.; Komel, 2018).

Examples

Some examples of advisory bodies are given below.

Correctional Services Canada – Regional Victim Advisory Committees are made up of victims of crime, Correctional Service of Canada, and Parole Board of Canada employees. They provide advice to corrections and parole authorities on service delivery, policy, communications and emerging issues, and provide advice and participate in outreach initiatives to inform victims of services available (Correctional Services Canada, n.d.).

Peel Regional Police Service – Chief’s Advisory Committees include the Black Advisory Committee, the Chinese Advisory Committee, the Muslim Advisory Committee, the Sikh Advisory Committee and the Youth Advisory Committee. They are intended to help the police and community work together to address issues, find solutions to community problems and to enhance relationships, and are a resource to employees on matters related to policy, communications, training, outreach and engagement strategies (Peel Regional Police, n.d. a).

Halifax Regional Municipality - People of African Descent Advisory Committee advises the Municipality on the impact of municipal policies, priorities, programs and services using a critical race lens, strategies for implementing the principles of the International Decade for People of African Descent, and mechanisms to engage and empower People of African Descent to fully participate in the political process at the municipal level. The Committee is empowered to host community consultations, including an annual Town Hall meeting. Members are appointed by the municipality and include: two members of the Municipal Council, and thirteen people of African Descent representing at least five of the historic African Nova Scotian communities in the Halifax region, as well as one from Halifax, one from Dartmouth, two youth and two recent immigrants. The Committee selects its own Chair and Vice-Chair, who may not be members of the Municipal Council (Halifax Regional Municipality, 2022).

RCMP - Commissioner’s National Indigenous Advisory Committee is intended to help the RCMP to collaborate with Indigenous Peoples and communities, provide the highest-quality policing for Indigenous communities, and gather advice and cultural perspectives on matters related to Indigenous policing. The Committee has representation from every province and territory and meets with the Commissioner and senior executives twice a year (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, n.d. a).

PEI Victim Services Advisory Committee: The purpose of the Victim Services Advisory Committee is to consult with the Minister of Justice and Public Safety in an effort to help and protect those that have been victimized by crime. This includes reviewing laws, policies and procedures, assisting law enforcement agencies, social agencies and other organizations with the development of guidelines in respect of victims, and assisting with the research, development and distribution of information pertaining to the needs, rights and concerns of victims. Membership is appointed by the Minister and includes representatives of various components of the legal system, as well as community organizations and members of the public but there is no specific requirement to include victims of crime on the committee (Executive Council Office, Government of PEI, 2023).

Toronto Police Service – Community Advisory Panel community perspectives on the Race Based Data Collection Strategy. Membership includes 13 diverse residents, particularly from Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities, as well as youth representatives. The members bring experience in community organizing, academia, and social services, and includes four consultants with highly specialized expertise in racial equity and policing. Panel members also bring an understanding of systemic racism and experience in research, analytics, advocacy, and frontline work (Toronto Police Service, n.d.).

RCMP National Youth Advisory Committee helps the RCMP better understand, support and connect with youth and help shape RCMP youth strategies and programs. The committee meets monthly on a moderated, private online forum. References to Regional Youth Advisory Committees were found for the RCMP in BC, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia but there was no further information online (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, n.d. b).

Variations on the Advisory Committee Model

Below are a series of examples that provide some variations on the more typical advisory bodies as outlined above. These variations touch on the following aspects.

  1. The body is advisory to government and yet is located under the auspices of an independent, non-governmental organization. This approach provides assurance of the independence of the advisory body, and by locating it in an organization rooted in the community of interest, contributes to its credibility. Depending on the organization, it may also enhance the reach of the advisory body.

    Example: Aboriginal Women’s Advisory Network (Australia)

    The Aboriginal Women's Advisory Network (AWAN), in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, is led by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. It is a state-wide network and the only Aboriginal Women’s Advisory Network in Australia.

    AWAN was established in 2022, following the Sexual Violence Action Plan of the Government of NSW 2022-2027 which supported “the establishment of an Aboriginal Women’s Advisory Network to provide knowledge and guidance around Aboriginal-led and place-based solutions to address domestic, family and sexual violence”.

    AWAN is distinct from some other advisory committee models in that, although it advises government and police institutions among other entities, it is not convened or hosted by a government agency. Rather it operates under the auspices of the Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women’s Legal Centre, a NSW state-wide community legal centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, children and youth (Aboriginal Women’s Advisory Network, n.d.).

  2. The entity is advisory to an independent non-profit organization. This approach indirectly provides advice to government and police agencies, through the route of advising an independent organization which in turn provides recommendations and guidance to government or police. This removes the advice one step from the government or police body but provides greater flexibility in how the entity is structured and how it functions, which may allow for enhanced engagement of community members.

    Example: BC Centre on Substance Use – Youth Health Advisory Council

    The Youth Health Advisory Council (YHAC) works in partnership with the BC Centre on Substance Use Youth Health qualitative research team. The YHAC is a group of approximately 10 young people with lived and living experience of substance use, mental health challenges, and homelessness and unstable housing. It includes a majority of Indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+ youth.

    The YHAC collaborates on all aspects of Youth Health research. The goal is to inform drug policy and practice through research guided by the perspectives of young people with lived or living experience of substance use at every stage. The work is informed by fundamental social and health justice principles (BC Centre on Substance Use, n.d.).

  3. The advisory body is composed entirely of victims/survivors. This is surprisingly rare and the only examples we uncovered were the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, Kingston Anti-Violence Advisory Council (Kingston Frontenac Anti-Violence Coordinating Committee, n.d.) and Lanark Survivor Engagement Group (Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Advisory Committee of Lanark County, n.d.).

    Example: Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime (CRCVC) - Victims Advisory Committee

    The Victims Advisory Committee is comprised of victims and survivors of crime up to a maximum of 15 individuals. It was established with the purpose of providing input on substantive issues the CRCVC is working on, including the development of programs and initiatives, as well as providing advice and recommendations on institutional, governmental, and cultural change as they affect Canadian victims and survivors of crime, including advising on CRCVC written submissions to all levels of Government (Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, n.d.).

  4. The entity is not intended to generate consensus recommendations but rather provide an exchange of views, knowledge and expertise that can inform government decision-making.

    Example: Secrétariat à la condition feminine - Comité de travail sur la violence faite aux femmes

    The Comité de travail sur la violence faite aux femmes was convened by the Government of Québec agency responsible for status of women issues, the Secrétariat à la condition feminine. The working group consisted of 34 members who represented a mix of 21 community-based or non-profit organizations, four research bodies and nine provincial government departments and agencies. Five working sessions are held over the course of the year, with a mix of participants according to the subjects being discussed at that session (Secrétariat à la condition féminine, Gouvernement du Québec, 2022).

  5. The group was time-limited rather than a long-term advisory body.

    Example: Correctional Services of Canada Multidisciplinary Victims Advisory Committee

    This was a time-limited advisory body at the national level, convened to discuss issues arising from a review of the transfer of a high-profile inmate from maximum to medium security, and make recommendations. The committee met weekly from November 2023 through February 2024, using an online platform to meet. The committee was composed of victims of crime, external experts, and federal representatives from Correctional Services of Canada, Public Safety Canada, Parole Board of Canada and the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime (Correctional Service Canada, 2024).

4.2 Collaboration/relationship models

Overview

This model focuses on a collaborative approach between community representatives and the police or government institution(s) in which the two groups work together in the committee or council. Shared leadership reinforces the collaboration. Working together over time builds trusting relationships between the community groups and the police or government at the individual level which leads to more honest and creative discussions, and the sharing of information which either side may have hesitated to provide in a more restricted setting. It also allows the collaborative development of police and government strategies, programs and policies, so that they take into consideration the opportunities and impacts in the identified communities and integrate the knowledge and expertise of those communities from the outset. This can lead to more effective decisions and reduces unintended consequences.

The key characteristics of this approach include the following:

Our search found four examples of this type of body, each of which is briefly described below. Terms of Reference are included in the Appendices.

Ottawa Police Service - Community Equity Council

Catalyst Research and Communications works with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Community Equity Council (CEC) and, as a result, some of the information in this section is from the direct experience of one of the partners of Catalyst as the CEC Facilitator. The remainder of the information is from the CEC Terms of Reference (“Relationship Framework”) and website.

Based on the consultants’ direct relationship with the CEC, the OPS informs us that they are not aware of any other similar model in the police system in Canada.

Mandate: “The Ottawa Police Service Community Equity Council, working within an intersectional framework, will collaborate with the Ottawa Police Service to work more effectively with Indigenous, racialized, and faith-based communities in Ottawa” (Community Equity Council, 2018).

The collaborative approach of the CEC is indicated by several aspects of its Terms of Reference. For example, the Terms of Reference itself is titled “Relationship Framework”. It sets out some core principles to guide the work of the CEC and these include: solution-focused, strength-based, transparent, respectful and honest. Conflict is anticipated and The Four Agreements (Ruiz, 1997) are the guiding tools for conversations including ones where conflict arises.

Membership is composed of approximately equal numbers of police and community representatives, as well as three Indigenous Elders (First Nation, Métis and Inuit), at least one of whom is present at each meeting of the CEC and provides an opening and closing as well as fully participating. The police members are made up of the senior leadership of the OPS so that advice from the community is being offered directly to the Senior Command.

The CEC works with a facilitator who supports the CEC in ensuring a respectful, collaborative and inclusive process at CEC meetings and committee meetings. This includes planning and facilitating CEC and committee meetings, working with CEC and Committee co-chairs between meetings, and advising the CEC leadership on the evolving work of the council.

There are two co-chairs (police and community) and two vice-chairs (police and community), an approach which reinforces the shared leadership model.

The work of the CEC:

  1. The CEC collectively identifies the workplan for the year. Priorities for the workplan come from what the OPS is wanting to work on and what the community has identified as areas that the OPS needs to improve upon.
  2. Various committees are created under the CEC to carry out work in specific areas.
  3. Committee members are made up of CEC members, community members and OPS members.
  4. There are two co-chairs for each committee, one from the OPS and one from the community, and at least one co-chair has to be sitting on the CEC. The other co-chair will be chosen from committee members. 
  5. Committees include: Leadership, Anti-Racism, Indigenous Relations, Communications, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Implementation, Trending Issues, Recruitment and Training, 2SLGBTQI+ (currently inactive) and Use of Force Review Panel (CEC website, n.d.).

Listening Circles: The Council holds Listening Circles from time to time. These “create a space for community members to give their thoughts about the current relationship between their community and the Ottawa Police Services and offer suggestions for improvement. Community members talk and the OPS members listen” (CEC website, n.d.). Listening Circles have been held with the Inuit community, leaders from the Black community and the African Canadian Association, and one is planned for the Palestinian community and one with Muslim Youth in 2025 (CEC website, n.d.).

Discussion

The CEC model is a significant departure from the traditional advisory body role and entails some challenges for all parties.

Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition - Indigenous Women’s Safety Table

The Indigenous Women’s Safety Table (IWST) works to “make the City of Ottawa a safer place for Indigenous women” (Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition, n.d.). It was initiated by the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition, which brings together eight Indigenous organizations providing direct services to the Indigenous communities in Ottawa.

Through their discussions, it became clear that “ensuring Indigenous women’s safety means making structural, systemic and institutional change in multiple systems, and addressing the embedded racialized violence directed at Indigenous women in Ottawa” (Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition, n.d.). In light of this, the Coalition decided to convene a collaborative table and invited representatives from key institutions and systems in the city who could play a key role in Indigenous women’s safety. The membership includes:

The Table has a series of working groups in different sectors (police, health care, group homes, housing and homelessness) whose task is to identify changes needed to make their respective system safer for Indigenous women, as well as developing an advocacy strategy to move forward on these system changes.

The table has been successful, through the Police Working Group, in establishing a workplan, led by community and supported by the police that looks at responding to victims of human trafficking, sexual violence, missing persons, family members who have lost children to overdoses and violence in ways that are more holistic. The IWST has provided three trainings to 120 police members of the OPS where they interacted and were taught by victims who had interacted with their institution.

Discussion

The Indigenous Women’s Safety Table is noteworthy in several respects:

Ottawa Guiding Council for Mental Health and Addictions

The Guiding Council arose out of community concern about the confluence of several factors.

2021 provided an opportunity for the City of Ottawa to examine our responses to community members experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. The starting point of our work was the convergence of a number of situations that magnified some of the weaknesses in our current Mental Health and Addictions systems and recognized the need to place a diversity, race and inclusion lens on all of our mental health and addictions systems. The key events included recent OPS interventions in incidents involving community members, particularly Indigenous and Black members with mental health issues, that resulted in injury or their deaths. (Ottawa Guiding Council on Mental Health and Addictions, 2022)

The membership of the Guiding Council is made up of representation from Ottawa based community, health and service networks working to respond to mental health crises, and public institutions that have mandated responsibilities to respond to mental health and substance use crises. Members were identified as the following:

(Ottawa Guiding Council on Mental Health and Addictions, 2022)

Mandate: “To establish a strategy to support an enhanced or new Mental Health and Addiction crisis response system that will improve the outcomes for those experiencing crises related to mental health and substance use in the City of Ottawa. This will be achieved through:

(Ottawa Guiding Council on Mental Health and Addictions, 2022)

The work of the Guiding Council was framed in the context of the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (CSWB) developed by the City of Ottawa.

The Guiding Council has multiple reporting responsibilities:

  1. To the broad community through the networks the Council members represent and through targeted communication processes to be developed in the Communications Strategy.
  2. To the City’s Community and Protective Services Committee and Council, through the CSWB governance structure.
  3. To the Ottawa Police Services Board.

(Ottawa Guiding Council on Mental Health and Addictions, 2022)

Discussion

The Guiding Council model offers several interesting characteristics:

Pathway to Canada Target 1

Canada Target 1 is one of the 2020 Biodiversity Goals and Targets for Canada. It states: By 2020, at least 17% of terrestrial areas and inland water, and 10% of marine and coastal areas of Canada are conserved through networks of protected areas and other effective area-based measures.

The Pathway initiative is intended to encourage efforts among governments and land management partners, including Indigenous communities and organizations, to contribute to achieving this target. Pathway is shaped by three main groups: the Indigenous Circle of Experts, the National Advisory Panel and the National Steering Committee (Pathway to Canada Target 1, n.d.).

Discussion

The parties around the table at Pathway have full decision-making power in their respective jurisdictions. There is no one group who has authority over anyone else. Thus the success of the endeavour is dependent on their ability to reach shared understandings that may influence the decisions and actions of each of the parties. There are two elements of this that are particularly salient.