Happy 2012!

For the last nine months, rjbc.ca has been in the caring hands of another volunteer while the main volunteer administrator was on maternity leave.

Thank you very much to our volunteer for maintaining the website during this time!

Our regular administrator is now back at the reigns, so please continue to send us details of your news, events, resources, and other information you wish to circulate to restorative justice practitioners and advocates in BC! We will be aiming to update the website at least once a week (whenever our eight-month-old volunteer grants us permission of course ).

On November 24, the City of Surrey in partnership with the RCMP Restorative Justice Program will hold a lunch event in support of Restorative Justice Week. Restorative Justice Week (RJ Week), initiated by the Correctional Service Canada (CSC), has been celebrated annually across Canada since 1996. This year’s theme is “Re-Visioning Justice”.

RJ Week is recognized every third week of November to acknowledge the impacts and achievements of the restorative justice approach and its application in the traditional criminal justice system. It is also a time to celebrate all practitioners involved through community organizations and the Canadian criminal justice system, as well as the many Canadians who are becoming increasingly invested in restorative justice.

Please join us in the City of Surrey’s, City Hall Foyer at 12pm, on November 24, to listen to some informative speakers, learn a bit about restorative justice and enjoy a light lunch.

JACKI TOKARYK

JTokaryk@surrey.ca

As some of you may know, every year the Restorative Justice Division of the Correctional Service Canada compiles a list of events taking place across Canada for Restorative Justice Week.  We often receive enquiries from individuals looking for events in their local communities and this initiative helps us share information more efficiently.  Furthermore, this information helps us showcase the importance and significance of Restorative Justice Week across the country in our yearly National Report.  If you are planning something for Restorative Justice Week, we would much appreciate you taking the time, as soon as possible, to complete an online event form at http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rj/evntfrm-eng.shtml. If you prefer, you can also complete and submit the attached form.

RJ Week Event Form, Final, 2011-07-05, EN

Celebrate Restorative Justice Week with Us!

Restorative justice week takes place from November 13-20 in 2011. In honour of this Year’s theme: Re-visioning Justice, Touchstone Family Association is happy to invite the community to a viewing of the video “Planting the Seeds.” This video was produced by the RCMP and features a real community justice forum that took place in British Columbia.

Date: Thursday, November 17, 2011

Time: 6pm – 8pm

Location: 6411 Buswell Street, Richmond, B.C.

Registration (Phone or Email): 604-279-5599 or info@touchfam.ca

Space is limited, so please RSVP by November 11, 2011  

(You must be registered to attend this event)

TFA+Restorative+Justice+Week+2011

As part of the national restorative justice week, the Restorative Justice Coalition will be holding the 14th annual Restorative Justice Symposium at William Head Institution on Saturday November 19 from 9 am-4 pm. Keynote speakers include Rev. Al Tysick of the Victoria Dandelion Society (and previously Our Place); James, a WHI resident and budding editor and publisher of Equality; other WHI residents; and outside volunteers of the Restorative Justice Coalition.

-Shanna Warmald

*For more information, open document link

William Head RJ Coalition

Alana M. Abramson

Executive Director

North Shore Restorative Justice Society

Tel: (604) 990-7462

Victoria Restorative Justice Society is offering a limited number of FREE presentations of “What is Restorative Justice?” to community agencies in and around the Victoria area.

Restorative justice is a response to crime and other forms of harmful behaviour that focuses on restoring the losses suffered by victims, holding offenders accountable for the harm they have caused, and building peace in our communities.  It empowers the stakeholders of crime (victims, offenders and communities) by giving them a voice and having them actively participate in the solution to a criminal offense.

This interactive workshop will inform participants about restorative justice and how it’s being used in Victoria.  It will include information sharing, a short demonstration of a restorative justice process, and time to answer questions from participants.  Each workshop is an hour and a half, and can accommodate 20-25 participants.

Please contact Shanna Warmald, VRJS Program Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator, at office@vrjs.org or (250) 383-5801 for more information or to register your agency.  Registration is first come, first served, and the presentations can be done at your organization any day between November 7 and December 9.  ”What is Restorative Justice?” will continue to be available for a fee of $225 for anyone who misses out.  A big thanks to Vancity for their support in this initiative – without their generous funding, we would not be able to offer the first five workshops for free.

We are excited to share our vision and experience of an effective alternative approach to justice practices in our local communities with you!  Please forward this invitation on to any of your contacts who may be interested in learning more about restorative justice.

-Shanna Warmald
VRJS Program Assistant, Volunteer Coordinator

This newsletter from Victoria Restorative Justice Society is teeming with information about their program and beyond. RESTORATIVE TIMES Jul-Sep 2011

Ferndale Institution is holding its 15th Annual Restorative Justice Week Conference on Thursday November 17th. Timelines are tight (for registration and CPIC clearance if needed), so if you are interested, please contact Father Mako or Tom Rathjen as soon as possible. The event brochure is available here: RJ Day Brochure 2011

For More Information, contact:

Ferndale Institution Attn: Chaplaincy – RJ
P.O. Box 50, Mission BC    V2V 4L8

Your registration should include your fee.  If you are not security cleared for Ferndale, you need a CPIC.  Please call:

Rev. Tom Rathjen, Chaplaincy

Fr. Mako Watanabe, Chaplaincy

Phone: 604-820-5781

Fax:      604-820-5730