Letter urges collaboration from leader
Coalition Against Family Violence asks justice minister to work with it to give A New Day 'a real chance of success'
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
More than a dozen members of the Coalition Against Family Violence penned a letter this month urging the justice minister to reverse course on changes to a healing program for men who have been violent in relationships.
The May 10 letter to Justice Minister Louis Sebert and MLAs says coalition members were surprised by changes planned for A New Day which appear "incompatible" with the program's successes.
"As experts in the field of family violence in the North, the members of the coalition urge the department to work with the coalition to remedy the program design issues that we identified as problematic and together develop a design that has a real chance of success," the brief letter states.
Department of Justice spokesperson Marie-Ève Duperre confirmed the department received the letter and plans to respond.
The letter was signed by leaders of the NWT Disabilities Council, Tree of Peace, Salvation Army, Status of Women Council, Yellowknife Women's Society, the White Ribbon Campaign, the Northern Territories Federation of Labour, Alternatives North, Dene Wellness Warriors and community advocates including Lydia Bardak, Ruth Bowen and Arlene Hache.
The coalition includes representatives of the RCMP and government, which didn't sign the letter.
The YWCA of Yellowknife has not signed the letter.
A New Day began as a pilot program in 2012 offering counselling for men over 18 who have been violent in relationships. The program, which was developed in partnership with the coalition, has most recently been run through a contract with the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre. An independent evaluation found the program was beginning to see successes.
