Public Safety Canada’s Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative - Projects funded since 2017

The over-representation of Indigenous people in Canada’s criminal justice system is an on-going concern that the federal government is committed to addressing. Public Safety was allocated $10M over five years in Budget 2017 to implement the Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative (ICCI).  The objectives of the Initiative are to support the development of alternatives to custody and reintegration projects for Indigenous offenders.

A national call for proposals ran from October 16 to November 20, 2017. The Department received 126 proposals. The following 15 organizations were awarded funding to implement culturally relevant community-based projects that focus on the healing and rehabilitation of Indigenous offenders:

Hinton Friendship Centre Society – Hinton, AB

Funding allocated: $612,998

Restoring Balance uses a wrap-around case management approach to develop strength-based, culturally appropriate individualized service plans that meet the reintegration needs of offenders and enhance community safety.

Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI Inc. – Charlottetown, PEI

Funding allocated: $299,036

The Indigenous Reintegration and Healing Program is an offender reintegration project that works with Indigenous offenders to determine reintegration needs and develop a healing plan. This project includes the offenders’ support persons, victims, community members, criminal justice stakeholders and counsellors.

Native Counselling Services of Alberta – Edmonton, AB

Funding allocated: $1,038,199

The Indigenous Reconciliation Program is an offender reintegration program that offers culturally appropriate services and supports to Indigenous offenders, their families, victims, and service providers in the offenders’ home community.

Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of British Columbia, North Vancouver, BC

Funding allocated: $849,850

The Indigenous Incarcerated Parents to Reintegration Initiative is an offender reintegration/research project that uses an Indigenous lens to examine the incarcerated person as a ‘parent first’ and looks at how incarceration created a disconnect between the offenders role as parent, family, and community member. 

Nicola Valley Community Justice Services Society – Merritt, BC

Funding allocated: $246,288

The Indigenous Court Navigator program is an alternative to custody project that works with offenders who have accepted responsibility for their crime(s). Working in collaboration with the justice system and local Elders, probation conditions and healing plans are developed that provide restorative and culturally appropriate terms to an offender’s sentence.

Odawa Native Friendship Centre – Ottawa, ON

Funding allocated: $489,980

The Community Reintegration Peer Support Program is an offender reintegration project that provides peer support workers and a traditional helper to Indigenous offenders before and after release from custody. The peer support workers work with the offenders to ensure access to community-based and culturally appropriate programs and services to support successful reintegration.

Osoyoos Indian Band – Oliver, BC

Funding allocated: $558,354

Supporting Successful Integration – A Cultural Approach is an offender reintegration project that provides direct support to offenders in the Okanagan Correctional Centre prior to release, followed by community-based rehabilitative supports that include traditional knowledge acquisition, addressing trauma, employment and other relevant services.

Prince George Urban Aboriginal Justice Society – Prince George, BC

Funding allocated: $796,321

The Aboriginal Wellness Reintegration Program is an offender reintegration project that bridges offenders from the Prince George Regional Correctional Facility to the local community. Within the correctional facility, support and guidance is provided to offenders and upon release, the offender works with project staff that support the offender with successful reintegration.

Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services Inc. – Regina, SK

Funding allocated: $513,544

Coming Home to Stay: A Reintegration Support Program for Federal and Provincial Offenders is an offender reintegration project that provides intensive services to Indigenous offenders in the areas of i) mental health; ii) access to cultural resources; iii) family reunification; iv) training, skills development, and educational opportunities; and v) access to housing.

Sik-Ooh-Kotoki Friendship Centre – Lethbridge, AB
Funding allocated: $610,922

The Indigenous Reintegration Project is an offender reintegration project that works with offenders to develop meaningful reintegration plans. The project focusses on housing, employment and education while providing cultural and social supports to offenders, and especially those living with complex needs, such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre – Nanaimo, BC

Funding allocated: $407,767

The Returning Home in a Good Way project is an offender reintegration project that builds on an existing relationship with the Nanaimo Correctional Centre. The project works in collaboration with the offender and correctional centre to develop a viable and culturally sensitive release plan that addresses issues such as trauma, addictions and more, under the guidance of an Elder who provides access to traditional ceremonies.

Tl’etinqox Government – Alexis Creek, BC

Funding allocated: $241,879

The Community Justice Program - Reintegration Support program is an offender reintegration project that provides individualized case management to Indigenous offenders from the point of incarceration to successful reintegration into the community. Supportive services include healing/reintegration circles/ceremonies, traditional and Western counselling, release planning and parole hearing support, referrals to local resources and liaison with the offender’s family and victims when appropriate. As well, this project works with federal correctional facilities for Section 84 releases.

Trent University – Peterborough, ON

Funding allocated: $311,775

The Elder-Led Healing Programs in CSC Community Correctional Centres is an offender reintegration project that combines program delivery and research. This project places Elders in two parole offices where they provide counselling and healing services to Indigenous parolees who are at risk of parole revocation and/or re-offence. The research component of this project will assess a number of aspects of the Elder-led healing program and will produce a research report that will provide evidence-based information to support policy and program development.

Waseskun Healing Centre - Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, QC

Funding allocated: $473,826

Rebuilding the Circle – A Continuum of Caring is an offender reintegration project that operates out of a CSC-supported community-based Indigenous healing lodge for federal offenders. The project brings the families of offenders to the lodge to participate in an Indigenous family therapy program and provides training to community workers from an offender’s home community on reintegration issues.

Wiikwemikoong Unceded Territory – Wikwemikong, ON

Funding allocated: $280,211

The Reintegration Support Program is an offender reintegration project that provides culturally relevant reintegration support to local band members after their return from a correctional facility. Upon release to the community, offenders participate in a circle of support attended by local Elders, where a wellness plan is developed. Project staff works with the offender, the offender’s family and the community to support the successful reintegration of the offender.