2014 - 2015 Report to Area Chiefs

Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee

History of the Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee

The historical need to form a regional police diversity advisory committee was identified and supported by two documents: (1) Needs Assessment Report on the Diversity Unit of the Victoria Police Department (2000) and (2) Making Peace – the Maturing Partnership of Capital Region’s Minorities and their Police (1998). The latter of these reports was commissioned by the Capital Region Race Relations Association.

In 2001, the Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee (GVPDAC) was established. It was the first committee of its kind to bring together representatives from the region’s municipal police departments (Victoria, Saanich, Central Saanich, Esquimalt and Oak Bay) and RCMP detachments (Sidney/North Saanich and West Shore) with representatives from a broad base of community agencies.

From 2001 through 2010, the GVPDAC was chaired by a succession of Victoria Police representatives, beginning with Sgt. Derek Chow. From 2011 until his retirement in mid-2013, S/Sgt. Doug Newman of Saanich Police served as the GVPDAC Police Chair. From September of 2013 to the present, the GVPDAC Police Co-Chair has been S/Sgt. Scott Treble of Saanich Police. Moussa Magassa of the UVic Equity & Human Rights Office and the Francophone community is the Community Co-Chair.

GVPDAC Membership

Police representatives on the GVPDAC, effective September 2015, are the following;

Victoria Police Department - Sergeant Greg Holmes - Inspector Penny Durrant Saanich Police Department - Staff Sergeant Scott Treble (Co-Chair) Constable Kim Basi West Shore RCMP Detachment - Constable Cole Brewer Sidney/North Saanich RCMP Detachment - Constable George Phipps Central Saanich Police Service - Chief Constable Les Sylven Oak Bay Police Department - Acting Sergeant Rick Anthony

Victoria PD Reserves - Reserve Sergeant Danielle Little Saanich PD Reserves - Reserve Sergeant Nancy Lane

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Police representatives (Cont’d…)

Victoria PD and West Shore RCMP have provided several supplemental police representatives who have become actively involved with GVPDAC meetings and community events. These include the following members:

Victoria Police Department - Inspector Scott McGregor - Constable Rae Robertis

West Shore RCMP Detachment - Auxiliary Constable Lorne Fletcher - Auxiliary Constable Dallas Perry - Auxiliary Constable Randie Johal

It is anticipated that the Military Police Unit Esquimalt will be joining the GVPDAC during the fall of 2015.

Community representatives on the GVPDAC, effective September 2015, are the following;

Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA) - Steven Baileys Victoria Immigrant & Refugee Centre Society (VIRCS) - Haixia Liu India Canada Cultural Association (ICCA) - Gordy Dodd African Heritage Association of Vancouver Island (AHAVI) - Dr. Lisa Gunderson Victoria Pride Society - Terry Froud Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC) - Gina Robertson Ismaili Muslim Faith Community - Taheera Ferguson Equity & Human Rights Office, University of Victoria (UVic) - Moussa Magassa (Co-Chair) Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island - Mona Acker Victoria Baha’i Community - Nancy Hum

It is anticipated that representatives from the Victoria Hindu Parishad Temple in Central Saanich and the Masjid Al-Iman Mosque in Victoria will be joining the GVPDAC during the fall of 2015.

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Purpose

To bring together members of the diverse community and the municipal police departments and RCMP detachments, for the purpose of providing a continuing dialogue to discuss issues of mutual concern, to problem solve, and to establish close cooperation thereby establishing positive relationships. To broaden our collective knowledge of issues in our diverse communities and in policing services.

Mission Statement

The Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee mission is to serve as a voice between our diverse communities and the police and to work towards maintaining and building positive relations.

Mandate

 To help the Police better understand the ethnic culture, value systems, and religious sensitivities of all the minority groups they serve in our diverse society

 To act as a consultative and advisory body to Chiefs of Police of the Municipal Departments and Officers in Charge of the RCMP Detachments

Police-Community Engagement:

In order to most effectively achieve the dual mandate of the GVPDAC, 2014-2015 saw the beginning of a shift to more concentrated focus on delivering some structured and dialogue-focused Police-Community Engagement events. While the visibility and friendly presence of GVPDAC members at numerous diversity events remains very important and has continued, it was recognized that more meaningful dialogue and community input should be received and then reported back to the Area Chiefs. Initial feedback indications are that the members of our diverse communities strongly welcome further GPVDAC efforts in this area. Diversity:

The GVPDAC Charter provides the following definition of diversity:

“Diversity includes but is not limited to characteristics of age, gender, ethnic heritage, culture, sexual orientation, religion, and abilities. Diversity is also the sum total of potential to be found in any group of people.”

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Significant Accomplishments in 2014–2015

Expanded GVPDAC Membership:

During the past year, we welcomed new GVPDAC members from diverse communities. This included Mona Acker from the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island and Nancy Hum (who is also the President of VIRCS, the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society) from the Victoria Baha’i Community. Representative Jason Austin from the Greater Victoria Police Victim Services (GVPVS) is no longer with that agency, although it is hoped that another representative from the GVPVS will be able to replace him.

Youth Diversity Recognition Awards:

A combination of allocated 2014 and 2015 funding was used to provide $200.00 bursaries to eight youth groups involved in dedicated, ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within their Greater Victoria schools and communities.

GVPDAC members reached out to encourage applications from many youth groups throughout the region, including all three school districts in Greater Victoria. The following eight groups were the successful recipients:

 VIRCS Enable Youth Group (Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society)  Institute for Global Solutions (Claremont Secondary School)  ICA Youth (Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria)  Spectrum YCI (Spectrum Community School – Youth for Change and Inclusion)  Vic High YCI (Victoria High School – Youth for Change and Inclusion)  Lambrick Park GSA (Lambrick Park Secondary School – Gay Straight Alliance)  CVYC (City of Victoria Youth Council)  Esquimalt YCI (Esquimalt Secondary School – Youth for Change and Inclusion)

These awards were presented to youth group leaders by Municipal PD and RCMP representatives on March 19th, 2015, at the Safe Harbour and Community Partnership Network (CPN) Champions of Diversity celebration and lunch. Victoria Police Deputy Chief Steven Ing, who attended the event and presented the bursary to the City of Victoria Youth Council (CVYC), commented about the importance of having police recognize youth diversity champions: “All of us involved in policing value the important role young people have in our community. We are often inspired by their dedication and commitment to making our region a better place, and we are very happy to acknowledge their efforts this way.”

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Deputy Chief Ing (Vic PD) with CVYC bursary recipient representatives

Deputy Chief Sylven (Central Saanich PS) with VIRCS Enable Youth Group bursary recipient representatives

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Social Media and Communications:

Although the GVPDAC does not have a website or social media presence yet, the Twitter accounts from Greater Victoria police forces have continued to be an effective means of communicating GVPDAC activities in the community. One way this has been achieved is through the frequent sharing of “tweets” & photographs. Social media exposure was especially active at this summer’s Victoria Pride Parade and India Mela. In addition, many GVPDAC activities have received positive coverage in community group newsletters. Some examples are the Diversity Connections E-Newsletter from the Community Partnership Network (CPN) and the ICA Tapestry, from the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria.

World Partnership Walk:

A number of GVPDAC representatives participated in this large community event held at the University of Victoria, in support of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s international development projects.

Staff Sgt. Treble, Reserve Sgt. Lane & Reserve Cst. Clandening (SPD) at World Partnership Walk – May 2015

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Victoria Pride Parade:

For the second consecutive year, the GVPDAC coordinated the participation of every Greater Victoria police agency. GVPDAC member Terry Froud of the Victoria Pride Society once again helped to make this a highly successful event. Reserve and Auxiliary officers from various departments and detachments participated, along with regular members from all ranks, civilian members, volunteers, family members and friends. Strong representation was provided by many senior & executive officers from the Area Chiefs group. The Military Police Unit Esquimalt and a number of other Canadian Forces personnel also took part. Several community members from the GVPDAC participated by carrying the GVPDAC banner. The GVPDAC tent was set up in MacDonald Park for the afternoon-long Pride Festival, which included displays and interactions with recruiter representatives from Victoria Police and Saanich Police.

Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island RCMP members at the Victoria Pride Parade – July 2015

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Vic PD Chief Elsner with Mayor Helps, Council Members & Command Team representatives at Pride Parade – July 2015

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

India Mela:

Many of our GVPDAC agencies were well-represented at this major regional diversity event. In addition to the Opening Ceremony dignitary speakers, the GVPDAC tent was staffed with a cross-section of police and community representatives which included recruiting officers from Victoria Police and the Island District RCMP.

Deputy Chief Manak (Victoria PD), Deputy Chief Thom (Oak Bay PD), Chief Downie (Saanich PD) & Chief Superintendent Bernoties (Island District RCMP) were among the invited guests at India Mela – August 2015

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

GVPDAC agency representatives with some community members at the India Mela – August 2015

Steve Baileys ICA), R/Sgt. Nancy Lane (SPD), Nancy Hum (Baha’i Community) & Haixia Liu (VIRCS) at India Mela

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Monthly Meetings: Guest Speakers and Alternating Locations:

Fall 2014 guest speakers included Chief Constable Frank Elsner of Victoria Police, Program Director Jason Austin of Greater Victoria Police Victim Services (GVPVS) and Chief Constable Bob Downie of Saanich Police. Staff Sergeant Scott Treble also made a presentation to the GVPDAC on the topic of Hate Crimes.

Thus far in 2015, guest speakers have included ICA Executive Director Jean McRae, youth representatives from the VNFC, ICA, VIRCS and CVYC (City of Victoria Youth Council), Zen Tharani (Ismaili Muslim Faith Community, and Sgt. Paul Brookes (Vic PD) with Cst. Michael Gee (SPD) representing YCI (Youth for Change and Inclusion).

One of our continuing objectives was to hold GVPDAC meetings at alternating locations. During the past twelve months, meetings were hosted by members including VIRCS, Saanich Police, Victoria Police, ICA, Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC), Victoria Hindu Parishad Temple and Victoria Pride Society. Fall 2015 meetings will be hosted by GVPDAC members including the Ismaili Muslim Community, Sidney/North Saanich RCMP and the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island.

GVPDAC Meeting held at the Songhees Wellness Centre – June 2014

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Police-Community Engagement: ESL Students at the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria:

The following information was provided by GVPDAC member Taheera Ferguson of the Ismaili Muslim Faith Community:

In April of 2015, the GVPDAC piloted a Police-Community Engagement event which was funded in our present budget. The objective was to bring together regional police representatives and immigrant newcomers for the purposes of having a dialogue and sharing perspectives on how to improve communication, understanding and police-community relations.

This event was attended by approximately 20 regional police representatives and 50 immigrant newcomers. These individuals come from across the world and take advanced ESL studies through the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA). The event provided newcomers with a unique opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas with police in a safe, neutral environment provided by the ICA.

Following a short presentation on the GVPDAC and an explanation of the policing structure in the region, the participants were separated into six small groups using the Global Café format. This is an organizational workshop model which aims to provide an opportunity for open, honest and creative dialogue to occur on a topic of interest. The goal is to have the participants share their collective knowledge, ideas and insights while building relationships, improving understanding of the subject and the issues involved. Each group had a facilitator and a scribe.

Three main questions were explored and then shared with the larger group during this Global Café forum:

 How are police seen or viewed in your home country?  What is your view of the police here in Greater Victoria?  What can we do to improve police and community relationships?

The event generated lively and engaging conversations. Following the Global Café portion of the event, a meal was provided which led to further interaction and conversations among the police and community member participants. Many positive comments were received about the event.

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Cst. Robertis of Victoria PD at the first Police-Community Engagement Forum – April 2015

As a result of the post-event survey feedback that was requested and received from the participants, the GVPDAC provided the following six recommendations to the Area Chiefs:

1. Organize and host regular tours/open houses for diverse newcomer communities 2. Offer more police and crime prevention information sessions for newcomers 3. Improve communication and outreach collaboration between GVPDAC and area police services 4. Encourage greater levels of direct police contact with community members 5. Outreach to recruit more diverse volunteers for police 6. Organize more Police-Community Engagement events

Within weeks of this inaugural Police-Community Engagement event being held, three positive outcomes had already taken place. Cst. Robertis of Victoria PD conducted police station tours with newcomer immigrant ESL groups from the ICA. Cpl. Fraser and Cst. Phipps of Sidney/North Saanich RCMP successfully incorporated the Global Café format into the delivery of their own community engagement initiatives. Recruiting representatives from several GVPDAC police agencies were present at the Victoria Pride Festival and India Mela. In addition, Reserve Constable recruiting information was shared with several diverse community groups, resulting in a number of new applications for the fall and winter training program.

The full evaluation report for this event, co-authored by Taheera Ferguson and Steven Baileys of the GVPDAC, was distributed to the Area Chiefs in June of 2015.

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Immigrant newcomer ESL students from many countries took part in this event hosted by the ICA – April 2015

GPVDAC Collaboration with UVic Master’s Student:

The GVPDAC is exploring an opportunity to collaborate with a University of Victoria student who is completing his Master’s in Dispute Resolution. The primary research question that he has proposed is,

“How can the GVPDAC address gaps in engaging Greater Victoria’s diverse communities”?

Should this partnership proceed, the GVPDAC will have an opportunity to provide future, research-based recommendations to the Area Chiefs regarding the following diversity-related themes:

 Which communities are under-represented by the GVPDAC?  Which communities should the GVPDAC be most interested in engaging with?  How would these communities like to be engaged?  Which engagement initiatives from other jurisdictions could be adopted to explore in Greater Victoria?

GVPDAC Members’ Evaluation Survey:

In July of 2015, GVPDAC member Steven Baileys of the ICA produced and distributed a membership evaluation survey. There were 15 (fifteen) responses and meaningful feedback was received on a wide range of topics. Survey results will be reviewed by the GVPDAC beginning in September 2015, to identify “next steps” to further improve the Committee’s work. This information will be shared with Area Chiefs during the fall of 2015. 15

Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

2015 Budget Breakdown:

Youth Engagement – Police & Diverse Forum 2500 Community Education – Open House Events 2400 Community Sponsorship 500 Event Registrations 1000 Scholarship Fund 1000 Meetings 500 Strategic Planning 150 Office Supplies 100 Conferences/Travel 0 Training And Development 0 Overtime 0 Total 8,150

2015 Budget Allocation:

Budget % Share

Central Saanich 4.34% 354

Oak Bay 4.92% 401

Saanich 28.27% 2,304

Victoria 36.61% 2,984

West Shore 15.60% 1,271

North Saanich 3.30% 269

Sidney 3.46% 282

Sooke 3.50% 285

Total 100.00% 8,150

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

2016 Budget Proposal:

For the review and consideration of the Joint Management Team, a January-to-December 2016 budget proposal for $9,700 was submitted in August of 2015.

The proposed budget of $9,700 would result in an increase of $1550, or 19%, over the 2015 budget of $8,150.

Although this is a significant increase, the majority of this amount ($1200 of the $1550) is allocated to fulfill the important need for website design, development and related host server costs, maintenance and operating expenses. This will help to address a significant communication deficiency for the GVPDAC, which does not have any type of website at the present time. The construction of a website is considered to be the first step to building a new communications plan and will provide a vital link for the future use of various social media platforms.

Proposed 2016 Budget & Allocation (January to December 2016)

% $

Central Saanich 4.34% 421

Oak Bay 4.92% 477

Saanich 28.27% 2,742

Victoria 36.61% 3,551

West Shore 15.60% 1,513

North Saanich 3.30% 320

Sidney 3.46% 336

Sooke 3.50% 340

Total 100.00% $9,700

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Looking Forward…

Summer 2015 Police-Community Engagement Forum:

In late August of 2015, the GVPDAC is presenting the year’s second Police-Community Engagement forum, in partnership with the Masjid Al-Iman Mosque in Victoria. This event will bring together police and members of the Masjid Al-Iman to join in conversation and share perspectives about how to improve understanding and relationships with members of their Muslim community in Greater Victoria.

Masjid Al-Iman Mosque – host and partner for the second Police-Community Engagement Forum - August 2015

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

Fall 2015 Police-Community Engagement Forum:

Building on the experiences of the April engagement forum with immigrant newcomers and the August forum with the Muslim community, a third Global Café-style forum will be delivered by the GVPDAC in the late fall of 2015. Some of the groups under consideration for this Police-Community Engagement forum are the Indo-Canadian, Aboriginal and Afro-Caribbean communities of Greater Victoria.

Fall 2015 Police-Youth Engagement Forum:

GVPDAC agencies began building both new and renewed relationships with a large number of Greater Victoria youth groups during 2015. This was achieved through youth guest speaker invitations to a GVPDAC meeting and through the new youth leadership bursaries program. Eight of these groups were recognized earlier in this report and there are a number of others including the Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC).

To further build and strengthen these relationships and increase dialogue, the GVPDAC will sponsor and help deliver an inaugural, half-day Police and Diverse Youth Engagement forum during the late fall of 2015. This is another budget-funded initiative and will help to increase youth awareness and understanding about regional police diversity efforts. More importantly, this forum will provide an opportunity for police members to hear input from local youth about their ideas, concerns and suggestions, then deliver this feedback to the Area Chiefs level.

Conclusion:

The 2016 budget proposal from GVPDAC to the Area Chiefs includes funding requests to help support the growth and development of both new and ongoing diversity initiatives. The GVPDAC wishes to thank the Area Chiefs for their continued financial support and for their personal participation at so many regional diversity events during 2014-2015.

Staff Sergeant Scott Treble, GVPDAC Co-Chair August 12th, 2015

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015

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Greater Victoria Police Diversity Advisory Committee Annual Report 2014-2015