The proclamation has been signed, and Osoyoos is now ready to recognize Restorative Justice Week, which takes place from Nov. 20-27.
Friday morning inside Council Chambers, Town of Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff officially signed the Proclamation, declaring next week Restorative Justice Week.
The week is recognized in Canada, and throughout the World to give residents an understanding of the role of community accountability programs that offer an alternative to the traditional justice system for individuals involved with minor incidents in the community.
Both Oliver and Osoyoos have events planned to recognize Restorative Justice Week.
“We always try to encourage our Members to consider Restorative Justice for persons that have committed a crime, and get our Members to look at cases we can forward to Restorative Justice,” said Cpl. Jason Bayda of the Osoyoos Detachment of the RCMP, who got involved in Restorative Justice when he began his career 16 years ago. “I’ve found a lot of positives that Restorative Justice can bring to a person, especially to those who are not normally involved in crime. If you can catch them early, you can turn their life around and get them out of the justice system before they get entrenched in it. It’s important for the Community to know it’s available, and it really does work.
“It’s a tried and proven method.”
The South Okanagan Similkameen Restorative Justice Program will be hosting Community Presentations in Osoyoos, Monday, Nov. 21 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Sonora Community Centre, and in Oliver Wednesday, Nov. 23 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Oliver Branch of the Okanagan Regional Library.
“It’s a great chance for people to learn a little bit more about the Restorative process, and to ask questions, whether it’s from harms they’ve suffered in the community previously, or whether it’s on a personal interest basis that they would like to get involved in the program and give back to the community,” said Mark Provencal, Community Policing Coordinator with Restorative Justice and Community Partnerships. “As Jason said it’s really a great chance for people to help out when people are in those trajectories in the criminal justice system. If we can help out youth that are committing their first offence and help divert them from the criminal justice system, it really can change their life or career paths.”
Local Restorative Justice facilitator Bryan Holgate stressed that Restorative Justice keeps people out of the penalty stage.
“There’s no penalty,” said Holgate. “We try to bring things back and rebuild the harm that was done, so it’s as much for the victim as it is for the offender.”
The Community Presentations will consist of an introduction to the South Okanagan Similkameen Restorative Justice program, a screening of “Planting the Seeds”, a film produced by the BC RCMP on the Community Justice Forum, or the model of Restorative Justice utilized by the RCMP, and a question and answer period with the program coordinator.
The program will be hosting addition Community Presentations in Keremeos (Tuesday), Princeton (Thursday), and Penticton (Friday), as well as a special event, ‘An Evening of Justice and Theatre,’ in collaboration with the People’s Law School in Penticton, on Tuesday Nov. 22.
For further information, please call: 250.490.2372.
-Dale Cory
