Editors note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the time-frame over which new funding for sexual assault centres will be rolled out and how much extra funding was committed in 2023. The province has committed an additional $10 million over the next three years, this funding was announced April 29, on top of $4.2 million in funding announced last April.
The beginning of May marks the start of Sexual Violence Awareness Month, and amid growing use of supports for survivors in the last three years, the province of Alberta is upping their financial commitment to providers.
According to an April 29 press release from the province, rates of sexual violence and assault survivors seeking help through the toll-free chat service, Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence, increased by 41 per cent in 2021. The line’s use statistics rose 67 per cent in 2022, and another 65 per cent in 2023.
To combat the steep rise in sexual violence supports needed, the Alberta government has committed an extra $10 million in installments over the next three years, on top of the $4.2 million pledged last April for sexual assault service providers in Alberta.
“We are pleased to see the government of Alberta’s commitment to increase funding for sexual assault centres,” said Corrine Ofstie, co-CEO of the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS).
“This important investment will help our members respond to the increasingly complex needs of individuals, families, and communities impacted by sexual violence,” she added.
AASAS is a charitable organization overseeing the coordination, collaboration, and leadership of sexual assault services across 15 community outlets in Alberta, of which three are north of Edmonton.
Supports for northern Alberta are available in Bonnyville via Dragonfly Counselling and Support Centre, in Grande Prairie through the Pace Community Support, Sexual Assault, and Trauma Centre, and in Fort McMurray at Waypoints Community Services Association.
In a 2020 study conducted in conjunction with the province and private research firm R.A. Malatest, AASAS found approximately 1.8 million — almost one in every two, or 45 per cent — of Albertans have experienced sexual violence in their lives.
“Too many Albertans are faced with the traumatic impacts of sexual violence,” said Minister of Children and Family Services Searle Turton. “That’s why it is so important to strengthen sexual assault centres and their ability to support and empower survivors, no matter where they are on their healing journey.”
The province also entered into an agreement with the federal government to receive $54 million over the next four years to develop and deploy a strategy to end gender-based violence.
Of those federal funds, $2.55 million is slated for Children and Family Services in 2024 to go towards ongoing projects and service providers, as well as initiatives like awareness marketing campaigns and increasing education around gender-based violence.
“Alberta’s government is working create a made-in-Alberta, 10-year action plan that is survivor centric, engages men and boys, addresses the root causes of gender-based violence and addresses critical gaps in already established services,” said Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir.
