The Peace Project Service
Provider Forum
Led by: Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society
Funded by: Status of Women Canada
What is The Peace Project?
The Peace Project is a three-year,
community driven initiative to
reduce violence against women
and girls in Fort St. John. The project
is led by the Fort St. John Women’s
Resource Society and funded by
Status of Women Canada.
The Peace Project: SWC Call for Proposals
Women Living in Rural and
Remote Communities and
Small Urban Centres –
Theme 1: Community
Planning to Reduce
Violence against Women
and Girls in Rural
Communities and Small
Urban Centres in Canada
The
Peace
Project
The Peace Project: Phases
oPHASE ONE: Research
oPHASE TWO: Community Planning
oPHASE THREE: Implementation
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
During the first phase of the Peace
Project, three methods of data
collection were used to understand
the influences, barriers, and gaps in
the community that perpetuate
violence against women and girls.
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
DATA COLLECTION METHOD #1:
Advisory Stakeholder Interviews
Twenty local service providers,
who work with women and girls
who experience violence, were
given in-depth interviews.
They identified the following…
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
o Which local women and girls are most at
risk for experiencing violence;
o The most effective ways local service
providers assist clients;
o The barriers and challenges they face as
service providers; and,
o The local cultural factors that can
contribute to violence against women.
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
ADVISORY STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWEES WERE FROM:
Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society
Fort St. John Community Corrections
North Peace Community Resource Society
North Peace Aboriginal Success by 6
Northern Health
Rising Spirit Aboriginal Youth Centre
School District 60
FSJ Mental Health & Addictions
Fort St. John R.C.M.P.
Local Private Counsellor
Fort St. John Crown Counsel
Child and Youth Mental Health
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
DATA COLLECTION METHOD #2:
Focus Groups
Seven focus groups, with a total of
twenty-five participants, were held in
November 2012. Participants examined
the local cultural factors that
contribute to gender-based violence.
Notable themes were…
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
o Isolation;
o Materialism;
o “Camp culture”;
o Lack of services; and,
o Traditional gender roles.
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
DATA COLLECTION METHOD #3:
Surveys
322 respondents, aged 19 and older,
living in FSJ and surrounding area,
completed the Peace Project
Community Survey. 95 respondents,
aged 13 to 18, living in FSJ and
surrounding area, completed the
Peace Project Youth Survey.
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
WE ADVERTISED BOTH SURVEYS THROUGH:
Email
Newspaper articles
Posters
Television interviews
Flyers
“Community Booths”
Project Website
Drop-boxes
Twitter
Info booth at North Peace
Secondary School
Facebook
On-on-one conversations
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
Respondents (Peace Project Community Survey)
Were from many different employment
industries: Oil and gas, education, social
services, government, retail, health, finance,
restaurant, media, and environmental.
Also, the majority were: English speaking,
Canadian, heterosexual, Caucasian, female,
employed full time, aged 25 to 34, married,
and earning an annual household income of
$85,000 to $149,999.
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
Questions in the Peace Project Community
Survey covered the following topics:
Mental Health & Wellness
Income
Financial Stress
Employment
Housing
Migration
Transportation
Local Services
Isolation
Gender Roles
Drug/Alcohol Use
Personal Experiences of
Violence/Abuse
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
Questions in the Peace Project Youth Survey
covered the following topics:
Friends
Local Services
School
Relationships
Mental Health
Parents
Drug/Alcohol Use
Personal Experiences of
Violence
The Peace Project: Definition of Violence
Violence/abuse is any act that
results in (or is likely to result in)
physical, sexual and/or
psychological harm or suffering.
This includes the following forms of
abuse: physical, sexual, verbal,
mental/emotional, social,
financial, spiritual, and cultural.
The Peace Project: Most at Risk
Of survey respondents from the Peace Project Community Survey, the
following reported experiencing violence/abuse in their past:
ALL RESPONDENTS
74%
Annual household income of $35,000 88%
to $49,999
Annual household income of $35,000 71%
to $49,999
Always feel isolated
94%
Difficulty finding affordable housing
86%
Never feel isolated
73%
Do not have housing issues
70%
Aboriginal
93%
Lack of confidence
86%
Caucasian
72%
Always confident
74%
Grew up witnessing violence
88%
Female
78%
Did not grow up witnessing
violence
65%
Male
52%
The Peace Project: Most at Risk
Of survey respondents from the
Peace Project Youth Survey, the
following were most at risk for
experiencing violence/abuse:
Female
Isolated
Currently in a relationship
Experimenting with alcohol
The Peace Project: Most at Risk
REVIEW: Individuals over 19 years of
age who are most at risk for
experiencing violence
Isolated
REVIEW: Individuals under 19 years of
age who are most at risk for
experiencing violence
Aboriginal
Female
Grew up witnessing violence
Isolated
Experiencing financial difficulty
Currently in a relationship
Lower self-esteem
Experimenting with alcohol
Female
The Peace Project: What do we know about the
rates of violence against women in Fort St. John?
1. In 2011/2012, the Fort St. John Provincial Adult Criminal Court saw the highest number of
concluded domestic violence cases in the northern court district (which includes Prince
George).
2. In 2011/2012, there were an average number of domestic violence related calls to FSJ R.C.M.P.
3. In 2011, Fort St. John was ranked 11th in violent crime severity according to Statistics Canada’s
Crime Severity Index.
4. Skye’s Place (Fort St. John’s second stage housing) is always full and always has a waiting list.
5. Meaope House (Fort St. John’s women’s emergency housing) is always full.
6. In 2012, 137 women were referred to the Stopping the Violence Counselling Program at NPCRS.
7. In 2012, the Community Based Victim Services at NPCRS saw 57 different clients – 54 of them
were women experiencing domestic violence.
8. 78% of the 259 female respondents from the Peace Project Community Survey reported having
experienced some for of violence in their past. 5% reported currently experiencing violence.
The Peace Project: High rates of
concluded domestic violence cases
o 498 concluded domestic violence cases in
2011/2012 in the Fort St. John Provincial Adult
Criminal Court*
o Highest concluded domestic violence
caseload for British Columbia’s Northern
Court System (including Prince George)*
NOTE: According to R.C.M.P. statistics, in 2012,
there was an average rate of domestic
violence related calls in Fort St. John.
*Data retrieved from CORIN: Court Services Branch database
The Peace Project: What is a concluded
domestic violence case?
A concluded case is one
where an individual has been
charged and gone to trial;
and, the case has since
come to an end. In other
words, when a case has had
a final ruling, it is concluded.
The Peace Project: Crime Severity Index
According to Statistic
Canada’s 2011 Crime Severity
Index values for 238 police
services policing communities
with a population over 10,000,
Fort St. John is ranked eleventh
overall in violent crime severity.
The Peace Project: Crime Severity Index
The Crime Severity Index tracks changes in the
severity of police-reported crime by accounting
for both the amount of crime reported by police
in a given jurisdiction and the relative seriousness
of these crimes. It tells us not only how much
crime is coming to the attention of police, but
also about the seriousness of that crime.
To do this, each type of offence is assigned a
seriousness "weight". The weights are derived
from actual sentences handed down by courts
in all provinces and territories. More serious
crimes are assigned higher weights, less serious
offences lower weights.*
*Information from Statistics Canada
The Peace Project: Other Stats
The characteristics of FSJ that stand out from provincial and
national averages include increased:
Wages for male workers
Mothers who are “not in the
labour force”
Wages for couples with
children
Gender-based income
disparity
Birthrate and teen pregnancy
Drug-related offences
Housing prices
Rates of violent crimes
Transient population
Number of men
Alcohol and drug use
Younger population
The Peace Project: General Service Gaps
Related to preventing and
addressing violence against women
in Fort St. John, the following gaps in
service were identified:
Affordable Childcare
Counselling
Affordable Housing
Transportation
Legal Aid/Services
The Peace Project: General Service Gaps
Community members who face
specific service gaps and barriers (e.g.
– isolation, racism, lack of targeted
services, camp culture, etc.)
Aboriginal
Men
Youth
Workers in Industrial Camps
Men who commit gender-based violence
The Peace Project: Local Services
Services for women experiencing violence, named by the Advisory Stakeholders:
North Peace Community
Resource Society
Fort St. John Child
Development Centre
Settlement Workers in
Schools (SD 60)
Trobak Holistic
Counselling
Fort St. John Women’s
Resource Society
School District 60
Counsellors
Rising Spirit Aboriginal
Youth Centre (NENAS)
Fort St. John Women
Warriors
Mental Health and
Addiction Services
Fort St. John Friendship
Centre
Nenan Dane_Zaa Deh
Zona Children & Family
Services
My Strength is Not for
Hurting (North Peace
Secondary School)
Ministry of Children and
Family Development
North Peace Pregnancy
Care Centre
Blueberry River FN Healthy
Relationships Program
Northern Lights Recovery
Centre
Local Churches
Aboriginal Education
Centre
Child and Youth Mental
Health
Fort St. John Crown
Counsel
Salvation Army
Local Private Counsellors
Northern Health
R.C.M.P. Victim Services
Fort St. John R.C.M.P.
Fort St. John Hospital
OPT Sexual Health Clinic
S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
The Peace Project: PHASE ONE
If you want more information,
the full report is available. If you
want a copy of, “The Peace
Project: Gender Based Analysis
of Violence against Women
and Girls in Fort St. John”, go to
http://thepeaceprojectfsj.com
/gender-based-analysis/
Any questions?
The Peace Project: PHASE TWO
Community Planning Activities
o The Peace Project
Community Survey
o Fort St. John CKNL Trade Show
o Meeting of the Minds
The Peace Project: PHASE TWO
Peace Project Community Survey &
Fort St. John CKNL Trade Show
We asked the following:
o How do we prevent violence against
women and girls in Fort St. John?
o How do we better support women and
girls who are experiencing violence?
o How do we better support those who
commit violence against women and girls
who wish to stop their violent behavior?
The Peace Project: PHASE TWO
Peace Project Community Survey
& Fort St. John CKNL Trade Show
Their answers fell into two main categories:
o Education and Awareness (70% of
respondents)
o Resources and Support (30% of
respondents)
The Peace Project: PHASE TWO
Meeting of the Minds
The Peace Project Coordinator shared
research with a select group of local
stakeholders. The stakeholders discussed
gaps and barriers in service related to
preventing and addressing violence
against women and girls in Fort St. John.
As well, they discussed local resources
that could address these gaps.
The Peace Project: PHASE TWO
Feedback from the Meeting of
the Minds, combined with
information from the other
activities, resulted in the Peace
Project Community Plan.
For the full Peace Project
Community Plan, go to
http://thepeaceprojectfsj.com/
peace-project-community-plan/
Any questions?
The Peace Project: PHASE THREE
What is the Implementation Phase?
o The Implementation Phase runs from May 2012 to
March 2015.
o It includes an Implementation Plan that will be
delivered by the Peace Project Coordinator.
o The Implementation Plan includes three key
aspects of the Community Plan that involves
various stakeholders in community-wide activities
with the goal to reduce violence against women
and girls in Fort St. John. Stakeholders include
local service providers, industry and community
leaders, health care professionals, youth, and the
public-at-large.
The Peace Project: PHASE THREE
Peace Project Implementation Plan
The Peace Project Implementation Plan
focuses on:
o Capacity Building – “Lessening the
Disconnect”
o Promoting existing services
o Engaging men and youth in preventing
violence against women in Fort St. John
The Peace Project: PHASE THREE
Capacity Building – Lessening the Disconnect
o Small Group Meetings (with local social
service providers)
o Community Roundtables (I sit on the
following tables: Fort St. John Violence
Against Women in Relationships Committee,
Family First Coalition, Healthy Living Alliance)
o Peace Project Service Provider Forum (with
local community service providers)
o Industry Engagement (Engagement with
local industry leaders and workers, health
care professionals, municipal leaders)
The Peace Project: PHASE THREE
Promoting Existing Services
o Resources for Women who Experience
Violence – Deck of Cards
o “What are the Options?” – Service
Provider Manual
o Peace Project Website
o “NO VIOLENCE: Starring Fort St. John”
Awareness Campaign
The Peace Project: PHASE THREE
Engaging Men and Youth in Gender-Based
Violence Prevention
o Multimedia Project with Youth: Part 1
(Bert Bowes Middle School, Dr. Kearney
Middle School)
o Multimedia Project with Youth: Part 2
(North Peace Secondary School)
o Interviews with Industrial Camp Workers
o 2014 Energy Conference
o Industry Forum
o Trade Show Speakers’ Corner
Any questions?