KINDERSLEY — The Civil Property Forfeiture Fund is providing $45,000 through the to the West Central Crisis and Family Support Centre in Kindersley to develop a safe interview room to support victims of sexual and gender-based crime.
Trauma-informed safe interview rooms build trust and communication, helping victims report crimes to police in a more comfortable environment, according to a Sask. Justice media release.
Funding will create a sound-proof environment to ensure privacy, with new audio/video equipment for capturing interviews. These spaces contribute to positive outcomes for victims by improving emotional and physical wellbeing, and support effective police investigations and successful prosecutions, the ministry says.
“This investment ensures individuals can speak safely, be heard without fear and receive the compassionate, professional support they need during one of the most challenging moments of their lives," West Central Crisis Family Support Centre Inc. Executive Director Michelle Weber said.
The Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund includes forfeited cash and the proceeds of other forfeited assets, which are converted into cash. Distributions from the fund are intended to enhance public safety and assist victims and are made at least once per fiscal year when resources allow. Since its inception in 2009, over $10 million has gone back into Saskatchewan communities.
Most of the proceeds forfeited result from drug trafficking activity in Saskatchewan communities. Making these profits unavailable disrupts and deters future activity as traffickers are unable to purchase additional drugs to re-sell. Since April 2024, the Civil Forfeiture Office has forfeited approximately $635,000 in illegal proceeds related to fentanyl trafficking. This is the equivalent of approximately 63,500 individual doses of fentanyl.
