Sask. government saves human-trafficking response program in Saskatoon

The Saskatchewan Government is stepping in to keep a police-run Human Trafficking Response Team (HTRT) operating after the federal government’s support agreement expired.

The funding comes as a big relief for the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), which had been paying out of its own pocket to keep the service afloat over the last five months.

A three-year federal funding commitment through the Department of Justice’s Victims Fund expired in March and SPS was denied alternative funding.

“When all of a sudden you’ve built something that’s of incredible value, that you believe in that’s very important, and then all of a sudden there’s an unforeseen risk to that work, it creates anxiety,” said Saskatoon Police Chief Cam McBride.

The HTRT works with Victim Services to connect human trafficking survivors to support services with the dual goal of ending cycles of abuse and  connecting investigators and community agencies.

“It was unfortunate that the federal government did back away from the table with the funding of these positions,” Saskatchewan Justice Minister Tim McLeod said. “However, we were able to secure the funding through the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence to continue these very important positions.”

The new provincial commitment of $160,000 is partnered funding between the province and the federal government, but it’s not a permanent solution as there is no confirmation of its continuation.

“We were pleased that the federal government recently announced another $600 million is going to be going into that program for the next four years,” McLeod said.  “They haven’t released the details on the allocation of that $600 million, but we would certainly expect that the continuation of programming that is already in existence is a top priority.”

Another Saskatoon organization, Hope Restored, also lost federal funding in March under the same circumstances, amounting to 20 per cent of their budget.

While having to cut some services, the organization still provides survivor support and is receiving funding from the province through the action plan, which expires next year.

“A coordinated response to human trafficking must include three elements: education and prevention, a strong and compassionate response, and long-term survivor support,” said Kendra Mazer, executive director at Hope Restored.

In July, the Department of Justice Canada responded to concerns over the future of the programs.

“Funding through the Victims Fund for projects that assist victims and survivors of human trafficking has always been project-based, time-limited funding. Recipients are funded for activities that can be undertaken within a specified time frame, with a clear end date to the funding and project,” the department said.

The department has not addressed why the organizations’ applications for alternative funding were denied.

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