Executive Council
Justice and Public Safety
January 23, 2015

Preventing Crime and Making Communities Safer

Premier Announces Appointments to Advisory Council on Crime and Community Safety

The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced the member appointments to the Premier's Advisory Council on Crime and Community Safety. The council will examine all aspects of crime in Newfoundland and Labrador and recommend new strategies to prevent and reduce criminal activity and enhance safety in the province.

"Every crime that occurs in our province is an affront to public safety for individuals and communities. We are all affected and we must all have an opportunity to contribute to finding solutions. In addressing the issues surrounding crime in our province, it is vital that we engage community stakeholder groups and those who have specialized knowledge. I thank the individuals who have offered to join the Advisory Council on Crime and Community Safety, and I look forward to receiving recommendations on how we can improve safety and security for all."
- The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Advisory Council on Crime and Community Safety has representatives with a wide range of experiences from the policing, academia, legal, Aboriginal, and mental health and addictions communities.

The council will be chaired by Anne Morris, who is a retired professor of the Sociology Department of Memorial University. Other members are: Mary Pia Benuen, Ron Fitzpatrick, Lynn Moore, Cindy Murphy, Sheldon Pollett, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Chief Bill Janes (Ex Officio Member), and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Tracy Hardy (Ex Officio Member). Members will meet regularly beginning in late January.

Biographies of all council members can be found in the backgrounder below.

"The establishment of the Premier's Advisory Council on Crime and Community Safety demonstrates the fresh approach that this government is taking to enhancing overall public safety and security in Newfoundland and Labrador. The knowledge and experience which the members of the council bring to the table will be valuable as we move forward and address crime prevention in innovative ways. I am anxious for them to start their valuable work on behalf of residents of the province."
- The Honourable Judy Manning, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General

Using information gathered through consultation with stakeholders including the general public and recognized experts, as well as through the study of relevant literature and the assessment of innovative practices already used in other areas of Canada, the Advisory Council on Crime and Community Safety will make recommendations to Premier Davis and Minister Manning. The aim of the recommendations will be to make Newfoundland and Labrador safer for all residents.

QUICK FACTS

• Premier Paul Davis today announced member appointments to the Advisory Council on Crime and Community Safety, which will examine all aspects of criminal activity in the province and recommend new strategies to prevent crime and enhance safety.
• The council will make recommendations to the Premier and the Minister of Justice and Public Safety using information gathered through consultation with stakeholders including the general public and recognized experts, as well as through the study of relevant literature and the assessment of innovative practices already used in other areas of Canada.
• The council comprises a broad spectrum of representatives from the policing, academia, legal, Aboriginal, and mental health and addictions communities.

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Media contacts:

Heather Maclean Director of Communications Office of the Premier 709-729-3581 heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca	Donna Ivey Special Assistant, Communications Office of the Premier 709-729-3551, 699-2402 donnaivey@gov.nl.ca
Luke Joyce Director of Communications Department of Justice 709-729-6985, 724-4165 lukejoyce@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Biographies of the members of the

Premier's Advisory Council on Crime and Community Safety

Chair - Anne Morris

Anne Morris recently retired from the Sociology Department at Memorial University, where she taught for over 22 years. For the last 10 years, she served as the coordinator for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary/Memorial University Police Studies Diploma Program, and she was instrumental in the development of the Bachelor of Arts Major in Police Studies Program. Ms. Morris' research has been in the areas of child abuse, youth justice, youth employment and employment issues for persons with disabilities. She has authored and co-authored reports for the Federal and Provincial Governments and the Community Sector Council on these topics. Her most recent writings are on the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act in Newfoundland and Labrador and reflections on the development of the Police Studies Diploma and Degree Programs at Memorial University. Ms. Morris served on the Police Sector Council of Canada and is currently on the executive of the Canadian Association of Police Educators.

Ex Officio Member - William Janes

Chief Bill Janes is the Chief of Police for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, where he began working in 1985 after graduating from the Atlantic Police Academy. He has served in many branches of the RNC, including Patrol Services, Operational Support, Criminal Investigation and Joint Forces Drug Enforcement. He has also served as commander of both the Public Order Unit and the Tactics and Rescue Unit. Chief Janes graduated from Memorial University with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Police Studies with a minor in Business Administration. He has also completed the Supervisory Leadership program at MUN's Gardiner Institute and a Certificate in Business Administration. He has completed a number of police-related programs offered at the Canadian Police College, Ontario Police College and the Canadian Emergency Preparedness College. Chief Janes has been awarded the Police Exemplary Service Medal and Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. He served as chair of the United Way Community Investment Committee from 2008 to 2011 and is a member of the Board of Directors of the John Howard Society. He has served on the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Aviation Security Committee and is currently with the National Police Services National Advisory Committee.

Ex Officio Member - Tracy Hardy

Assistant Commissioner Tracy Hardy was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia. She joined the RCMP in 1981. Upon graduating from "Depot", Assistant Commissioner Hardy was stationed in a number of posts throughout Saskatchewan, North West Territories, British Columbia, Yukon and Prince Edward Island. In 1997, she held the position of Team Leader/Investigator in Prince George, British Columbia, Serious Crime Section and in 2001 moved to the position of Detachment Operations NCO in both Squamish and Penticton, BC. Assistant Commissioner Hardy held the position of Criminal Operations Officer for M Division, Yukon from 2004 until 2009. From there she went on to serve as Planning Officer, Integrated Security Unit for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC. She assumed the position of Commanding Officer of L Division on May 3, 2010, and was promoted to Chief Superintendent on June 28, 2010. On May 22, 2012, she accepted the position of Commanding Officer of B Division in Newfoundland and Labrador and was promoted to Assistant Commissioner on May 27, 2012. She holds a Master of Arts from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, and is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, and the International Association of Women Police. Assistant Commissioner Hardy has been awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, RCMP Long-Service medal, Bronze and Silver Clasps, two Commanding Officer's Commendations as well as the Canada 125 Medal.

Members

Mary Pia Benuen is currently the Director for Primary Health Services for the Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation, and she previously she held a position as a community health nurse for more than 19 years. Ms. Benuen has served on a number of regional and national boards, including the Native Women of Quebec and Labrador, the Aboriginal Nurses of Canada, and the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Advisory Committee. She has been a member of the Provincial Advisory Council for Women for nine years. Ms. Benuen is an Aboriginal Language Interpreter at Provincial and Supreme Courts in Labrador, and she has taught a number of courses and workshops on court interpretation in Aboriginal dialects at the College of the North Atlantic and currently serves on the Minister of Justice and Public Safety's Committee on Violence against Women.

Ron Fitzpatrick began working with Metro Community Chaplaincy (Turnings) in May 2000. He served on the Board of Directors for two years and is currently the Executive Director. He works regularly with offenders and ex-offenders through assisting them to safely integrate back into mainstream society. Mr. Fitzpatrick worked for 32 years with Newfoundland Power, 28 years of which he was a Senior Operator in the control centre, maintaining the supply of power to the province.

Lynn Moore is a partner in the law firm of Morris Martin Moore who represents survivors of sexual abuse. Before entering private practice in 2013, Ms. Moore worked as a Crown Attorney for 14 years and as Counsel to the Chief of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary from 2008 to 2012. She graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 1992 and completed her Bachelor of Arts in 1989. During her time as a Crown Prosecutor, Ms. Moore worked with the Family Violence Intervention Court. She volunteers with the Safe Harbour Outreach Program (SHOP) - a program designed to make sex workers safer and more secure. Ms. Moore is a member of the Board of Directors of the St. John's Status of Women/Women's Centre and volunteers with Miles for Smiles - a foundation that works against child abuse.

Cindy Murphy has been working in the field of community corrections for more than 20 years and currently the Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc. The John Howard Society is a community-based organization that works to reduce crime by providing opportunities for the rehabilitation of offenders and advocating reform through successful program interventions, public education; crime prevention strategies; and restorative justice principles. John Howard has been providing programs and services in the province since 1951.

Sheldon Pollett has been the Executive Director of Choices for Youth for 14 years, having spent five years prior to that as a board member. During this time the organization has emerged a leader in developing innovative solutions to the needs of at-risk and homeless youth. Sheldon is co-chair of the National Learning Community on Youth Homelessness (Eva's Initiatives) and co-chair of the national Mobilizing Local Capacity to End Youth Homelessness Program. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee for the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, and a board member of Raising the Roof. Provincially, Mr. Pollett is a member of the Minister of Health and Community Services' Advisory Committee on Mental Health and Addictions.

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