Videos
Learn More With Us
The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council works with communities and systems to address barriers and amplify voices not being heard. We prevent and reduce social harms by driving structural change through evidence informed strategies that address the root causes and honour diverse ways of knowing and being.
WRCPC offers accessible educational events, to find out what’s coming up check out our events calendar. Scroll down to find the links to watch past recordings.
Issues of Substance: Prohibition, Decriminalization, and Legalization with Strict Regulation
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WRCPC has endorsed legalization with strict regulation as the best drug policy option to immediately and dramatically improve health and safety for all residents of Canada, prevent tens of thousands of drug poisoning deaths and injuries annually, and, provide financial savings to the public, non-profit, and private sector budgets. Join WRCPC’s Michael Parkinson along with Irene O’Toole (Vice Chair, WRCPC), Ruth Cameron (Executive Director, ACCKWA*), Judah Oudshoorn (Professor), Sara Escobar (Peregrine Outreach), Jesse Burt (Harm reduction/outreach, ACCKWA*).
* Aids Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and area
For more information, reports, infographics and more, visit our overdose prevention page.
(Re)Think Prohibition: Reducing Criminalization and Advancing Equity in Canadian Drug Policy
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Discussion of upstream efforts to improve everyone’s health, safety and well-being with drug laws and policies grounded in equity, and built for the 21st century featuring guests from the Canadian HIV/Aids Legal Network, the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs and more! Moderated by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council’s Michael Parkinson, join panellists Sandra Ka Hon Chu (Canadian HIV/Aids Legal Network), Natasha Touesnard (Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs), and Alicia Neufeld (City of Toronto Public). For more information, reports, infographics and more, visit our overdose prevention page.
(Un)Safe 3.0
Integrating overdose prevention sites, safe supply, and wrap around services in Waterloo Region
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Learn more about Overdose Prevention in Waterloo Region. Successes and challenges shared in this presentation and dialogue include: Onsite overdose prevention sites in shelter settings via the Urgent Public Health Need Sites (UPHNS) exemption, Safe supply services, COVID-19 recovery services, and complimentary wrap-around health and social services. For more information, reports, infographics and more, visit our overdose prevention page.
(Re)Think “Crime” Prevention
Through an upstream lens
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What is “upstream”? Learn how to make systemic changes that help prevent harm before it happens. We discuss how to advance upstream ideas and approaches that address the root causes of social and structural harms. Upstream prevention focuses on changes to systems that are at the root of suffering while preventing the harms from occurring in the first place. Investing in upstream can save money to the overall system by preventing more costly reactive services. The more upstream we go, the more downstream harms we can avoid.
(Re)Think Our Organizations
How we harm when we mean to help
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How do our social organizations and systems cause harm? We discuss how to move away from punitive thinking to approaches based in care, compassion, and support. 3 community leaders explore open and authentic self reflection and dialogue. You may be surprised to learn how “criminalization”, or carceral logics, exists in many of our systems in unexpected ways! Join us in shifting focus from individuals to systems and structures as we build a fair, just, and equitable society.
(Re)Think Our Stories
The Reality of Structural Violence
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“Structural violence refers to systematic ways in which social structures harm or otherwise disadvantage individuals. Structural violence is subtle, often invisible, and often has no one specific person who can be held responsible.” Structural violence, including the concept of “crime and criminalization” plays out in all of our institutions and fundamentally impacts the trajectory of people’s lives. Panelists share their stories of how they are impacted by structural violence and critically explore how societal systems, institutions and organizations can enforce harmful stereotypes, biases, rhetoric which dehumanizes racialized and marginalized communities. In examining how punitive approaches play out in our day-to-day lives beyond the justice system we can learn how and why we need to prioritize and center the voices and experiences of racialized and marginalized community members.
(Re)Think Crime…
because it’s not real
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We all have a role to play in creating a world where everyone has the supports, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. Let’s begin by asking ourselves some tough questions. Together, let’s (Re)Think “Crime”. Jessica Hutchison’s provocative and challenging presentation turns our concept of “crime” upside-down. What is “crime” and why are certain people seen as “criminal”? How can we move away from a punishment mentality to one based in care, compassion, and support? How can we prevent and reduce harm by shifting the focus from individuals to systems and structures? What can we do, as individuals and as a collective, to build a society that is equitable, fair, and just? Jessica discusses how crime and criminalization are social constructs and how we can move away from operating from carceral (control and punishment) mentality in many aspects of society to upstream approaches that address social harms.
(Un)Safe
Reducing the harms of the criminalization, acquisition, and consumption of unregulated drugs
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Do you work in Waterloo Region with, or on behalf of, people who purchase and consume unregulated drugs? Do you use unregulated drugs? Join us for fresh insight and new opportunities grounded in recent local research. This webinar shares insight from people who purchase and consume unregulated drugs and lack stable housing, highlighting the intersection of opportunities for improving both individual and community health, safety, and well-being. Safe supply, accidental poisoning, crime, victimization, housing and shelter issues feature in this local webinar and conversation. The local research suggests that removing criminalization and replacing the toxic, unregulated market through ‘safe supply’ initiatives can provide immediate and cost-effective benefits for individuals, communities, not-for-profit, public, and private sectors. This event is recommended for people working in areas of substance use and addiction, clinical and public health, shelters, outreach, policy-making, systems transformation, and funding. For more information, reports, infographics and more, visit our overdose prevention page.
Reflecting On Honey Bee
Information and Panel Discussion
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Honey Bee is an award-winning Canadian film that shines a light on young girls that are lured into and trying to escape from human trafficking rings in Northern Ontario. Our panel candidly discusses human sex trafficking from diverse angles, using the film to help illustrate the issue as it exists in Ontario, Canada. If you would like to watch the film Honey Bee, it will be available on the CBC network. The film is also available for purchase through iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, and Vimeo On Demand.
Panelists:
- Sally Karam – Honey Bee Film Maker
- Melissa Hern – Victim Witness Assistance Program
- Michelle Furgiuele – Advocate and Survivor of Sex Trafficking
Reflecting On Chelsea’s Story
An UPstream Panel Discussion
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This panel discussion, bringing together community leaders from a wide range of perspectives and experiences, focuses on the systems that are affected by and affect human trafficking. From policies, legislature and law, to digital innovation and community arts, find out how you can fit into the story of enacting necessary change. How can we, as community members, play a role in addressing the issues that affect our very communities?
Panelists:
- Lori Campbell – Director, Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre
- Jennifer Caskie – Assistant Crown Attorney, Ministry of the Attorney General
- Neil Desai – Vice President, Magnet Forensics
- Tamara Menon – Founder, YUVA Arts Project
Human Trafficking In Our Communities
Panel Discussion
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Panelists explore trends and patterns in Human Trafficking in the Guelph, Wellington and Waterloo regions, the important features of survivor-centered service provision and what next steps need to be taken to raise awareness of and prevent human trafficking in our communities.
Panelists:
- Ashley Hendricks – Victim Services of Waterloo Region & Victim Services Wellington
- Katie Montague – Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis
- Nazia Siddiqiu – WHAI Program at ARCH Guelph
- Nicky Carswell – Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region
- Nicole Hodgson – Elora House
Becoming an Active Bystander
Porch Chat
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How do you respond to harm in community or workplace? In this Porch Chat we discuss the theory and practice behind being an active bystander. This Porch Chat session was led by Rod Friesen, Restorative Justice Program Coordinator from the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Participants will also learn more about Training Active Bystanders (TAB) by HUB partner organization, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), Carizon Family and Community Services, Community Justice Initiatives, (CJI) Coalition of Muslim Women Kitchener Waterloo, The Ripple Effect Education (TREE), or Unity Kitchener.
Understanding Emotional Abuse and Precursors to Violence in the Home
Porch Chat
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In this Porch Chat, facilitated by Women’s Crisis Services, we unpack and explore the subtle nuances of emotional violence within the home. Outreach Workers Lisa Nice and Christina Silva shares information about what emotional violence is, what the effects are, and how you can help someone who is experiencing violence in the home. They highlight the precursors and warning signs of domestic violence, including emotional abuse. Watch the Q&A and hear directly from experienced Outreach Workers.
How Employers Can Prevent Family Violence
Porch Chat
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Learn about how family violence impacts the workplace; how you can help and what your responsibilities are. This video can be shared in the workplace equipping everyone with knowledge that can prevent family violence during the increased stress and isolation of Covid-19.
UPstream Approaches Introduction
Whiteboard Video
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The WRCPC is pleased to present the “Upstream Approaches WhiteBoard” Film that premiered at the 2019 Annual Justice Dinner: “Imagine a Community where Every Voice Matters” last November. The video was developed in partnership with Conestoga College as part of the WRCPC Narrative History Project. The Narrative History Project is the story of the main themes of Council over the last 20 plus years. The project complements the Centre for Community Research, Learning and Action (CCRLA) Smart on Crime 2015-2018 evaluation work and will also help inform the next stage of Council’s work.
UPstream Approaches Presentation
Justice Reception
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Knowledge Exchange and Research Coordinator David Siladi presents and overview of evolving upstream prevention approaches to community wellbeing. Upstream approaches to community safety and wellbeing are about more than just the absence of crime; they are about creating a place where everyone has a range of opportunities to grow, learn, work, play, connect, love and be loved. Our actions, attitudes, and choices are shaped by our environment and our lived experiences. In order to create a more positive experience for those around us, we need to address the foundational systems and relationships in our society that play a critical role in shaping our environment and experience of wellbeing.
The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act
Public Service Announcement
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An overdose is a medical emergency. Seconds matter. Across Canada, a fatal opioid-related poisoning occurs every 2 hours. Ontario’s opioid-related poisonings grew 33% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017. The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act addresses some of the structural barriers to seeking emergency medical assistance by providing limited immunity from prosecution during an overdose emergency for victims and witnesses. Please join with the Canadian HIV/Aids Legal Network and the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council in expanding awareness about the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act by sharing this video.
Disrupt, Connect, Engage
Presentation
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On May 16, 2018, Community Justice Initiatives, Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, Communitech and Centre for International Governance Innovation hosted Disrupt, Connect, Engage with Senator Kim Pate and community leaders. Waterloo Region is a worldwide innovator across many sectors including high tech and justice. Let’s come together for an evening of disruption! Hear Senator Kim Pate, Canada’s leading advocate for decarceration and serial innovator Carol Leaman, CEO of Axonify discuss how the worlds of high tech and justice can combine their efforts to build a community that is more Connected, Compassionate, Engaged and Harmonious.
Prevention, Prisons, and Popcorn
Presentation and Panel Discussion
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Click HERE to watch the panel discussion!
Canadians have witnessed dramatic changes to the criminal justice system during an era of declining crime rates. this is a rare opportunity to hear from one of Canada’s foremost experts on corrections, policy and criminal justice in Canada. Howard Sapers gave this talk as a guest of the Friends of Crime Prevention and the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council on Thursday September 10, 2015. The evening included a special screening of the Canadian film State of Incarceration followed by a community discussion with a panel.
Debunking Myths in Opiate Agonist Therapy
Webinar Presentation
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Click HERE to watch part 2!
Click HERE to watch part 3!
Click HERE to watch part 4!
Dr. Frank will discuss myths and misperceptions in the area of Opiate Agonist Therapy and placing a human face on the opiate addiction epidemic. Dr. Frank is familiar with both Methadone and Suboxone prescribing and invites questions and discussion.
BC Take Home Naloxone Program
Webinar Presentation
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Click HERE to watch part 2!
The BC Harm Reduction Program believes every person has the right to the best health possible and should be treated with dignity and respect. The Harm Reduction program is responsible for developing: evidence-based policies, training resources, proper messaging regarding drug use issues, and distributes harm reduction supplies to reduce drug related harms across BC. In August 2012, the BC Harm Reduction announced the launch of BC Take Home Naloxone (THN), This program helps prevent and reduce morbidity and mortality related to overdose.
911 Naloxone
Public Service Announcement
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911 Naloxone (4m, Canada, 2013) brings a police chief, a paramedic and a physician together to discuss efforts used to save lives, reduce injuries and ease the financial burden on the health care system: the overdose lifesaver naloxone and efforts to improve 911 call rates at overdose emergencies.
Take Home Naloxone – The Scottish Experience
Webinar Presentation
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Click HERE to watch part 3!
The National Take Home Naloxone Programme in Scotland was launched late 2010 and has continued to develop and expand across the country. This presentation will explore the Scottish context, the preparatory steps taken to introduce the national programme, the work undertaken to date and the priorities for the coming year.
Practical Opioid Overdose Prevention
Webinar Presentation
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Click HERE to watch part 5!
Peer-Based Education – What is an opioid overdose? Who is at risk? Lindsay Klassen and Natasha Campbell will discuss the myths and facts about overdose, how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose, and provide a brief introduction to naloxone. Unique in Canada, POWW has been providing training to a variety of people and organization throughout Ontario since 2009.
Physicians for Responsible Prescribing
Webinar Presentation
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Physicians and others can mobilize for smarter prescribing and smarter health policy. And do! Hear from an organization whose mission is to reduce the morbidity and mortality resulting from the prescribing of opioids, and to promote cautious, safe and responsible opioid prescribing practices. They have the attention of many in the U.S.A., and may be a model for moving forward in Canada.
Naloxone Prescribing for Physicians: What You Need to Know
Webinar Presentation
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Click HERE to watch part 2!
Click HERE to watch part 3!
Physicians and others can mobilize for smarter prescribing and smarter health policy. And do! Hear from an organization whose mission is to reduce the morbidity and mortality resulting from the prescribing of opioids, and to promote cautious, safe and responsible opioid prescribing practices. They have the attention of many in the U.S.A., and may be a model for moving forward in Canada.
Opioid Overdoses: A Coroner Review 2006-2011
Webinar Presentation
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Click HERE to watch part 2!
Click HERE to watch part 3!
This may surprise most Canadians as Dr. Corneil walks us through a review of non-illicit, non-methadone, prescription opioid overdose deaths in B.C.’s interior region based on a recent retrospective case series analysis of Coroner files, 2006-2011.
Clinics in Community: A Smart Response from a Canadian Municipality
Webinar Presentation
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Maintenance treatment methadone clinics have operated worldwide for decades but there remains stubborn resistance across Canada to their establishment from local government. One municipality in Ontario aims to work with MMT clinics to ensure all citizens benefit from essential health services, and potential impacts are mitigated before becoming a community concern. Learn what has worked for them.
Just Do It: Pioneers in Overdose
Webinar Presentation
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Click HERE to watch part 5!
The Chicago Recovery Alliance was the first program in the USA to offer naloxone-based overdose prevention in community and is now more than 16 years old. In the face of adversity and indifference, Dan Bigg and others are responsible for saving the lives of thousands of American citizens. Join Dan for an overview of successes and challenges with overdose prevention programs; hear about government legislation in several U.S. States to improve naloxone access and reduce barriers to calling 9-1-1; about FDA discussions to make naloxone an “over the counter” medicine and ongoing struggles in working with a Pharmaceutical monopoly that controls the U.S. naloxone market.
Building Safety and Surveillance into Narcotic Use in Canada
Webinar Presentation
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Dr. Moore will describe and contrast road and flight safety improvements with the need for improved surveillance and action on narcotic safety. What are the essential elements of a comprehensive narcotic surveillance system for Ontario? What are the essential reporting and actionable items in that surveillance system?
Between Life and Death: The Barriers to Calling 911 During an Overdose Emergency
Webinar Presentation
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In 2012, researchers with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council released Canada’s first study of barriers to calling 911 when illicit substance use is involved. Surveys of 450 people identified several clear barriers, primarily fear of criminal justice system, to seeking help for victims in medical emergencies. This presentation will review common settings for illicit accidental overdoses, methodology, findings and a brief discussion of policy options to improve 9-1-1 calling rates.
A Primer to Understanding Opioid Issues in Canada and the USA
Webinar Presentation
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This introductory webinar will provide a brief overview of the major issues, questions and remedies for preventing and reducing opioid-related harm in Canada. Examining our country’s collective response to the issue can provide important lessons as we move forward on the critical issues that many preeminent organizations in the U.S.A. call “a deadly epidemic.”
Screening For Women Abuse in Health Care Settings
Webinar Presentation
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Intimate Partner Violence is a serious public health problem. Health care providers have a role to play in identifying and supporting victims of intimate partner violence. In this training, Dr. Robin Mason provides background information on women abuse and tools that can be used to screen for intimate partner violence. Dr. Patricia Mousmanis explains the physician’s role in aiding patients facing intimate partner violence.
Presenters:
- Dr. Robin Mason – Women’s College Hospital, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
- Dr. Patricia Mousmanis – Healthy Child Development Program (Ontario College of Family Physicians)
Trauma Informed Systems of Care
Webinar Presentation
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Click HERE to watch part 1!
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Click HERE to watch part 3!
This section of the webinar outlines the background research project conducted by Laurie Robinson for KidsLink over the past several years. Laurie Robinson explores a definition of trauma, its prevalence, its complexity and our current understanding of trauma as well as the differences between trauma treatment and a fully integrated trauma-informed system of care. Laurie Robinson outlines the established criteria for becoming a trauma-informed system of care, based on the Ann Jennings report called “Blueprint for Action” 2007. Hints and possible directions for moving toward a trauma-informed system of care in the Waterloo Region community are also shared at the end of the presentation. If you would like to download the presentations slides click here.
By The Numbers
Smart On Crime
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“By the Numbers” takes an in depth look at crime statistics and research. It will help us, and a community engaged in crime prevention, to understand and challenge statistics and they way they are used to share and present information, influence and justify policy decisions and explain what’s happening in the world today. Anthony Piscitelli, Supervisor, Planning & Research with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council takes an in depth look at research statistics with a mission to debunk crime and crime prevention statistics for the rest of us!
And More!
For more video content by the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, check out our YouTube Channel!