This presentation explores de-escalation strategies used within the FASD Network of Saskatchewan to support individuals with FASD, diagnosed or undiagnosed, exhibiting high-risk behaviors. Focused on frontline responses to violence and aggression, it highlights evidence-based techniques such as communication methods, environmental adaptations, and personalized interventions tailored for neurodiverse populations. Attendees will learn how compassionate, inclusive practices can reduce violence and increase engagement. The session aims to enhance the skills of clinicians, frontline workers, and administrators in safely de-escalating challenging behaviors and fostering positive outcomes in complex, high-risk situations.

Speakers:

Andrea Kotlar, Executive Director, FASD Network of Saskatchewan

Shana Mohr, Training Manager, FASD Network of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan continues to experience some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the country, with Indigenous women disproportionately impacted. These realities intersect with poverty, housing insecurity, child apprehension, and criminalization, creating complex legal needs that are often unmet by existing systems. Many survivors are left to navigate family law, criminal proceedings, child protection, and immigration matters without representation, particularly when they are ineligible for Legal Aid or face overlapping legal issues tied to violence and coercive control.

This presentation will ground participants in the current landscape of gender-based violence in Saskatchewan and outline the systemic gaps that leave survivors without meaningful access to justice. Drawing on frontline experience, data, and lived realities, Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan will share how these conditions led to the development of a trauma-informed Women’s Legal Clinic in Regina.

The session will outline the clinic’s purpose, scope, and service model, including legal navigation, advocacy, accompaniment, and culturally grounded supports for women and gender-diverse people impacted by gender-based violence. The presentation will emphasize why survivor-centred, community-based legal responses are essential to safety, stability, and long-term healing, and how legal intervention can function as violence prevention rather than crisis response alone.

Speakers:

Violeta Dima, Managing Lawyer, Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan 

Kenzy Horudko, Legal Advocate, Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan 

This session examines a partnership between a Tribal Council and a police service, demonstrating how their collaboration is transforming the systems they operate within. We will illustrate how this relationship, grounded in the spirit of reconciliation, utilizes restorative justice processes to effectively reduce entry points into the criminal justice system.

In 2025, the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) implemented a policy mandating the consideration of pre-charge diversion for all eligible low-level, summary conviction offences. This policy ensures eligible individuals are diverted from the formal criminal justice process. Acknowledging, that public safety does not always require the full use of the criminal process; rather, in some cases, community needs are often better served through community justice programs delivered by partners like the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC).

This commitment positions the police as proactive, upstream leaders in diversion. A role that has a significant positive impact on the community and other institutions. This genuine collaboration has allowed the partners to overcome long-standing barriers and achieve successes that working alone never could. As a result, the Saskatoon framework is now gaining national interest as a proven, reproducible model for systemic change.

Speakers:

Marijayne Deschambeault, Urban Justice Manager, Saskatoon Tribal Council

Sgt. Erica Weber, Restorative Justice Coordinator, Saskatoon Police Service

As the host of The Evan Bray Show on 650 CKOM and 980 CJME, Evan brings Saskatchewan
together to talk about the big local issues, and the most topical and compelling stories of the day.
Evan spent nearly three decades in policing, including seven years as Regina’s Chief of Police,
earning a reputation as an accessible and trusted leader. His work with government, community
groups, and everyday residents informs his perspectives on leadership, connection, and where
Saskatchewan is headed. Born and raised on a family farm near Abernethy, he brings a grounded
understanding of rural life and a lifelong commitment to the province.

Speakers:

Evan Bray, The Voice of Saskatchewan with 650 CKOM and 980 CJME

Indigenous peoples make up nearly one-third of people incarcerated in Canada while constituting only five percent of the general population. Since the 1970s, governments have introduced Indigenized prison programming, sometimes in partnership with Indigenous peoples. Do these programs work, and how do they support rehabilitation, re-entry, and healing? Drawing on findings from the University of Alberta Prison Project—based on over 2,000 interviews, nearly half involving incarcerated Indigenous participants—this presentation examines what these programs do well, where gaps remain, and how systems can advance Truth and Reconciliation commitments while offering concrete insights for correctional leaders and front-line practitioners.

Speaker:

Justin Tetrault, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, School of Criminology

Addressing violence in Indigenous communities requires approaches that are culturally grounded, collaborative, and community-driven. This presentation explores the critical role of Indigenous-led interventions in advancing responses to violence, emphasizing empowerment of community organizations and meaningful partnerships. Drawing on current initiatives within the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), we will highlight programs that integrate Indigenous knowledge, traditions, and healing practices into justice responses. These efforts not only strengthen frontline responses but also foster resilience and self-determination among Indigenous peoples. By embedding Indigenous perspectives into justice responses and fostering strong collaboration, we can create pathways that uphold cultural identity while dismantling systemic barriers. Participants will explore innovative strategies, proven models, and persistent challenges, with a focus on how Indigenous-driven approaches are reshaping correctional practices and contributing to safer, healthier communities.

Speaker:

Kathy Neil, Deputy Commissioner for Indigenous Corrections, Correctional Service Canada

Indigenous peoples are overrepresented in correctional systems internationally, reflecting a history of systemic racism and colonial oppression, and the practice of risk assessment with this population has been a focus of legal and sociopolitical controversy. This plenary will focus on empirical research developments, clinical and legal issues, and culturally informed approaches in forensic risk assessment with Indigenous persons. We begin with an overview of the background and the clinical, legal, and sociohistorical context and controversies of forensic risk assessment with Indigenous persons. We proceed to review research developments and findings pertaining to risk instrument predictive properties, risk/need factors, and culturally relevant factors with Indigenous clients. We conclude with a discussion and review of clinical applications and related applied directions for risk assessment with Indigenous correctional clients.

Speakers:

Mark Olver, Professor, Department of Psychology and Health Studies

Keira Stockdale, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Health Studies

Based on nearly 50 years of practical experience working with marginalized, victimized, criminalized and institutionalized individuals and those who work with them, and informed by degrees in education, law and forensic mental health, Kim Pate will discuss the roles of policing and prison authorities in identifying, assessing and manufacturing risky and aggressive behaviour and individuals. With a view to encouraging significant challenges to status quo approaches, Kim will discuss a number of strategies and successful interventions that challenge the risk aversive, individual versus systemic nature and inclination of conventional criminal legal and correctional interventions.

Speaker:

The Honourable Kim Pate, Senator, Senate of Canada

This presentation offers an overview of the Office of the Correctional Investigator’s ten year update on Indigenous issues in federal corrections. Drawing on lived experience shared through the investigation, as well as operational, policy, and research insights, the session will situate the current context of the over representation of Indigenous peoples in federal prisons. It will outline findings from a national investigation into key components of the Indigenous continuum of care – Healing Lodges, the Pathways initiative, and Elder services – and highlight ongoing challenges within the system. The presentation concludes with recommendations for reforms to advance reconciliation and improve outcomes for federally sentenced Indigenous persons.

Speaker:

Dr. Leticia Gutierrez, Director, Policy & Research, Office of the Correctional Investigator

This presentation explores how restorative justice principles come to life through the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan’s community‑based programs, with a focus on practical, client‑centered approaches that support successful reintegration. Drawing on decades of program development and delivery, the session highlights how JHSS implements a range of restorative justice initiatives designed to help individuals make meaningful changes in their lives while strengthening community well‑being.
Participants will be introduced to several key programs, including Alternative Measures and Extrajudicial Sanctions (victim–offender mediation), My Place, Trinity House Sober Living Home, and Court Support services. The presentation will examine how these programs operate, the collaborative processes involved, and the ways they promote accountability, healing, and empowerment.
Through real‑world examples, the session will highlight both the successes and challenges of restorative justice work, emphasizing the importance of flexible, relationship‑based, and trauma‑informed service delivery. Attendees will gain insight into how restorative approaches help communities repair harm by creating opportunities for those who have been harmed and those who take responsibility to communicate about the causes, circumstances, and impacts of crime—and to address the needs that arise from those experiences.

Ultimately, this presentation demonstrates how restorative justice, when paired with practical supports such as housing, referral programs, mediation, and reintegration programs, can foster healthier communities and more sustainable outcomes for everyone involved.

Speaker:

Lindsay Wilcox, Manager of Restorative Justice Programs and Branch Services, John Howard Society of Saskatchewan

Indigenous persons remain starkly overrepresented throughout Canada’s criminal legal system despite long-standing reforms aimed at addressing this crisis. This presentation integrates findings from recent studies examining how Indigeneity is operationalized in criminal justice decision-making. One used a Delph study to identify expert consensus on the relationship between access to Indigenous cultures and justice involvement, with implications for culture-based interventions across the system. Another critically analyzed how Canadian courts respond to crimes by Indigenous offenders against Indigenous victims, identifying paradoxical effects that risk deepening over-incarceration. Together, the studies highlight ongoing tensions and opportunities for reform of current responses to Indigenous overrepresentation.

Speaker:

Benjamin Ralston, Assistant Professor, College of Law, University of Saskatchewan

Christie Tetreault, Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science and Justice Studies

First responders routinely face chronic exposure to trauma, suffering, and high-stakes decision-making, which can lead to compassion fatigue—a state of emotional exhaustion, reduced empathy, and guilt about perceived limits in helping others. Trauma-informed guilt reduction techniques addresses the moral weight many responders carry by reframing unrealistic responsibility, separating outcomes from intent, and restoring a fair self-assessment of actions taken under extreme conditions. Join in discussion around symptoms of compassion fatigue and building toolkit to manage or prevent impacts to overall personal wellbeing.

Speaker:

Shaylee Spencer, Clinical Operations Manager, Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT)

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES EAST - UNIVERSITY:

Attendees can book guestrooms by calling the following phone numbers:

Toll-free 1-800-HOLIDAY ( 1-800-465-4329 )
Hotel direct 1-306-954-1250

A user-friendly URL is ready for booking guestrooms within the block dates by simply copying and pasting the Booking Link (URL) below, and it will take you directly to the special group rate provided to the group.

Group Name: Violence & Aggression Symposium

Date: 05/24/2026-05/26/2025

Hotel Name and Address:

Holiday Inn Express & Suites East-University-YXEES
1838 College Drive; Saskatoon; Bldg. #2, SK; S1N 2Z8

Room Type(s) available: Two Queen Beds

Rate at $159.00

*Full American Breakfast Buffet & Parking included!

Cut-off date: 04/24/2026

Group Code: VAS

Group Booking Link:

Violence & Aggression Symposium

https://www.ihg.com/redirect?path=rates&brandCode=EX&localeCode=en&regionCode=1&hotelCode=YXEES&checkInDate=24&checkInMonthYear=042026&checkOutDate=26&checkOutMonthYear=042026&_PMID=99801505&GPC=VAS&cn=no&adjustMonth=false&showApp=true&monthIndex=00

STAYBRIDGE SUITES EAST - UNIVERSITY:

Attendees can book guestrooms by calling the following phone numbers:

Toll-free 1-800-238-8000
Hotel direct 1-306-952-4888

A user-friendly URL is ready for booking guestrooms within the block dates by simply copying and pasting the Booking Link (URL) below and it will take you directly to the special group rate provided to the group

Group Name:  Violence & Aggression Symposium

Dates: 05/24/2026 -05/26/2026

Hotel Name and Address:

Staybridge Suites East-University-YXESB
1838 College Drive; Saskatoon; Bldg. #2, SK; S1N 2Z8

Room Type(s) available: King Bed and a single pull-out sofa

Rate at $164.00

*Full American Breakfast Buffet & Parking included!

Cut-off date: 04/24/2026

Group Code: VAC

Group Booking Link:

Violence & Aggression Symposium

https://www.ihg.com/redirect?path=asearch&brandCode=SB&localeCode=en&regionCode=1&hotelCode=YXESB&checkInDate=24&checkInMonthYear=042026&checkOutDate=26&checkOutMonthYear=042026&rateCode=6CBARC&_PMID=99801505&GPC=VAC&cn=no&adjustMonth=false&showApp=true&monthIndex=00