Community Justice Centres: the Why, the How, the Impacts and Key Components That Get Overlooked
The Ministry of the Attorney General’s Justice Centres bring together justice, health, mental health, addictions, employment, education and social services under one roof to address the root causes of crime, break the cycle of offending and improve public safety and community wellbeing.
This presentation gives a ‘behind the scenes’ look at how the Justice Centre model was developed and examines various components that are critical to the success and impacts of community courts but frequently get overlooked including the mechanics of the Justice Centre participatory design process; the importance of inter-governmental partnership to promote systems transformation; the synergies created by community hubs to harness place-based multi-sector collaboration; and the significance of Indigenous-led evaluation methodologies and the importance of re-thinking notions of success that prioritize individualized healing and community well-being.
Dayna Arron, Executive Director, Justice Centres, Office of the Assistant Deputy Minister – Criminal Law, Ministry of the Attorney General Ontario
Dayna Arron is the Executive Director of Justice Centres at the Criminal Law Division, Ministry of the Attorney General. She has spearheaded the Ministry’s Justice Centres program since its inception in 2017 and has been the driving force behind innovating Ontario’s criminal justice system by implementing a new court model premised on the co-location and integrated service delivery of justice, health and social services. She spent over a decade prosecuting as an assistant Crown Attorney; served as the Crown Lead in Inmate Partner Violence; and acted as counsel to the Assistant Deputy Attorney General at MAG. She will speak about the genesis of the Justice Centre initiatives as well as her long-term vision for how Ontario’s Justice Centres will effect broader justice system transformation, including the participatory design process in support of the Kenora Justice Centre pilot.
Holly Loubert, Crown Counsel, Justice Centres, Office of the Assistant Deputy Minister – Criminal Law, Ministry of the Attorney General Ontario
Holly Loubert is counsel at Justice Centres. She has over a decade of appellate prosecutorial experience and has appeared at every level of court in Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada, with regular appearances at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. She has significant experience working with collaborative court models, having acted as the Deputy Director of Inmate Appeals at the Crown Law Office – Criminal. Most recently, she has been working closely on the development of the Toronto Downtown East Justice Centre.
Scott McKean, Manager of SafeTO Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, City of Toronto & Embedded Justice Centres Strategic Community Lead, Justice Centres, Office of the Assistant Deputy Minister – Criminal Law, Ministry of the Attorney General Ontario
Scott Mckean is currently developing Safe TO, the City of Toronto's Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan and supporting the development Ministry of Attorney General's Justice Centre programs in the City of Toronto. Scott works to enhance community safety and reduce vulnerability for people, families, and places in Toronto’s neighbourhoods. While at the City of Toronto, Scott has led and supported the development and implementation of many strategies and initiatives such as the Community Crisis Response Program, FOCUS Toronto, SPIDER, Youth Violence Prevention and the Toronto Strong Neighbourhood Strategy. Prior to joining the City of Toronto, Scott worked in the community sector where he developed a number of programs and services for young people as well as developed the support model for the Out of the Cold emergency program. Outside of community work, he plays drums and paints pictures. J
Steve Cordes, Chief Executive Officer, Youth Opportunities Unlimited
Steve Cordes has dedicated his career to community service. After graduating from The University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Sociology in 1984, he joined Youth Opportunities Unlimited as its first Job Developer and has led the organization as its Executive Director since 1988. Under Steve’s leadership, the organization has grown to an award winning agency in the areas of youth employment, social enterprise and affordable housing. He recently lead the organization and its partners in a major project; a Housing First youth shelter, and is currently leading another significant project; a youth wellness hub. This hub that will include affordable housing, healthcare, education and employment supports for young adults. Steve has been awarded 2 Paul Harris Fellowships through Rotary International, an Honourary Diploma from Fanshawe College and is a graduate of Community Shift through Ivey Business School. Whether in a public spotlight, on social media or in his daily work, Steve shares his passion for community, youth development and values-based leadership. He lives an active life that includes daily cycling, long distance running and extensive time spent with family.
Kylee Swift, Lead for Operations and Sustainability, Reciprocal Consulting
Kylee Swift (she/her) is a Métis woman, with family roots in the Red River Valley. Kylee began work with Reciprocal Consulting in 2005, and since that time has had the opportunity to work on a number of diverse research and evaluation projects across Canada. Kylee Swift completed her BA in English Literature at Simon Fraser University. In addition to research and evaluation experience, Kylee is also an experienced editor and spent several years working in the area of shared governance. Kylee is passionate about advancing equity and justice for Indigenous peoples in Canada, and as the mother of four, has a particular interest in contributing to the holistic well-being of children, youth and families through strength-based research and evaluation.