The government of Saskatchewan is extending additional support to programming addressing gender-based violence.
The $1.46 million investment will help 10 organizations and programs across the province and is the latest in funding through the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence program.
“These actions reflect our work to prevent violence before it happens, support survivors, and strengthen communities,” said Alana Ross, Saskatchewan’s status of women minister, at a news conference announcing the funding Tuesday.
The province says the funding will support a range of programs over the next two years — from existing services, such as transition houses and second-stage shelters, to new, innovative ones supporting children and Indigenous communities.
The new funding is also to support group therapy camps for men who have caused harm in intimate partner relationships. These camps are operated by the Rapport Clinical Consulting Group and the Buffalo Narrows Friendship Centre.
“If we want to interrupt the cycle of abuse, we need programming for people who’ve used violence to build skills and change their behaviour,” said Crystal Giesbrecht, director of research at the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan (PATHS).
PATHS is receiving $280,000 through the latest funding announcement to support children who have experienced trauma and improve long-term educational outcomes, according to the province. The funding will also be used to provide free online workplace domestic violence training sessions to Saskatchewan businesses.
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The Saskatchewan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) will receive $250,000 to support pets caught in the middle of domestic abuse.
“Research shows that if there is violence in a home where a human is at risk and there are animals in the household, the animals are likely at risk as well and vice versa,” said John Hourie, executive director of SPCA.
The funding will target the SPCA’s animal safekeeping program, said Hourie, which provides pets with safe, temporary spaces as owners find new homes.
Offering spaces for animals is important as not all domestic violence shelters accept pets, which can often serve as a barrier for those looking to leave situations involving gender-based violence, said Hourie.
“There’s a risk there that their animal may continue being abused. But sometimes one of the big challenges, too, is that there’s just no place to go when you have a pet,” he said.
In 2024, Saskatchewan had the highest rates of police-reported intimate partner violence among all Canadian provinces — reporting 714 incidents per 100,000 people, according to Statistics Canada.
Despite the province being in its fourth year of the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence program, trends in domestic violence data remain steady.
When asked by reporters about this Tuesday, Giesbrecht explained there is often a lag in data.
“When we look at data that comes from Statistics Canada, we’re often looking at data from two years past. So it takes some time for us to see if there are changes, and then also to understand whether those are normal fluctuations or if we’re seeing rates go down,” said Giesbrecht.
Ross said the province does not have updated gender-based violence statistics, but that it has increased its support over the past four years since it has been involved in the program.
The National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence is a 10-year plan intended to provide a framework to end gender-based violence, while supporting victims and their families.
“We’re able to support more women, families, and victims of gender-based violence throughout the province in different avenues,” said Ross.
Other recipients of the latest round of funding include Anchor and Thread Community Services Inc. for counselling and administrative salaries, Regina Transition House for shelter outreach, United Way of Regina for an increased use of the 211 service and Coalition of Regional Sexual Assault Centres Inc. to expand trauma-informed training to police for sexual assault investigations.
Funding will also go towards Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan (SASS) to train criminal justice professionals in trauma- and violence-informed cultural safety practices and Muskoday First Nation to support culturally-grounded healing initiatives for women, girls and Two-Spirit+ individuals affected by intimate partner violence, according to the government.
Recipients of the funding are expected to perform check-ins with the province on its programming throughout the year.
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