In a reversal of its decision to cut funding for Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) as of March 31, Corrections Services of Canada (CSC) has restored $650,000 to CoSA, thanks to pushback from Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Steven Blaney, Member of Parliament Harold Albrecht of Kitchener, Ont., and Health Minister Rona Ambrose.
CoSA staff and volunteers operate in 18 programs across Canada, offering support to high-risk sexual offenders who have been released from prison. The goal is to offer practical help and friendship so that they will not re-offend and will integrate successfully into their communities. In this way the programs help protect public safety.
Supporters of CoSA have rallied to have the funding restored, as it is critical to the ongoing operation of the program. On Thursday, March 6, Minister Blaney requested that CSC reconsider the decision to withdraw funding.
Mennonite Central Committee Canada hopes for a total restoration of funding and states in a news release, “We are also thankful for the support from the Minister, Members of Parliament and others who listened to MCC’s concerns and advocated on behalf of CoSA programs.”
Read more in the March 6, 2014 article by the Edmonton Journal.
Canadian Mennonite’s previous report: Funding cut for MCC’s Circles of Support and Accountability
Listen to Carol Off's interview with Eileen Henderson, MCC, on CBC's As it Happens:
http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/popupaudio.html?clipIds=2440289374,2440289396,2440298533
—Posted March 7, 2014
Logo from the “Cosa Solidarity” Facebook page, which has garnered 528 “likes” since March 4.
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