The Community Council is a criminal diversion program for Aboriginal offenders - adult and youth - who live in Toronto. The project takes Aboriginal offenders out of the criminal justice system and brings them before members of the Aboriginal community. The members of the Council are men and women who represent a cross-section of Toronto's Aboriginal community. The focus of the Community Council is to develop a plan by consensus that will allow the offender to take responsibility for his/her actions, address the root causes of the problem, an reintegrate him/her into the community in a positive way.

The concept of the Community Council is not new -- it is the way justice was delivered in Aboriginal communities in Central and Eastern Canada for centuries before the arrival of Europeans to North America and also the way that disputes continue to be informally resolved in many reserve communities across the country. This is the first project to apply these principles in an urban setting.

The role of volunteers is crucial to the success of the Community Council Program. On November, 20, 2003, the Toronto YMCA honoured Jackie Jocko-Alton, one of our Community Council volunteers with the Peacemaker of the Year Award. Jackie passed away in August 2005. To read Jackie's acceptance speech, click here.

Background

The two documents below provide some background on the development of the Community Council:

A book about the Community Council - Reclaiming Aboriginal Justice, Identity, and Community - has been published by Purich Publishing. The book, by Craig Proulx, provides a detailed analysis of the Council including how the hearing process works and the relationship of the Council to other Aboriginal initiatives in the city. For information on ordering the book, please click on the link below:

Protocols With the Crown

The relationship between the Community Council and the Crown Attorneys Office is the subject of specific protocols:

Evaluations

The Community Council has been the subject of a number of evaluations. The executive summary from the most recent evaluation by Jane Campbell & Associates can be found in the link below:

This article from Young People's Press provides additional information on the Community Council

Child Welfare Community Council

In the fall of 2007, ALST will launch its Child Welfare Community Council (CWCC). The CWCC is an extension of our Community Council program but with a focus on resolving child welfare matters involving Aboriginal families. More information on the operation of the CWCC will be posted in the near future. As with the current Community Council program, the CWCC will rely heavily on the skills of volunteers from the Aboriginal community.

For background on the process for applying to be a Community Council member, please click here.

For the application form itself, please click here.