Restorative Justice Week runs from November 20 to 27 of this year. Individuals and groups across Canada are encouraged to observe this week in November. The Church Council on Justice and Corrections (CCJC) has resources on Restorative Justice which may be helpful to you.
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Multifaith Reflection on Restorative Justice

Across Canada, the theme for Restorative Justice Week 2008 is “Fostering a Restorative Worldview”. In Saskatoon, the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism is hosting a symposium entitled “A Multifaith Reflection on Restorative Justice … an evening of shared perspectives”. The symposium will be held Wednesday, November 19th at Knox United Church (Spadina Crescent & 24th Street) from 6 to 9:30 pm.

A meatless supper wil be shared at 6 pm, with a panel of speakers at 7 pm: Claire Ewert Fisher (Christian), Cantor Neil Schwartz (Jewish), a representative from the Islamic Association of Saskatoon, and Harvey Thunderchild (Traditional Aboriginal).

Registration: $15 before November 12th, or $18 after November 12th, $8 under-waged. Students free if registered in advance, or $8 at door. Doors open for registration at 5:15 pm. Register by cheque, payable and sent to: Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, 600 – 45th Street West, Saskatoon, SK S7L 5W9. It is necessary to know in advance if registrants plan to attend the supper. For more information call 306-653-1633.
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Remembering the Children: Aboriginal and Church Leaders prepare for Truth and Reconciliation

Cross-Canada Promotion Tour
Saskatchewan stop is March 9, 2008

Senior aboriginal and church leaders are crossing Canada this March to promote the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which is being set up as part of the healing process set out in the Indian Residential Schools Agreement.

The tour seeks to bring awareness of the TRC to the general public and especially the people of the churches. At the invitation of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, Saskatoon will be one of the 4 stops on the tour. The PCE organizing committee is made up of representatives of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, United, and Presbyterian churches and the Mennonite Central Committee. Other stops are Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver. We asked for the tour to have a Saskatchewan stop because the residential schools issue is so important in our province.

The Saskatoon event is Sunday, March 9 at the Western Development Museum, starting at 3.00 pm, concluding with a feast & round dance.

Assembly of First Nations leaders and Regional Chiefs are part of the tour, along with senior staff from the Office of the Interim Director of the TRC. The other members include the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican National Indigenous Bishop, the Moderator of the United Church of Canada and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Local church and political leaders will offer a word of welcome to the national tour team at the event. The AFN will be in touch with chiefs in the region about this, and the FSIN have been invited to be present

We are excited that this important event is coming to Saskatchewan. This is a public event. We hope you can be there and will tell others about it. There is no charge for the event. A donations basket is available. Pre-registration is strongly advised to help us plan seating, and is ESSENTIAL if you will be staying for the feast. Register by phone (306-653-1633) or email pce [at] ecumenism [dot] net or write to the PCE at 600-45th Street West, Saskatoon, S7L 5W9.

Yours sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Jan Bigland-Pritchard
Executive Director,
Prairie Centre for Ecumenism (for the Restorative Justice Committee)

For background on the TRC go to www.residentialschoolssettlement.ca
The tour website is www.rememberingthechildren.ca
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“How can we, aboriginal and non-aboriginal people, walk together to heal our communities by addressing racism, poverty, and crime?” The 2007 Restorative Justice conference will gather to consider this question on November 14 at St. Mary’s RC Hall, 211 Avenue O. South in Saskatoon. The workshop runs from 1:20 to 9 p.m.
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The deplorable conditions at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre have led to a joint letter from the Anglican, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic bishops to the editor of the StarPhoenix that was published on Friday, October 19. The bishops call for urgent attention and action to resolve the over-crowding in the jail. They also highlight the impact that overcrowding has had upon the programs of the SCC, and on the escalating fear, violence, and mental hardship of the inmates.

Together with the inter-church committee on restorative justice, the bishops invite the general public to join them for a candlelight vigil outside the Saskatoon Correctional Centre on Sunday, October 21st, at 7 p.m.

[Please note that the original StarPhoenix report included the incorrect date. The vigil will indeed be on Sunday, October 21st.]
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We encourage you to explore RJ City, a website that seeks to be “an adventurous and perhaps audacious attempt to imagine a city of 1,000,000 responding as restoratively as possible to all crimes, all victims and all offenders.” RJ is shorthand for restorative justice, an approach to justice that seeks to restore the relationships broken by criminal behaviour. “Restorative justice is a broad term which encompasses a growing social movement to institutionalize peaceful approaches to harm, problem-solving and violations of legal and human rights.” [Wikipedia] Numerous examples of restorative justice are described on this website, and elsewhere on the internet. Perhaps the most familiar form to Canadians is the use of Aboriginal sentencing circles.
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The annual Restorative Justice Week will be marked in Saskatoon by a workshop at Mount Royal Mennonite Church, Avenue O & 29th Street on November 15 at 1 p.m. Theme: “Creative Partnerships – Collaborative Action: Working Together for Restorative Justice.” The afternoon workshop will include a shared supper. Registration is $15.
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It is significant that the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism will be host Wednesday to the fifth annual conference on restorative justice. Fr. Bill Bernard, chair of the preparation committee, observes the conference goal is to bring together as many people as possible who work in the area of restorative justice. “We hope to create dialogue
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The week of November 12-19 will be observed across Canada and around the world as Restorative Justice Week. The theme for 2006 is “Creative Partnerships & Collaborative Action.” This theme celebrates the expression of the creativity found within existing partnerships and challenges us to forge new and stronger ones. These new alliances provide an opportunity to introduce restorative justice principles, values, and initiatives to broader cross sections of Canadians.
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On behalf of the Saskatoon Inner-City Council of Churches, the Saskatoon Native Ministry (Lutheran/Anglican) would like to invite you to come celebrate Restorative Justice Week at the annual Fall Feast. Please gather with us for worship in a Sacred Circle at St. Thomas Wesley United Church (20th St & Avenue H), 4 p.m. Nov. 20,
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“Walking in someone else’s shoes: Using empathy to heal conflict” is the title of the 2005 Restorative Justice Week workshop. Keynote speaker: Mary Rose Boyer, and additional workshops. At Mount Royal Mennonite Church (610 Avenue O North, Saskatoon) on November 15, from 1:30 to 9 p.m. $15 for registration, $7 for underwaged persons, students no
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