By Leah Murray

Mayor pushing for Child Advocacy Centre in Medicine Hat

Jul 12, 2017 | 5:03 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — More work is being done to bring a child advocacy centre to Medicine Hat.

In April, former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy held a screening of his documentary ‘Swift Current’ at Medicine Hat College, and led a discussion about developing a centre in the region.

One already exists in Calgary. The centre brings police, Alberta Health Services, councillors and even prosecutors together under one roof.

Kennedy said when they have to go to all these services separately, it can take upwards of a year or more for them to get the help they need.

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After a visit to and tour of the advocacy centre in Calgary, Mayor Ted Clugston says something like it is definitely needed here in Medicine Hat.

Now, teaming up with several other community members, Clugston says they are getting the ball rolling.

“We put together a group, I think the last time there were 10 to 15 people from various disciplines that are trying to move this forward, and trying to be a ‘do’ committee and not a ‘talk committee’,” said Clugston.

The Medicine Hat Police Service deals with an average of 30 child sexual assault cases each year. They’ve said they believe there are also likely hundreds of incidents that go unreported.

Clugston believes a centre like this may encourage more victims and their families to come forward.

“People are talking about it more now than they ever have been, and recognizing [signs of abuse] and family members can recognize it,” he explained. “So I think the incident report rate will go up, especially if we have a centre.”

The Mayor said plans for a Child Advocacy Centre are still in their infancy and will take a lot of work and partnerships to get it off the ground. However, he’s confident the community and stakeholders in Medicine Hat will step up and help make the centre a reality here.