UCCM Anishnaabe Police seeks permanent funding for intimate partner violence program

The UCCM Anishnaabe Police is seeking permanent funding to continue its Lighting the Fire Within program, which aims to address intimate partner violence in the six First Nations on Manitoulin Island and surrounding area it covers.  

"[The] initiative was designed to equip law enforcement with the tools and knowledge needed to better serve communities by integrating cultural teachings, trauma-informed practices and strategic partnerships that enhance safety," said Taylor Sayers, director of corporate services for the Indigenous police force.

Police Chief James Killeen said the five-year initiative, launched in 2018, focused on establishing early intervention protocols to address domestic situations.

Using statistics on domestic violence calls, Killeen explained that police concentrated on addressing non-criminal matters to develop potential solutions before conflicts escalate into criminal incidents.

"The proposal for the project was if the police were attending an individual's residence on a regular basis, where a couple is fighting and it's a verbal argument, we would help to give them a tool kit, another alternative, to work on those issues before turned into a violent criminal episode," he said at a news conference in Toronto Friday. 

The conference brought together First Nation police services, as well as municipal and provincial police, to share the outcomes of the initiative.

"We did have a number of experts in the field, in trauma informed policing, as well as mental health experts come in to do a lot of our teachings," Killeen said. 

Community approach

Killeen said the program offers people with substance abuse and anger issues counselling to "deal with those issues before they turn into something bigger."

"They would be going and taking anger management. They would take culturally based and trauma-informed training to help them with the issues that they're experiencing within their relationship that are probably part of the root cause of why they're getting into these arguments and why it's escalating."

Police training includes cultural teachings from Indigenous elders, trauma-informed policing techniques, and specific strategies for handling domestic violence without criminal charges, said Killeen. 

"We also had trauma informed trainers come in from the United States that came in and spoke to us about a different approach to policing…  we've all seen those examples where there's someone experiencing a mental health issue, and the police are first on scene, and they don't have those tools to deal with it, and it turns, a lot of times, it turns into a horrible tragedy," he added.

Lighting the Fire Within also includes a youth sports program in which police officers participate directly in school sports. The goal is to rebuild trust and increase youth interest in law enforcement careers.

"Officers are working with youth, whether that's in the school or within the communities in order to help the children and youth understand what a healthy relationship looks like," Sayers said.

Killeen said this strategy fits the general approach of First Nation policing, which is centred on community, whereas municipal, provincial and federal policing is "very reactive." 

"If you're doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, it's not going to happen without some significant changes," he said, adding officers have to gain the trust of the communities they're working in. 

The goal of the project is to reduce domestic violence rates through training, education and direct support programs to create lasting change in policing.

"There have been some absolutely tragic and horrific issues and incidents that have happened in the Sudbury area as well as in Ontario, just in the last couple of years, that have ended in complete tragedy, and we're trying to prevent those from happening within our community," Killeen said. 

After several high-profile incidents, including a murder-suicide in Sault Ste. Marie in 2023 involving three children and two adults, numerous communities across Ontario, including Sudbury, declared intimate partner violence an epidemic.

Despite calls from the Ontario NDP and support from several municipalities, the province has yet to officially declare domestic violence an epidemic.

'We want to keep a good thing going'

Sayers explained that the initiative was initially funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada, which provided $1 million over five years. However, that funding has ended and the police force is now seeking to secure ongoing support through its agreements with provincial and federal governments. 

"We receive 52 per cent of our funding from Public Safety Canada, the federal government, and 48 per cent from the Solicitor General here in Ontario. We're now asking for additional funding from them because our communities want it, our employees want it, and we know how important it is," she said.

The UCCM Police's funding agreement with both the federal and provincial governments, which covers wages and funding for the First Nation and Inuit policing program, is set to expire at the end of March. Sayers said that the service is currently in negotiations to renew the agreement.

Killeen argues that, given the program's positive effects on the community, it should be established as a permanent funding model — not only for the UCCM police service, but for all First Nation police services. 

"The Lighting the Fire Within programming 100 per cent helped within our communities and it's unfortunate that the funding has stopped," Killeen said.  "We want to keep a good thing going, and we know that this has had positive impacts, not just within our community, but within our own police service, and we want to see that success continue." 

If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. If you're affected by family or intimate partner violence, you can look for help through crisis lines and local support services. ​​