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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 31 ,2 01 8 | 42424 Need New Windows? Diamond Award Winner Visit their showroom to shop for Windows & Doors. 3245 Harvester Rd, Burlington 905-333-6705 Need a Professional Mover? Voted BEST MOVER in Oakville. Call to get a FREE QUOTE. www.highenergytransport.com 416-684-2419 Ask us about how to get $5,000 off 905-849-7800 george@supremewindows.com www.supremewindows.com GreenOn Approved Dealer!MacNeil Guitar Lessons MacNeil Guitar Lessons All levels Private and Beginners - Advanced stephen MAcneil hons.B.A. Music 20 Years Teaching in Oakville All Styles,Technique &Theory Daytime & Evening Times Available GIVE THE GIFT OF MUSIC Refer a Friend, Get One Month FREE! 1312 Speers Rd, Oakville (905)334-5092 www.mglessons.com NOMINATED FOR 2018 CANADIAN TRAINER OF THE YEAR CHRIS LEBLANC OWNER & HEAD COACH of PRIMAL ATHLETICS LTD 461 North Service Rd. W., Ut B36 www.primalathletics.ca 647-896-3294 Follow on INSTAGRAM @chris_primalathletics 10 personal training sessions for plus HST$400 The Halton Regional Po- lice Service Board voted May 17 to officially revise the Halton police sexual as- sault investigation policy, adding a greater emphasis on victim support. One new paragraph in the policy states "the Chief of Police shall develop and maintain service directives and procedures that safe- guard victim privacy in conjunction with stan- dards established by the In- formation and Privacyformation and Privacyf Commissioner of Ontario." Another paragraph ref- erenced the recently creat- ed sexual assault advisory committee. The policy refers to this committee as a communi- ty-based stakeholders group, which includes vic- tim/survivor advocacy agencies, police and other direct service providers to survivors of sexual assault. The commit- tee's re- sponsibili- ties are spelled out in the poli- cy to in- clude: en- suring that survivors of sexual assault are provided with the best sup- port possi- ble; deter- mining whether sexual as- sault cases are being classified as they should be; and making recommenda- tions to resolve any inap- propriately classified case. The policy revision fol- lows a Globe and Mail re- port, which revealed 30 per cent of sexual assault cases reported in Halton (about 50 cases a year) were classi- fied as unfounded.fied as unfounded.f The report prompted an internal police audit of the handling of sexual as- sault cases in 2016. Halton police have empha- sized "un- founded" isfounded" isf a Uniform Crime Re- porting (UCR) term that is one way for a police ser- vice to close an oc- currence. "Un- founded"founded"f does not mean po- lice do not believe a victim or person reporting. They said all reported incidents are fully investi- gated. The policy revisions also recognized the establish- ment of a victim-advocate case-review system that provides for independent evaluation by community partners of all sexual as- sault cases classified as un- founded to determinefounded to determinef whether these cases have been appropriately classi- fied.fied.f Another change to the policy states that the police board will be provided with an annual report on the rec- ommendations of the sexu- al assault advisory commit- tee and the findings of its victim-advocate case re- views, including: • The number of sexual assault cases reported • The number of un- founded casesfounded casesf • The number of cases in- dependently reviewed by community partners • Actions taken to ad- dress the recommenda- tions of the sexual assault advisory committee The police board also voted to provide the sexual assault advisory commit- tee with $15,000 to compen- sate the various not-for- profit agencies for the use of their personnel. "I strongly support sup- porting our community partners who are helping us do a better job in this ar- ea," said Oakville Mayor and board chair Rob Bur- ton. "This is a service we are asking our community partners to provide us in or- der to enhance our credibil- ity and the quality of the job we do. I believe in paying for what we ask people tofor what we ask people tof do." The policy change and funding announcement fol-funding announcement fol-f low Halton police's release of an information guide for victims/survivors of sexu- al assault. The 20-page guide pro- vides information about what options a victim has following a sexual assaultfollowing a sexual assaultf and what they can expect from a sexual assault inves-from a sexual assault inves-f tigation and court process. It also provides informa- tion on coping strategies, fi- nancial assistance, coun- selling in Halton Region and other important re- sources. The guide also defines what sexual assault is and dispels several myths sur- rounding it. The guide states a victim does not have to say "No" to show they do not consent. "You can show that you do not consent by your words or actions, such as struggling or trying to leave. If it is necessary to use reasonable force to pro- tect yourself from being sexually assaulted - use it," says the guide. The guide also empha- sized that a person can change their mind about sexual activity. "You can take back your consent. Also, consenting to one kind of sexual activ- ity does not mean you con- sent to any other kind of sexual activity - consent must be given for each and every sexual act. You can say 'no' to anything at any time," the guide says. The guide can be found on the Halton police web- site, at haltonpolice.ca/ about/victimservices/doc- uments/Sexual_As- sault_Informa- tion_Guide_2018.pdf. NEWS Halton police revise policy on sexual assault, with emphasis on victim support Board provides $15,000 to new sexual assault advisory committee DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com "This is a service we are asking our community partners to provide us in order to enhance our credibility and the quality of the job we do. I believe in paying for what we ask people to do." -Oakville Mayor and Board Chair Rob Burton charges being laid against the mother of the child. On Thursday, May 24, 42-year-old Meredith Lis was arrested and subse- An Oakville mother has been charged in the 2017 death of her nine- year-old child. On September 4, Hal- ton police attended an Oakville home in re- sponse to a report of a dead child. Following a coroner's investigation, an exten- sive and lengthy investiga- tion ensued by members of the Halton homicide unit, which resulted in quently charged with fail- ure to provide the necessi- ties of life. She will appear in Mil- ton Court on June 19. Oakville mom charged in 2017 death of young child Please keep our community clean. Don't be a LitterBug!