HSJCC Biennial Conference – Striving for Inclusive Justice: Reflecting on the Past and Acting for the Future

The Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee (HSJCC) Network is a dynamic, voluntary collaboration between professionals from across the human services and justice sectors in Ontario. At the Local, Regional and Provincial levels, HSJCCs coordinate resources and plan more effectively for people with unique needs who are in conflict with the law.

The Provincial HSJCC Conference is the network’s premiere educational event – bringing together more than 600 professionals from across the human services and justice sectors to share promising practices, build cross-sector networks and engage in solutions for the people they serve. Attendees benefit from a richly engrossing program that leaves them better equipped and inspired to meet the needs of Ontarians.

The conference program will reflect a broad range of themes while showcasing work being done within the human service and justice sectors.

The need to create inclusive spaces for all vulnerable populations is an important factor to consider in creating equitable human services and justice sectors in Ontario. To address this issue, service providers are consistently working to incorporate inclusion, anti-racism, diversity and equity in their day-to-day work. Striving for Inclusive Justice: Reflecting on the past and acting for the future seeks to go beyond policy discussions to concrete and innovative actions to improve the experiences of vulnerable populations involved in the human services and justice sectors.

We are excited to announce that we have two keynote speakers this year. Our opening keynote is Devon Clunis. Devon served 29 years in the Winnipeg Police Service, retiring as Chief of Police. He was the first black Chief of Police in Canada. Devon led a transformative change in policing in Winnipeg centred on “service” to the community by transitioning from a reactive enforcement model to a proactive, community health-centred model. Devon was also invited by the Government of Ontario to serve as the Inspector General of Policing and establish the Inspectorate of Policing, the first of its kind in Canada.

Our second keynote speaker is Kerry Gladue. Kerry is an intergenerational survivor of the Residential School system, as well as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. He spent 11 years in prison and was a participant in the Calgary Drug Treatment Court Program. Now over 11 years clean and sober, Kerry’s dedication and commitment to others has been instrumental in the recovery of almost two thousand clients he served. He is now the Director of Indigenous Relations & Client Services with Simon House Recovery Centre. He was also instrumental in the creation of Simon House Recovery Centre’s Indigenous Programming, as well as IFRP (Indigenous Family Reunification Program).

We have set our registration fee at a very reasonable rate allowing many people to attend. The single registration rate is $75 per person and the fee for HSJCC members (member of a Local, Regional, Provincial and/or HSJCC Advisory Committee or Community of Practice) is $50. People with lived experience (PWLE) will receive free event registration. Please contact Jalicia Clarke, HSJCC Secretariat at jclarke@ontario.cmha.ca for the discount code. Our conference platform will also be available to all registered attendees for three months following the conference so you may view all the workshops at your own leisure.