BACKGROUND
On August 9, 1991, Nina de Villiers was abducted and murdered, while
jogging in Burlington, Ontario, by Jonathan Yeo, a man out on bail who
had a long history of violence.
Nina's tragic murder led to an outpouring of emotion from friends and
strangers alike. The messages reflected the fear that gripped the
community -- the realization this could happen to anyone, that society
is not protected by the justice system. In response to these concerns,
the de Villiers family, along with some friends, decided to launch a
petition to give Canadians a means of voicing this fear.
On February 7, 1994, The de Villiers Petition, signed by 2.5 Million
Canadians, was presented to Justice Minister Allan Rock, in Ottawa. Due to
public demand, CAVEAT continues to circulate the petition to allow concerned
Canadians, who have not already done so, to sign it.
From April to August, 1992, a
Coroner's Inquest examined Jonathan Yeo's eleven year history of attacks
on women and how he had continually slipped through cracks in the Justice
and Mental Health systems. The inquest revealed that, prior to killing
Nina de Villiers, Yeo had been released on $3000 bail, with no weapons
restrictions, after being charged with sexual assault and using a firearm.
Yeo tried to leave the country, but was stopped at the border by a U.S.
customs officer. The officer reported to Canadian Customs that Yeo seemed
dangerous and had a firearm, his bail release form, and a suicide note.
Canadian Customs officers felt they had no legal right to separate Yeo
from his weapon, even though he was in violation of his bail by trying to
leave the country. Yeo was allowed to return freely to Canada. One hour
later, Yeo abducted Nina in Burlington and killed her using the same rifle
he had used in the previous assault for which he was out on bail. Next, he
went on to murder Karen Marquis in New Brunswick and then shot himself
during a police pursuit in Hamilton, Ontario.
The jury of the Yeo Inquest produced 137 recommendations aimed at preventing
such a tragedy from happening again. CAVEAT came into formal being as a voice
committed to seeing that these recommendations are acted upon.
CAVEAT wants an integrated justice
system that shares information and is accountable for the decisions. We
seek justice, not revenge. We believe that the protection of the public
must be the overriding goal of the justice system, and that the offender's
rights should not be greater than those of the victim.
We focus on building safe and healthy communities through cooperative crime
prevention and response initiatives.
Educational Programs
An ambitious national crime prevention Conference No More Fear
is being organized for October 3-5, 1999 in Hamilton.
On November 6, 1998 CAVEAT, in partnership with Operation Springboard and The
City of Toronto, presented Community Spirit: Keeping Kids Safe, a showcase
for safe schools and communities at the St. Lawrence Market.
CAVEAT has successfully undertaken a
series of educational workshops and roundtables dealing with criminal
harassment. We intend to continue exploring this issue and to break new
ground with related concerns, such as elder abuse and workplace harassment.
A Mental Health Roundtable co-hosted
with The Schizophrenia Society of Ontario (SSO) was held at Ryerson in
Toronto. A report Meeting Our Obligations to the Seriously Mentally
Ill documented recommendations arising from that roundtable.
Publications
THE CAVEAT REPORT replaces STOPWATCH as CAVEAT's national
newsletter that keeps victims, our members and the public abreast of
current issues relating to justice and violence prevention.
THE YOUTH CHALLENGE PACKAGE is a valuable tool for anyone interested
in holding violence awareness days in their school or community. It consists
of: Break the Silence a book that provides step by step instructions
on forming committees and setting up workshops; The Resource Handbook
that gives an overview of CAVEAT's Youth Challenge; and an inspirational
Youth Challenge Video depicts the energy the '93 event.
NURTURING COLLABORATION BETWEEN FAMIliES AND SCHOOLSis an innovative
publication documenting three case studies of dynamic partnerships for safe
schools. It is a blueprint for setting up partnerships with parents, school
staff and students to deal with violence issues.
SAFETYNET PACKAGE. The 1994 CAVEAT SafetyNet
Conference assembled Canada's leading justice reform and community safety
activists. Working groups consisted of victims, victim advocates,
politicians, judges, police, customs officers, educators, psychiatrists,
and legal experts. In all, 146 recommendations for reforming the justice
system and improving public safety were produced and documented in the
SafetyNet 1994 Final Report. The report was presented to all federal,
provincial and territorial governments and, in November 1995, the
SafetyNet Report Card was released, grading governments on their responses
to the recommendations to date. Shortly thereafter, following another
successful conference, the SafetyNet 1995 Final Report was released,
containing 67 more recommendations.
| May 13, 1999 |
Victims of Crime (Bill C-79) |
| April 21, 1999 |
Criminal Harassment (Bill S-17) |
| February 19, 1998 |
DNA (Bill C-3) |
| February 1997 |
High Risk Offenders (Bill C-55) |
| November 1994 & 1995 |
Amendments to Corrections & Conditional Release Act, |
| May 1996 |
Senate & Justice, (Bill C-45) |
| May 1995 |
Violence in the Media, CRTC |
| May 16, 1995 |
Gun Control, Justice Committee |
| September 22, 1995 |
Senate (Bill C-68) |
| November 1994 |
Sentencing (Bill C-41) |
| May 1, 1995 |
Amendments to Young Offenders Act (Bill C-37) |
| October 1994 |
| May 1, 1994 |
Senate Sub-committee: Finance, Banking & Commerce,
Border Security (Bill C-2)
Crime Cards & Board Games (Bill C-80)
|
| May 1993 |
Purpose & Principles of Sentencing (Bill C-90)
Anti-Stalking & Child Protection (Bill C-126)
|
| November 1992 |
Crime Prevention, Horner Committee |
| February 1992 |
Correction & Conditional Release Act (Bill C-36) |
| December 1991 |
Gun Control (Bill C-17) |
A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
The time is ripe for the public to take a far
greater role in justice issues. Things are changing very rapidly: we are
in a revolutionary phase. Involvement and partnerships of community groups
in crime prevention is mandatory.
A major goal for CAVEAT is handing
over much of its function to the community. Through this step alone, we
will see positive, concrete changes toward a safer and more just society.
CAVEAT will continue to monitor the
administration of justice at all levels, especially victims' rights issues
and the education of the public on violence prevention.
The many CAVEAT volunteers that give
of their time and expertise must never be forgotten. They are the strong
backbone of the organization.
On behalf of CAVEAT and the board of
directors, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all our
supporting members, without whom we would not have a voice. You are the
people that allow us to be heard.
Priscilla de Villiers
President
Your Membership Helps Strengthen Our Stand.
Thank You For Your Support in 1998.
CAVEAT Chronicle - November 1999
