Ongoing disagreements between the regional and provincial government for responsibility in funding programs for survivors of sexual assault and gender based violence have left many of those programs chronically underfunded. In Waterloo Region, this underfunding leaves the providers of those programs pleading for donations from local residents.
In November 2023, the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region announced they had received a “transformative” donation of 250,000$ from Waterloo based millionaires Bob and Judy Astley. SASC has said the donation will “go towards a much-needed expansion of SASC’s Individual Counseling Program, which has seen unprecedented service requests in recent years.” There are over 200 survivors on the counseling waiting list.
This show features interviews with Sara Casselman, the executive director of SASCWR; Pam Wolfe, regional councillor for Cambridge; and comments provided to CKMS News by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services.
