Detailed Schedule
7:00am | Crystal Ballroom 2 & 3
Breakfast
8:00am | Crystal Ballroom 2 & 3
Welcome & Opening
Guest Speakers: Attorney General Niki Sharma, Solicitor General Nina Krieger, Warren Hooley
8:30 – 10:00 am | Keynote Presentation | Crystal Ballroom 2 & 3
Restorative Justice & Community: Reclaiming Connection and Responsibility for Our Neighbour
Restorative justice often focuses on those who have been harmed and those responsible for harm. Yet communities are rarely invited to fully inhabit their role in the restoration process. Drawing on themes from The Little Book of Restorative Justice and Community: Reclaiming Connection and Responsibility for Our Neighbors, this keynote explores how healing and accountability are strengthened when neighbors, families, institutions, and bystanders embrace their shared responsibility for one another. Through stories, practical examples, and a restorative lens grounded in connection, participants will examine how communities can move from spectators to active partners in repair. Together, we will explore how many voices, woven into connected circles of care and accountability, create the conditions for belonging, resilience, and collective healing.
Caitlin Morneau is an author, educator, circlekeeper, speaker, and community organizer dedicated to community-based, healing-oriented solutions to harm and injustice. Caitlin is the co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Justice & Community: Reclaiming Connection and Responsibility for our Neighbors (Good Books, 2026) with Sheryl Wilson. She was also lead adapter of Harm, Healing, and Human Dignity: A Catholic Encounter with Restorative Justice (Liturgical Press, 2018) and host of the Encounters with Dignity podcast. As Director of Restorative Justice at Catholic Mobilizing Network, she is committed to an ethic of human dignity and mutuality that builds relationships and capacity among people of faith to engage with the national restorative justice movement. Caitlin holds an MA in Conflict Transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University and a Certificate in Pastoral Studies Catholic Theological Union. Caitlin lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, two children, and black lab.
Sheryl R. Wilson, M.L.S., is the Vice President of Culture and Belonging at Bethel College (KS) and a nationally recognized practitioner, educator, and thought leader in restorative justice with more than 20 years of experience. Her work spans higher education, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies, both nationally and internationally. Her work also includes facilitating restorative dialogues and community mediation, circle processes, and research.
Sheryl has taught restorative justice at the college level and has extensive experience in community outreach, victim-offender dialogue, and victim advocacy in capital cases. She holds a Master of Liberal Studies degree with a restorative justice focus from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, is a Kansas state-approved mediator, and has served by appointment on the Kansas Supreme Court’s Advisory Council on Dispute Resolution. She is also a past President of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ).
She is co-author of The Little Book of Restorative Justice and Community: Reclaiming Connection and Responsibility for Our Neighbors (2026), a recent publication that centers the essential role of community in restorative practice and advances a relational approach to justice. Her additional scholarship includes the chapter “Calling Out Whiteness” in Colorizing Restorative Justice and “Leveraging Slow Leadership to Develop Deans” in Developing Deans: Transforming Academic Leadership (2026), co-authored with Bethel professors Christine Crouse-Dick and Rachel Epp Buller.
At Bethel College, Sheryl is the founding leader of the Truth, Community Healing, and Transformation (TCHT) Campus Center and previously served as Executive Director of the Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (KIPCOR). She is also a co-founder of the Slow Leadership Institute, advancing a human-centered approach to leadership grounded in deep listening, prioritizing relationships and restorative practices.
10:30 – 10:45 am | Break
10:45 am – 12:15 am | Presentations/Workshops
Strengthening the Roots: Deepening Knowledge for Alternative Pathways to Accountability
Presenter: Ellie Hughes & Dalya Israel
Room: Tiffany A
Survivors of sexualized violence consistently tell us that the criminal legal system does not meet their needs. At the same time, restorative and transformative justice pathways remain difficult to access, inconsistently available, and often lack the infrastructure, resources, and sector-wide capacity needed to support survivors safely and effectively.
This 90-minute reflective workshop will explore how we can collectively strengthen our capacity to support accountability beyond the carceral system. Drawing from Salal’s Strengthening the Roots project, we will share themes emerging from listening circles and community conversations with survivors, anti-violence workers, restorative justice practitioners, and consider how these insights can shape responses that more meaningfully meet survivors’ needs. Across both the anti-violence and restorative justice sectors, there is growing interest in alternative approaches to accountability following sexualized violence. Yet many survivors continue to face significant barriers to accessing these pathways, while service providers and practitioners often report lacking the resources, relationships, and capacity needed to support them effectively.
Participants will be invited to reflect on questions that emerged throughout this work: How do survivors conceptualize accountability outside of the criminal legal system? What supports are needed before restorative or transformative processes can be considered viable options? What barriers currently prevent survivors from accessing these pathways? How can anti-violence and restorative justice sectors work together to create safer, more accessible, and more responsive options?
The session will also explore some of the tensions and complexities that arise when discussing accountability for sexual harm, including power dynamics, community relationships, shame, repair, and prevention. We will examine some of the dichotomies that can emerge in this work, including the separation of those who have experienced harm from those who have caused it, and consider how these binaries can sometimes limit opportunities for prevention, accountability, and healing. Participants will be invited to reflect on what it means to hold compassion and accountability simultaneously while continuing to centre survivor autonomy, choice, and safety.
Rather than presenting a single model or solution, this workshop aims to create space for dialogue, reflection, and collective learning. Together, we will explore what survivors are telling us, where current responses fall short, and what capacities, relationships, and infrastructure are needed to expand meaningful pathways to accountability after sexualized violence. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges of alternative accountability pathways, as well as practical considerations for strengthening capacity within their own organizations, sectors, and communities.
This workshop is intended for restorative justice practitioners, anti-violence workers, educators, community organizations, and anyone interested in expanding survivor-centred approaches to accountability and healing.
Ellie Hughes (she/her) is the Manager of Social Change at Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre. Originally from the UK, Ellie is a trained midwife, feminist, and passionate advocate for gender equity and health justice. Her clinical background continues to shape her commitment to survivor-centred, trauma-informed care.
Her work focuses on collaborating across sectors to strengthen systems of care and improve access to equitable, survivor-centred support. At Salal, Ellie builds partnerships across healthcare, government, community organizations, and the anti-violence sector to advance initiatives that improve survivors’ experiences of care. She is part of the team developing Vancouver’s first Integrated Sexual Assault Clinic, helping create an additional option for survivors to access comprehensive, survivor-centred healthcare outside of the hospital setting.
Her work is carried out on the stolen and unceded Coast Salish territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, and is grounded in a commitment to addressing the colonial roots of gender-based violence and working in solidarity with Indigenous communities.
Dalya Israel (she/her) is Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre’s (previously WAVAW) Executive Director. Dalya began her journey at Salal in 2002 as a volunteer and later went on to join the Victim Services Program in 2005. For the past 21 years she has had the honour of supporting survivors as they navigated systems after sexual violence and harm while also amplifying survivors’ voices in circles of influence in order to make substantive changes that reflect the lived experience of survivors Salal serves. Dalya has presented on the impact of rape culture on Prosecutions and Investigations at BC’s Judicial Conference, was on the Justice System Policy committee for Canada’s Gender Equality Network, is a member of the Restorative City Collective and is currently a member on E Division’s External Advocate Case Review team.
Deep DEI: The Power & Privilege Wheel for RJ
Presenters: Felix Gilliland and Kluane Atwater
Room: Tiffany B
This workshop is designed for RJ volunteers and practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of intersectionality. It will introduce participants to the wheel of power and privilege, and we will go beyond explanation of terms and concepts as participants are invited into an embodied, guided reflection on how to move past shame and ethically hold power. Participants will be introduced to a nested model of conflict analysis and will have the opportunity to contextualize an RJ case in systems of power. We’ll also explore the differences between social service and social change and discuss how RJ can contribute to liberation. Finally, we’ll brainstorm together ways to address systemic power and privilege in RJ processes. Participants will walk away with their own ‘guiding star’ values reflection to support them in the courageous work of addressing power and privilege in their RJ cases.
Felix Gilliland is a DEI consultant and educator with a decade of experience in systems change. They are also a community organizer, and a grad student studying infighting in queer social movement spaces. Their background is in feminist antiviolence, and these days they work at the Comox Valley Community Justice Centre as a Community Engagement Coordinator. Their consultation work focuses on trans-affirming practice in gendered spaces, survivor-centered praxis for alternative justice models, and queer and trans education in corporate and social spaces.
Kluane Atwater (they/them) is a restorative practitioner, mediator and facilitator with over a decade of experience in justice and conflict transformation. Kluane has facilitated over 100 complex restorative and transformative justice processes in both English and French. They are a white, queer non-binary settler of European ancestry (Swiss, French and Irish). They have managed the City of Nanaimo’s Restorative Justice Program and worked with TRANSFORM, Restorative Justice Victoria’s specialized sexual harm and intimate partner violence program. Kluane holds a Master’s in Peace & Conflict Studies from the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica. Outside of work, Kluane enjoys walking in the Cumberland forest with their rescue corgi, sitting on the Cumberland Culture and Arts Board and hosting dinner parties.
Building Capacity to Work on RJ Cases Involving Sexualized Violence Part 1
Presenters: Alan Edwards & Stella Braun
Room: Tiffany C
This is a 2-part workshop. Part 1 will take place on day 1 of the symposium and part 2 will take place on day 2 of the symposium
As the public conversation grows about the need for survivors of sexualized violence to be offered justice options that are in addition to (or instead of) the court process, a lot of attention has focused on whether restorative justice may be a meaningful possibility. We in RJ have tended to see cases of sexualized violence as being ‘off-limits’ for our programs and practitioners, yet we are now faced with growing pressure and scrutiny – from survivors and survivor-serving organizations, from the criminal justice system, from the political realm – about our level of readiness to do this kind of work well. How we respond in this moment is of crucial importance. So, how do we do right by survivors and persons responsible? What do practitioners need to know in order to be ready to handle the many additional considerations, complexities, and needs of this work? What is considered best practice in RJ and sexualized violence work? What are the dangers to participants of our simply applying our usual approach to RJ to these cases? What are some of the consequences of poor practice? This two-part workshop will address these questions and more. In Part 1, we will look at the landscape of sexualized violence to see what the many elements are that we need to be very aware of and skilled about when approaching casework. Part 2 will examine what specific needs that survivors and persons responsible bring, and how we must be committed to changing important aspects of our approach in order to meet their needs. Finally, we will create a ‘roadmap’ for practitioners and programs to help them prepare for their first cases of sexualized violence. This workshop is intended for experienced RJ facilitators and program managers, gender-based violence workers, and survivors.
For over 25 years, Alan Edwards worked as a facilitator on cases of serious and violent crime, mostly in the Restorative Opportunities Program of Correctional Service Canada. In 2017-18, he was a member of the University of Alberta’s Working Group on Restorative Initiatives for Sexual Violence. In 2019-20, he was one of two RJ specialists who developed and delivered training for the Department of National Defence’s Restorative Engagement Program, which is an RJ response to sexualized violence in the military. Alan retired from casework at the end of 2025 and now delivers training and workshops about the use of RJ in cases of sexualized violence.
Stella Braun is an advocate and speaker focused on the process of healing and justice after sexual violence. Drawing on her experience with restorative justice, she illustrates the possibilities of survivor-centred approaches that prioritize accountability, repair, and meaningful transformation. Stella is committed to challenging rape culture and expanding conversations around consent, justice, and healing. She has presented at conferences and in academic settings, offering firsthand insight into restorative processes and their impact on survivors.
Yes, And: Applied Improvisation for Restorative Teams and Circles
Presenter: Graeme Duffy & William Pozzobon
Room: Waterford
Circles require collaboration. Teams require trust. Client relationships require presence. Applied improvisation trains all three at once — not through theory, but through doing.
This workshop is built for frontline restorative justice workers and volunteers who want practical tools for the real challenges of the work: building cohesion with a team that rarely has time to connect, facilitating circles where the dynamic can shift without warning, and showing up for clients in a way that makes them feel genuinely received rather than processed. The foundational principle is simple. In improvisation, “Yes, And” means you receive what someone offers before deciding what to do with it. You do not redirect, correct, or manage. You accept the offer and build on it. This is also the discipline at the heart of restorative practice — and it is one of the hardest things to do consistently under pressure. Participants will work through a structured sequence of exercises that build listening, responsiveness, and collaborative instinct. The exercises move from pairs to small groups to the full room, increasing in complexity as trust builds. Each activity is debriefed with a direct connection to restorative practice — team dynamics, circle facilitation, or client relationships. This is not a comedy workshop. It is not a performance. There are no audience members and no one is asked to be funny. But laughter does happen — and in a symposium where participants are also carrying heavy content from other sessions, that matters. The kind of laughter that comes from genuine human connection, from being truly seen by the person across from you, is not a distraction from the work. It is a form of relief that creates safety. It loosens what is held tight. It reminds people in this field — who regularly sit with harm, grief, and conflict — that joy and rigour are not opposites. Participants will leave with practical skills they can use the next day in their teams, their circles, and with the people they serve. They will also leave having laughed with strangers in a way that, by the end of ninety minutes, will not feel strange at all. This workshop is designed for frontline RJ staff, volunteers, circle keepers, intake workers, and program coordinators — anyone who works in or alongside restorative processes and wants practical tools for their teams and their practice. No performance background or prior experience with improvisation is required.
Graeme Duffy is a Restorative Justice practitioner with the City of Campbell River, where he has spent years facilitating restorative processes across a wide range of community and criminal justice contexts. Alongside his RJ practice, Graeme is a professionally trained actor and improviser with over 100 performance credits and extensive experience applying improvisation principles in professional development and training settings. He brings both the practitioner’s understanding of what restorative work actually demands and the improviser’s toolkit for training the skills that make it possible.
William Pozzobon is a Restorative Justice practitioner, professionally trained actor, and improviser holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University. For decades he delivered curriculum for SafeTeen, one of Canada’s leading youth violence prevention organizations, working directly with at-risk youth, educators, and communities locally, nationally, and internationally. As Director of the SafeTeen Boys Program, William trained new Agents for Change and co-led educator trainings focused on gender, violence, and healthy masculinity. In 2011 he delivered a TEDx Talk, Breaking the Boys Code of Masculinity, which has accumulated over 250,000 views. William is also an entrepreneur with experience building and leading community-facing initiatives. He brings to this workshop a rare combination: deep practitioner experience with some of the most vulnerable populations in the country, and the improviser’s discipline for training the presence, flexibility, and human connection that restorative work requires.
12:15 – 2:00 pm | Extended Lunch break
1:00 – 1:45 pm | Engagement Room – The Little Book of Restorative Justice and Community: Reclaiming Connection and Responsibility for Our Neighbors – Book signing
2:00 – 4:00 pm | Presentations/Workshops
Holding Space in Times of Change
Presenter: Aslam Bulbulia
Room: Tiffany A
- Read the room: Surface the themes, “hot spots,” and emotions that usually stay under the surface
- Value the “no”: Ensure that divergent voices and perspectives are heard before they turn into hidden tensions
- Show the group to itself: Reflect back the themes, tensions, and experiences in a way that allows the whole group to hold them
Aslam Bulbulia (he/him) is a new settler on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ / sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) land from South Africa, with Indian heritage. He has a background in Political Science and Philosophy and during postgraduate studies explored city planning, Islamic law and spirituality, user-centred design and decoloniality.He has worked on a wide variety of projects that range from teaching and arts organizing to various positions within local and provincial governments in South Africa and Canada. He has a Certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement from SFU where he serves as an advisor, and serves on the faculty of Inner Activist. He has previously led Community Engagement Initiatives at the SFU’s Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies, and co-hosted the RADIUS Fellowship.
Circles in the Classroom: Building Community Before Conflict
Presenter: Sophie Konrad & Miriam Milton
Room: Tiffany B
This workshop offers an experiential introduction to NSRJ’s Restorative Schools Program (RSP) – a weekly Circles in Schools initiative developed as a direct, preventative response to a rise in youth files diverted to restorative justice. Rooted in NSRJ’s strengths-based, community-centered approach, this workshop emphasizes the powerful restorative work that happens before harm occurs, through connection, communication, and belonging. During our workshop, participants will be guided through an example of a typical weekly Circle in a classroom. We will begin with an “opening round” to set the tone and invite presence, playfulness, and curiosity. Next we will move into the creation of a “community agreement” to introduce the talking piece and underline key principles of Circle such as choice, no judgement, and sharing voice/space. Following this portion, we’ll engage in a short “light and lively” icebreaker, an integral component that helps build energy and trust. Our first main activity will be “concentric circles,” an activity about assumptions and life beliefs meant to deepen connection and dialogue across different identities and backgrounds. The second main activity will be “step in / crossover,” which is about perspective taking, power and privilege, and interconnectedness across journeys of adversity and resiliency. Finally, we’ll invite the group into a final debrief to reflect on the experience and possible applications.
Throughout the entirety of the workshop, facilitators will pause to answer questions, discuss facilitation choices, and invite conversation about how these practices translate into real school settings. Facilitators will share practical, transferable tools including: a framework for how to set up and facilitate a Circle in their classroom or school community and why the flow/structure of Circle is important, tips for student engagement (how to encourage genuine, diverse engagement and navigate disruptions with a restorative approach), restorative questions to use when responding to harm or conflict (we could explore the concepts of radical curiosity and calling in versus calling out), and strategies for building a restorative culture – not just responding to conflict, but preventing it, especially by supporting and empowering students to utilize restorative practices when in conflict with their peers. This workshop is intended for educators (K–12), school administrators, and restorative practitioners working with or interested in youth-centered, community-building approaches to restorative justice.
Sophie Konrad is a graduate of UBC in International Relations where she learned how global theories of development and social change can be implemented on a local level. She is passionate about social justice and brings years of experience in youth facilitation, community engagement, and inclusive programming. Growing up in North Vancouver, Sophie was privileged to take part in programs that educated and empowered young people, and she now hopes to facilitate that same journey for folks in a community she so deeply cares about.
Miriam Milton (she/her) is a restorative justice practitioner with North Shore Restorative Justice Society, where she is a facilitator with the Restorative Response Program. This program centres the needs of both those harmed and those who have caused harm- identifying root causes, understanding impacts, and supporting meaningful amends. With over seven years of experience across Alberta and B.C., her work has spanned coordinating restorative programs for incarcerated women, designing conflict-resolution and social-emotional learning workshops for youth, and embedding accessibility, neurodivergence, and gender-affirming practices into program design. Grounded in anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approaches, Miriam holds a BA in History with a focus on Indigenous history and systemic inequities. She brings a deep belief that healing is collective, and that restorative justice must adapt to the full diversity of human experience. When she’s not working, you might find her playing violin in local ensembles, experimenting with new recipes to share with friends, or getting lost in a good documentary.
Building Allyship in Restorative Practice: From Bystanding to Belonging
Presenter: Palash Sanyal
Room: Tiffany C
Palash Sanyal is a facilitator, coach, and governance advisor with over 15 years of experience supporting organizations and communities through leadership development, conflict engagement, and inclusive decision-making. He is the Principal of Governing Water Inc., where he works with boards, public sector organizations, and community groups to navigate complexity with clarity and care.
Palash has delivered training and facilitation across Canada and internationally, including work with Indigenous communities, nonprofits, and global institutions. While continuing to deepen his practice in restorative justice, he is an active member of the Saskatchewan Restorative Justice Network and brings a relational, listening-centered approach to his work. His facilitation focuses on creating spaces where people feel safe to speak, reflect, and engage across difference with honesty and respect.
Inherited Stories, Restorative Futures: An Embodied Storytelling Workshop
Presenter: Justine Abigail Yu
Room: Waterford
How can creative storytelling bring us closer to healing and repair? What do our stories of home and heritage have to teach us about how we move through the world and with each other?
Through gentle movement, creative writing, art-making, and caring conversations, this embodied storytelling playshop invites us to explore the importance of migration, language, and cultural traditions in how we relate to and connect with each other. We’ll explore different creative modalities that open up conversations shaping our understanding of harm and healing, of rupture and repair.
No writing or art-making experience is necessary. Come as you are with an open mind and a willingness to create, listen, and share at your own pace.
In this workshop, you will:
- Explore creative storytelling practices that deepen connection, opening up pathways to healing and repair
- Learn how to cultivate a brave space for people from racialized communities to share their stories on their own terms and in the language(s) of their choice
- Develop workshop design skills that are accessible to diverse communities
- Flex your own creative muscles through writing and art-making!
At Living Hyphen, our workshops aim to cultivate courageous and tender storytelling. This workshop is guided by the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method, which emphasizes that every person is a writer/artist, and every writer/artist deserves a safe environment to experiment, learn, and develop their craft.
Justine Abigail Yu (she/her) is the founder of Living Hyphen, a community that explores what it means to live in between cultures as a hyphenated Canadian – an individual who calls Canada home but has roots elsewhere. She is an award-winning workshop facilitator who has worked with school boards, settlement agencies, arts and culture institutions, and the prison system, among many other spaces.
Her work has appeared in the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, CTV National News, and CBC. Recognized as a “Changemaker” by the Toronto Star, Justine is a fierce advocate for equity and anti oppression, inspiring participants to explore creativity, identity, and social change through writing and storytelling.
4:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Closing Remarks
4:30 pm – 7:00 pm | Headshot Station
Room: Crystal Ballroom 1
The free professional headshot station will be available from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM. This drop-in opportunity is open to all symposium attendees—no appointment or preparation is required. Come as you are, have your photo taken, and your headshot will be emailed directly to you for use in professional profiles, speaker bios, organizational materials, and more.
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Networking Event
Room: Baccarat Room
The networking event will take place from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on the first day of the symposium. Appetizers will be provided, and drinks will be available for purchase.
The evening will feature live entertainment from the Byrne Creek High School Jazz Band, along with a themed photo booth for attendees to enjoy and capture moments from the evening.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to take part in a fun, fast-paced trivia night. Test your knowledge and enjoy some friendly competition while connecting with fellow symposium participants. A selection of surprise door prizes will also be given away throughout the evening.
7:00am | Crystal Ballroom 2 & 3
Breakfast
8:00 am | Crystal Ballroom 2 & 3
Welcome & Opening
Guest speaker: Grand Chief Honourable Steven Point
9:00 – 10:30 am | Keynote Panel | Crystal Ballroom 2 & 3
Restorative Justice & Sexual Harm
This panel brings together diverse perspectives to explore the transformative potential of restorative justice in response to sexual harm. Through the voices of a survivor (Candace), therapist (Leita), university educator (Alana), and victim services provider (Roselle), participants will gain insight into how the impact of restorative justice can extend out from those most impacted to transform both educational and carceral spaces. Grounded in lived and living experiences, the discussion will examine the emotional, relational, and systemic impacts of sexual harm, and how restorative justice can create space for dialogue, validation, and survivor-centered responses. Panelists will reflect on the importance of safety, consent, trauma-informed practice, and the role of community in supporting those affected by sexual harm. The panel will also include the voice of the person who caused harm, shared through a letter, offering a perspective on accountability, reflection, and the possibilities—and limitations—of repair.
This session invites participants to engage critically with restorative justice as one possible approach to addressing sexual harm—one that prioritizes dignity, responsibility, and the potential for healing, while recognizing the complexity and care such processes require.
Candace Wood is an advocate, speaker, author, and survivor who uses her lived experience to contribute to conversations surrounding restorative justice, healing, accountability, and sexualized violence. Through her advocacy, Candace speaks openly about the realities of trauma, recovery, and navigating systems after surviving sexual violence. Her work focuses on creating space for honest dialogue while encouraging education, empathy, accountability, and meaningful change within communities and justice systems.
Candace has participated directly in restorative justice processes and has become passionate about the impact restorative practices can have when approached with responsibility, safety, and genuine accountability. She brings a unique perspective shaped not only by survival, but also by her willingness to engage in difficult conversations surrounding harm, rehabilitation, and healing. She has also spoken during university criminology and law courses, sharing her experiences and perspectives with students and future professionals entering the justice field.
In addition to her advocacy work, Candace is an author and founder of Potent Publishing. Her work centers around storytelling, recovery, connectedness, and creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and understood.
Candace is honored to be speaking at the Fourth Annual Provincial Restorative Justice Symposium alongside professionals and leaders in the fields of restorative justice, victim services, criminology, and healing-centered practice.
Leita McInnis (she/her) is an organizer, advocate, and therapist who is honoured to support people impacted by violence, policing, and the criminal (in)justice systems. Drawing on anti-oppressive, transformative, and relational approaches in her practice, she works to support individuals as they unpack the impacts of systemic oppression and journey towards healing, wholeness, and reclamation. Prioritizing community-led initiatives and supporting those already doing this work, Leita is committed to radical compassion, curiosity, and humility.
Her practice focuses on the complexities of violence, dismantling the perpetrator/survivor binary, accountability, repair, and transformation. She holds the deep belief that no one is disposable and comes to this work with a commitment to decolonization, resistance, and the de-professionalization of therapy.
Roselle Quinones is the Victim Services Coordinator with the Port Moody Police Department and has over 20 years of frontline and leadership experience supporting individuals impacted by crime and trauma. Her work focuses on providing crisis intervention, emotional support, and guidance on community resources and the criminal justice system.
Roselle serves on the Police Victim Services of BC (PVSBC) Board of Directors as the Municipal Victim Services Program Representative and acts as the Liaison to the Restorative Justice Association of BC (RJABC) Board. Through these dual roles, she helps foster collaboration and dialogue between victim services and restorative justice programs, strengthening approaches that support those who have been harmed, those who have caused harm, and the broader community.
In addition to her liaison role, Roselle is the President of PVSBC and a Director with RJABC, where she continues to champion trauma‑informed practice, partnership‑building, and innovative service delivery to support victims of crime and trauma.
10:30-10:45 am | Break
10:45 am – 12:15 pm | Presentations/Workshops
Building Peace in Schools: Restorative Practice for Working with Youth
Presenter: Meg Chamberlin
Room: Tiffany A
K–12 educators and youth workers are architects of belonging, creating spaces that foster connection, support equity, address conflict, and guide harm repair. As we seek to build empathy and inclusive, equitable, and resilient communities while moving beyond ineffective punitive behaviour management, we can look to restorative practices (RP) for a tangible path forward. RP provides a framework for those working with youth to build authentic relationships, support social-emotional development, guide community collaboration, and respond to harm effectively (Augustine, et al., 2018; Morrison, 2005; Thorsborne & Blood, 2013).
This practical, highly interactive workshop explores restorative practices (RP) as a scaffold for building empathy, accountability, and community within schools and youth organizations. Grounded in current neuroscience and educational research, participants will engage in case studies, storytelling, role plays, problem solving, and guided discussion through application of key restorative tools, including:
- Community-building circles – creating space for many voices to be heard
- Affective questions – shifting from punitive to restorative responses to conflict
- Fair process framework – supporting transparency and equitable process
- Restorative reintegration – repairing harm while reducing the risk of re-traumatization
Schools implementing restorative practices report improved school climate, stronger sense of belonging, and increased student well-being, alongside reductions in bullying, violence, and repeat disciplinary issues (Fabris, 2025; Huang, et al., 2023; Brummer & Thorsborne, 2024). Participants will leave equipped with practical restorative strategies and adaptable resources they can immediately apply in their classroom, educator gatherings, or youth programs to build authentic relationships, respond to conflict, and increase accountability.
This session also supports connection among participants, strengthening the network of those working with youth in ways that respect diversity, honour culture, and address systemic factors that contribute to harm. Together, we will explore how to foster more inclusive, joyful, and resilient communities in schools and youth organizations. This workshop is intended for participants who works with young people, particularly focused in schools and youth organizations (e.g. K-12 educators, counselors, coaches, youth workers, and community workers).
Meg Chamberlin is a global K–12 educational leader with 20 years of experience in schools across five continents. She specializes in helping schools to implement restorative practice frameworks, training students, staff, and families to build inclusive, accountable, and relationship-centered communities. Through a trauma-informed lens, her work enhances student wellness, empathy, and conflict-resolution capacity while reducing repeat disciplinary issues and interpersonal harm. Meg holds a Master’s in Human Security and Peacebuilding and has presented regularly at global education conferences, including the Canadian Association of Principals Conference, International Baccalaureate Global Conference Singapore and EduFest Switzerland. Meg brings deep expertise in global citizenship education and cross-cultural competency; she is known for cultivating the re-humanization of education and helping educators transform school culture through collective efficacy in peacebuilding.
Longhouse Initiative
Presenter: Faith Tait & Pamela Martin
Room: Tiffany B
Reviving the longhouse in Nisga’a Nation. The Vision: To have a longhouse in each village that acts as a gathering place for ceremony, wellness, and healing. To empower Chiefs and Matriarchs as the authority of their Wilp to identify and practice traditional responses to conflict. To include Nisga’a laws and practices within the Canadian Justice system. To have a Nation where everyone plays a role in promoting the safety of Nisga’a Citizens through knowledge and understanding of Nisga’a laws and traditions.
This workshop will provide an understanding of first nations process of resolving conflict. The workshop is intended for restorative justice practitioners and court personnel.
Faith Tait is the Justice Department Manager for Nisga’a Lisims Government.
Faith Tait is from the Grizzly Bear clan, a mother and grandmother.
Faith Tait believes that her leadership style stem from her roots as a Nisga’a groomed by the traditional teaching of her grandmothers, the importance of healing the spirit you were born with. The ultimate goal of the Nisga’a Justice is “to empower the Nisga’a house system to be involved in resolution of issues a Nisga’a member may be facing”.
Building Capacity to Work on RJ Cases Involving Sexualized Violence Part 2
Presenters: Alan Edwards & Stella Braun
Room: Tiffany C
This is a 2-part workshop. Part 1 will take place on day 1 of the symposium and part 2 will take place on day 2 of the symposium
As the public conversation grows about the need for survivors of sexualized violence to be offered justice options that are in addition to (or instead of) the court process, a lot of attention has focused on whether restorative justice may be a meaningful possibility. We in RJ have tended to see cases of sexualized violence as being ‘off-limits’ for our programs and practitioners, yet we are now faced with growing pressure and scrutiny – from survivors and survivor-serving organizations, from the criminal justice system, from the political realm – about our level of readiness to do this kind of work well. How we respond in this moment is of crucial importance. So, how do we do right by survivors and persons responsible? What do practitioners need to know in order to be ready to handle the many additional considerations, complexities, and needs of this work? What is considered best practice in RJ and sexualized violence work? What are the dangers to participants of our simply applying our usual approach to RJ to these cases? What are some of the consequences of poor practice? This two-part workshop will address these questions and more. In Part 1, we will look at the landscape of sexualized violence to see what the many elements are that we need to be very aware of and skilled about when approaching casework. Part 2 will examine what specific needs that survivors and persons responsible bring, and how we must be committed to changing important aspects of our approach in order to meet their needs. Finally, we will create a ‘roadmap’ for practitioners and programs to help them prepare for their first cases of sexualized violence. This workshop is intended for experienced RJ facilitators and program managers, gender-based violence workers, and survivors.
For over 25 years, Alan Edwards worked as a facilitator on cases of serious and violent crime, mostly in the Restorative Opportunities Program of Correctional Service Canada. In 2017-18, he was a member of the University of Alberta’s Working Group on Restorative Initiatives for Sexual Violence. In 2019-20, he was one of two RJ specialists who developed and delivered training for the Department of National Defence’s Restorative Engagement Program, which is an RJ response to sexualized violence in the military. Alan retired from casework at the end of 2025 and now delivers training and workshops about the use of RJ in cases of sexualized violence.
Stella Braun is an advocate and speaker focused on the process of healing and justice after sexual violence. Drawing on her experience with restorative justice, she illustrates the possibilities of survivor-centred approaches that prioritize accountability, repair, and meaningful transformation. Stella is committed to challenging rape culture and expanding conversations around consent, justice, and healing. She has presented at conferences and in academic settings, offering firsthand insight into restorative processes and their impact on survivors.
From the Margins to the Centre: Working at the Nexus of Racial and Restorative Justice
Presenters: Stacey Alderwick & Saara Siddiqi
Room: Waterford
- Examine how social identity and power differentials impact intercultural work in restorative justice
- Reflect on the risk of erasure, minimization and invisibilization of marginalized voices
- Identify the pinch points where restorative processes may have differential impacts on those with Indigenous and racialized identities
- Identify six practices to prevent or disrupt further marginalization of non-dominant racial identities within restorative justice contexts
Stacey Alderwick is a Black Canadian with Cherokee ancestry. As Principal of Alderwick & Associates, she has been providing resolution, education and facilitation services to clients in academic, government, non-profit and private sectors since 2001. Stacey has undertaken foundational work within the Restorative Justice community in Canada to embed equity and racial justice principles into processes of restoration. She is a contributing author of the book Colorizing Circle Processes: Naming the Silences, written in collaboration with writers who are Indigenous and persons of colour. In her work as a Restorative Justice facilitator with Correctional Service Canada and the Department of National Defence, Stacey supports people at the centre of serious crime and sexualized harm to work through the impacts, articulate justice needs and foster accountability.
Stacey is an equity, anti-racism and human rights educator, working in this capacity at the University of Toronto, the University of Guelph and Sheridan College. She cultivates meaningful interactive and experiential learning environments for diverse learners with various learning styles, capacities and strengths.
Saara Siddiqi is an established restorative practitioner specialized in justice and equity program and process design for both youth and adults. With gratitude to her ancestors and specifically her parents, she is a resilient, Brown-skinned Muslim woman. Her experience and that of the many people with whom she has engaged drive her commitment to justice for communities of colour and those who have been pushed to the margins. With a career spanning 20+ years, her work sits at the intersection of systems change and human connection, building programs and learning experiences that move people beyond compliance toward transformation. She is drawn to the difficult, messy work of helping systems stretch toward justice without abandoning the humanity of the people inside them. Among her core values is that when play, creativity, and care are welcomed and prioritized in Circles, they generate willingness, curiosity, and vulnerability leading to change. Saara encourages people to get curious about the difficult things and locate bravery to face them. She holds a Master of Arts in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University.
12:15 – 1:15 pm | Lunch
1:15 – 3:15 pm | Keynote Panel | Crystal Ballroom 2 & 3
Author and Storyteller Panel Presentation:
A Forthcoming Text on Restorative Justice in Canada
This panel will involve authors of the upcoming book, Restorative Justice in Canada, Alana Abramson and Muhammad Asadullah, moderating a discussion between 4 people who shared their stories in the book. Restorative Justice in Canada is a new, student-focused text from authors Alana Abramson and Muhammad Asadullah that examines the core values and principles that guide efforts to repair harm and restore relationships. Students are introduced to the underlying values of restorative justice, including empathy, healing, accountability, respect, and community and gain a deeper understanding of how these values shape both the theory and practice of restorative justice across Canada. Opening each chapter with a profile of a Canadian who has been involved in restorative justice practices in Canada, this text helps students explore restorative justice’s transformative nature and how it works both within and beyond the legal system, also examining the practice of restorative justice in schools, workplaces, families, and communities. Features such as videos of real restorative justice cases with discussion questions and “Think About It” boxes with reflective prompts encourage critical thinking and place key concepts in real-world contexts. An essential resource for students in restorative justice, criminology, and peace and conflict studies who want to understand harm, accountability, and healing in a meaningful and just way.
Laura Glover: I am honoured to be presenting at this symposium and am grateful to RJABC and the PRJS for curating this gathering and for the invitation to be a part of it. I have worked in and learned through criminal, social and restorative justice for over 30 years in rooms like this full of wonderful people like you. My trajectory on this path we share began with a chance encounter with a troubled stranger at 8 years old and continues to guide me some 50 years later. It has led me through darkest shadows and moments of light and deep learning, such as this gathering here this week. I am grateful for the invitation to share with you, the opportunity to learn from you and for the heart and dedication of all of us walking the path of this world-changing work.
Nimra Burki sat as the executive member in one of the first post-secondary undergraduate restorative justice clubs in Canada, the UR Restorative Justice Club, from 2023-2026, serving primarily as President. In this role, Burki had the honour of hosting the First Undergraduate Restorative Justice Conference in Saskatchewan at the University of Regina in 2025. Additionally, she has organized national restorative justice webinars featuring award winning speakers. Burki graduated with a Bachelor of Human Justice and certificate in Law and Society in June of 2026 from the University of Regina. Burki has also practiced as a Dispute Resolution Facilitator with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice, Office of Residential Tenancies and Attorney General. Currently, Burki is pursuing her law degree at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law (former Ryerson University) in Toronto, Ontario.
Amber Montgomery is the Executive Director of the Collaborative Justice Program: Restorative Justice Ottawa (CJP) and a facilitator with Correctional Service Canada’s Restorative Opportunities (RO) program. CJP provides court-connected restorative justice primarily in serious criminal cases after charges are laid and before sentencing, while RO offers restorative processes in cases of serious crime after sentencing.
Amber was drawn to questions of justice and fairness from a young age, shaped in part by seeing someone close to her become involved in the youth criminal justice system. She knew early that she wanted to work within the justice field, even before she had the language to describe the kind of work she was looking for. When she discovered restorative justice while studying criminology, many of those pieces finally connected.
Nearly 20 years later, Amber has gone from CJP placement student to caseworker, senior caseworker, and Executive Director. Despite moving into leadership, she remains closely connected to frontline practice. Across CJP and RO, she works with victims and survivors, offenders, their families, and communities navigating serious and complex criminal matters, both before and after sentencing.
Amber is particularly interested in the quieter work that accompanies restorative justice casework: building trust, asking difficult questions, supporting meaningful accountability, and creating the conditions in which perspectives can shift and repair can become possible. It is in those human spaces, often beyond the reach of formal justice processes, that she continues to find the greatest possibilities of restorative justice.
Warren McDougall is a member of Gitanmaax First Nation, with mixed Indigenous, Russian, and Irish ancestry. His identity was forged in an inferno of generational and developmental trauma, compounded by over two decades of incarceration, before an experience with Restorative Justice catalyzed his transformation. Starting out while incarcerated as a peer counsellor and later founding and coordinating a peer advocacy project, Warren built foundational skills that helped build his path to atonement. Now a clinical counsellor, specializing in trauma and restorative justice, Warren walks with Indigenous individuals, families, and communities, who are healing from the pains of the past and rebuilding their lives in the way that fits their vision. His work also includes consulting and training for various communities and organizations, such as the Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute, the Law Foundation of BC, and various First Nations organizations. He spearheaded a successful pilot program for the First Nations Health Authority, bringing clinical supports to First Nations communities while eroding stigma and lateral violence around accessing mental health and addiction supports. He was the clinical lead in a webinar series for FNHA and the BC Centre for Substance Use, which also aimed to erode the stigma and lateral violence in Indigenous communities around addiction and harm reduction. He was a co-lead consultant on developing new training for Gladue writers in BC and consulted on a pilot by BC Corrections to shift from its historic, punitive approach to a more restorative, relational one. He has engaged college and university students studying law, criminology, restorative justice, and social psychology at institutions such as SFU, UBC, KPU, UFV, Quest University, Douglas College, and Columbia College, shattering schemas and using his story to show the links between trauma and criminal justice, and why punishment inevitably fails while restorative justice offers hope. His approach is humble and relational, and his only desire is to walk with people as they find the path that meets their needs and visions.