With Bullying Awareness Week making its mark across Canada this month Innisfailians vented outrage at the recent court sentence handed down to a local adult following a widely publicized brutal bullying incident last year.
Reactions during last week's Community Partners meeting expressed frustration at the Red Deer provincial court sentence of a $100 fine, 12 months' probation, and a three-year firearms prohibitions for the 21-year-old Innisfail man, who was charged with assault with a weapon. Their frustration included the dropping of assault charges against three youths that stemmed from the Aug. 25, 2013 attack on teen Aidan Remple at Raspberry Park.
“A fine of $100 is nothing compared to the damage a bullying incident can leave with a victim over the long run,” said Sharron Matthewman, community facilitator for Innisfail Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), who recently hosted a non-violence seminar in Innisfail.
Tammy Oliver-McCurdie, the manger at the Innisfail FCSS office, said the courts could have sent a stronger message that this type of intolerance cannot be tolerated.
“Community service hours with a restorative process between the victim and aggressors would have benefited the development in these individuals far more than what was awarded,” she said.
Oliver-McCurdie noted that early findings in the 2014 FCSS Social Needs Assessment showed that bullying in the community was identified by respondents as the number 1 global priority between all demographic groups, and the top priority for youth between the ages of seven and 17. She added many youth stated they were dealing with the issue themselves or knew someone who had been bullied.
“Couple that (survey) with National Bullying Week and the weak bullying sentencing, it is easy to see that aggressive behaviours are a concern straight across the board,” added Oliver-McCurdie. “It happens in schools, playgrounds and in workplaces. We need to recognize it when it happens and deal with it.”
Talitha Watkinson, the president of the Innisfail Minor Football Association, said she was “glad that something came out of the incident,” but was more impressed with the way the teen victim handled the situation.
“He did exactly what he was supposed to do, and stood up for himself,” said Watkinson, whose association organized a “Wear Orange for Aidan” football game last year after the incident. “Aidan, despite being 14 at the time, did what a lot of adults would not do, and spoke out against bullying. As part of the football team, we rallied around him and the community stepped up as well.”
She noted both the association's bantam and peewee teams wore orange for Aidan in an exhibition game played at McMahon Stadium in Calgary against the Sylvan Lake Lions, who also donned orange in support of the teenager's fight against bullying.
“When the teams and community came together to build Aidan and his family back up, it made everyone stronger,” said Watkinson. “That is the value of community.”
J.J. Beauchamp, mediator for the Innisfail Restorative Justice Society, sees the $100 fine in a different light, having once served in correctional services and being part of alternative justice solutions.
“While the $100 fine was something, it will not even come close to the true cost of the legal bills associated with the trial,” said Beauchamp, adding the number could have been close to $50,000. “However, the fact that he received 12 months' probation will leave him with a criminal record, which will stay with him. If the case had been referred to the restorative justice system, Aiden and his assailants might have been able to work through a solution far less confrontational and designed to work for the greater good.”
Internationally, bullying awareness weeks occurred during November, with Alberta designating November 16 to 22 as the 12th annual national Bullying Awareness Week. A webcast was hosted on Nov. 21 across the province to promote respectful, safe and inclusive communities.
With a strong focus on bullying in the community, FCSS started the Innisfail Family Violence and Bullying Coalition last year and continued the discussion generated by the Remple assault. Earlier in November, a seminar was hosted by FCSS, which focused on creating a vision for non-violence and tackled domestic abuse, bullying and other violent behaviours.
The Innisfail Family Violence and Bullying Coalition will continue to meet monthly to explore how Innisfail and area can stand up to violence in the community. Call the Innisfail FCSS at 403-227-7744 to get involved.
