Summit on Criminal Justice underway in Gander

GANDER, N.L. – Various groups and representatives across the central region’s criminal justice system came together at the Albatross Hotel in Gander Thursday, June 14.
This summit was organized by the Department of Justice and Public Safety to create a collaborative space to address the region’s criminal justice issues and services.
“This is an opportunity to bring everybody together to have a frank conversation about what’s working, what we could do differently, and what we could do better,” Justice and Public Safety Minister Andrew Parsons said in his opening remarks.
The parties assembled for the summit included the RCMP, politicians like Gander Town Councillor Os Fudge and Lewisporte-Twillingate MHA Derek Bennett, various judges, prosecutors, and representatives from legal aid and victim services.
Parsons hopes the summit can encourage conversation and give the department goals to strive for in the future.
“This system we’re working within is so huge,” said Parsons. “In many cases one thing that was lacking was communication, one hand not knowing what the other was doing.
“Even though we have a lot of similarities, every court in every centre has its own little ecosystem.”
The summit will run throughout the day.