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	Ontario Help Plan Flawed, Survivors Say By Randy Richmond London Free Press September 22, 2010 http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010/09/22/15443381.html Ontario’s plan to help thousands of long-neglected male survivors of sexual abuse is so riddled with flaws it will stop men from seeking help, survivors and advocates charge. Feminist organizations that have refused or been unable to help men in the past are suddenly interested in the provincial dollars to set up services, the advocates claim. As well, the criteria the province has set up for the agencies rules out any grassroots or private agency that has helped men already. The money, spread thinly across the province, will help only a little, advocates add. Finally, male survivors of abuse themselves have not been consulted in setting up the agencies, the advocates say. “That is what I find most offensive,” said survivor and advocate John Swales. “The very people who need the resources have not been consulted.” A flashpoint in the battle is London, where the Sexual Assault Centre — using feminist ideals and focusing for decades on women — is considering applying to become the lead agency in western Ontario to help men. “It’s a brazen attempt to take control of the money,” Swales said. “The men who have spoken out and fought to get some support are being brushed aside.” Across Ontario, other advocates agreed. “There seems to be an opportunistic tone to women’s agencies in this sector,” charged Rick Goodwin, head of the the Men’s Project, a counselling centre based in Ottawa. Given all the problems, “there is lot less likelihood the government program will be successful,” said Tom Wilken, a Chatham-based counsellor and author of Rebuilding Your House of Self-Respect for male survivors. Attorney General Chris Bentley countered that the strategy is simply a start. “We wanted it to be province-wide. We wanted to do it as quickly as possible.” The province has set aside $2 million for the creation and 15-month operation of an Ontario-wide crisis and referral centre, and four regional centres overseeing counselling for male survivors. Only established, non-profit, board-run agencies can apply to become the crisis centre and/or regional centre. The plan differs from the December 2009 recommendations of the Cornwall Public Inquiry, set up to investigate abuse allegations. The inquiry recommended the province first take the time to study the best way to offer services, and create five demonstration projects in the meantime. “We are going well beyond demonstration projects,” said Brendan Crawley, spokesperson for the ministry of the attorney general. “We have developed a plan that was formulated in consultation with stakeholders.” Those stakeholders did not include enough survivors, some advocates say. The key provincial meeting held several months ago included many professionals but no survivors, said Wilken, who attended. The provincial criteria rules out grassroots or privately run counselling services like his own, he said. In Ontario there are no agencies funded by the attorney general for male survivors apart from the Men’s Project, Goodwin said. In London, the Sexual Assault Centre is well-positioned to offer counselling to men, executive director Louise Pitre said. A couple of years ago, the centre changed its focus from solely on women. “Our vision is to create a world without sexual violence. It is inclusive of everybody,” she said. “Male survivors need help. It would be a shame with all the expertise and experience we have we would sit back and not help.” The centre is only exploring the idea of applying to become the lead agency in western Ontario, Pitre cautioned. Swales said he tried several years ago to get the centre, and other London agencies, to help him and other survivors. Swales and his brothers were abused in the late 1960s and early 1970s by a Roman Catholic priest in London. “They were not interested in stepping up to the plate. They made that very clear.” Contact: randy.richmond@sunmedia.ca
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