After 30 years of operation, the provincial funding for the Moving Forward Beyond Anger and Anxiety course has not been renewed this year.
Stephen Dodds, who has been running the program twice a year for the past several years, spoke to town council about what the lack of funding may mean for the community.
“Unfortunately, we did not get our grant from the Province, so we are looking toward other sources of funding at this time,” said Dodds. “As of January, going forward, we do not have the funding to pursue more courses.”
The program was first started in Drayton Valley by a local psychologist, Rita Dillon, and her husband after a murder-suicide in the community. The course has two separate classes, one for men and one for women. Along with participating in the classes, the attendees also have counselling sessions with Dodds.
Over the years, the program has helped many people make significant positive changes in their lives. Dodds says he’s seen people take the lessons to heart and apply them to their lives for the better.
The recent fundraiser put on by Drayton Valley Family and Community Support Services in partnership with the Drayton Valley Comprehensive Family Violence Institute, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, helped with providing the current fall session of the course. The reason for the fundraiser was uncertainty about whether funding would come through. However, they were able to raise enough funds to offer what could possibly be their last free course.
Dodds says he recently heard that an organization in Edmonton, which offers a similar program, also lost funding. Dodds believes the Province is looking at putting these types of programs online rather than covering the costs of facilitators.
“If any of you guys had kids during the Covid years in school, you might remember how well the online learning program went for that,” says Dodds. “It wasn’t the best.”
He says that as a facilitator, he is able to make sure that participants are paying attention to what is being taught. An online learning model could allow people to walk away from the course at any given time or possibly fast forward through modules.
“I just don’t think that’s very effective, especially when we’re dealing with something as serious as domestic violence and intimate partner abuse,” says Dodds.
Dodds has spoken to Drayton Valley-Devon MLA Andrew Boitchenko about the issue. He says he’s grateful for the letters of support that have been sent by the Town for the grant application and Boitchenko’s letters advocating for the program.
When discussing what further action council can take regarding the program, CAO Jocelyn Whaley mentioned that one of the concerns for rural areas would be broadband internet.
The Province’s website for their broadband internet strategy says, “67 percent of rural Albertans and 80 percent of Indigenous communities do not have access to reliable high-speed internet at federal target speeds.” They also state that 469,000 rural Albertans do not have access to internet speeds required for learning or working at home.
Council will be sending a letter regarding the importance and benefits of the program. They will also mention the difficulties many Albertans might face if the Province moves to online programming.
