It was earlier in the Spring of 2014 that the Winnipeg Drug Treatment Court was in jeopardy. There were issues around funding and somehow I was thrust into the spotlight. First, James Turner interviewed me for a story he was writing about it, and then I appeared on national tv for Canada AM. I was thrilled to be part of the news that was bringing this attention to the public.

I was absolutely thrilled when I found out that funding issues have been sorted and the program will be able to continue. Here's a link to the Winnipeg Free Press Story: Provincial court for drug addiction to be reborn.

I have worked with the Crown Attorneys, paralegals, counsellors, and staff with the Drug Treatment Court and I am not only impressed by their credentials, but by their passion for what they are doing. Helping people overcome addictions issues which was the root cause of their criminal offending. Their recidivism rate is SIGNIFICANTLY better than offenders who are simply sentenced to jail and the cost of the program per applicant is also SIGNIFICANTLY less than the cost to house an offender in custody. I love Winnipeg Drug Treatment Court and am very pleased it is back on!

About the author

Michael Dyck is a partner at Rees & Dyck Criminal Defence. He represents clients primarily from Winnipeg, Steinbach, and rural Manitoba. He has extensive experience helping people charged with criminal offences and focuses on building legal strategy with clients. To read more of his articles, please visit his partner's website TomRees.ca.