North Bay sexual violence support centre struggling to keep doors open
A sexual violence support centre called Amelia Rising in North Bay is struggling to keep the doors open and a petition to save it has been launched.
"We have about 500 people who have signed the petition and there’s multiple people across Ontario who are on board because this affects everyone," said Amelia Rising executive director Erica Lougheed.
Campaign on to keep the doors of Amelia Rising open in North Bay for sexual violence survivors. (Supplied)
"Really, the 'Save Our Centre' is a look at the next three years and how it doesn’t look good at all and things need to change immediately."
Lougheed told CTV News the organization is running on the same amount of funding it has been receiving for the past 30 years.
"We are operating on mid-1990s funding, it does not make any sense," she said.
"Services continue to reduce, year over, year over, over year. Staff reduces, what we can provide to the community reduces. Our geographical area and who we can reach and how we reach them just reduces year after year."
- Want more North Bay news? Visit CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca's North Bay news page
- Download the CTV News app now and get local alerts on your device
- Get local breaking news and updates sent to your email inbox
Most sexual violence victims, 95 per cent, do not go to police for various reasons, but North Bay Police Chief Scott Tod said his service and Amelia Rising do work closely together a lot.
"I’m very concerned of the fact that if Amelia Rising ceases to exist in our community, who will help the victims of sexual violence who don’t wish to report to police," said Tod.
"The counselling and education that they do and supporting victims, to me, is unparalleled by any other organization in our community."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.