MAKING CRIME PAY

Crime really does pay -- and the Alberta government has found a
laudatory, progressive way to make it do so. Justice Minister Alison
Redford says $150,000 of the $19 million worth of frozen criminal
assets the province holds, will go to the Alberta Council of Women's
Shelters to assist them with a pilot program that deals with domestic
violence in rural locales. The money will be used to increase security
at rural shelters, provide training for staff and offer transportation
for abused women who may have no way of accessing the services they
need, such as courts, health care and counselling.

This is truly an innovative way of funding justice-related initiatives
to help the victims, and with women's shelters often short of the
funds they need to carry out the good work they do, it's hard to think
of a more propitious first recipient of this money.

The assets include cars, jewelry, cash and even houses, that are the
proceeds of crime. Redford says more funding announcements are in the
offing. That's all to the good -- there are plenty of victims'
services and crime prevention initiatives that deserve to benefit.