 Good morning, everyone. I'm really happy to be welcoming you here so that we can kick off this wonderful two-day conference. It's an honor for us to host the International Restorative Conference here in Nova Scotia, which brings together such innovative and forward-thinking leaders of restorative justice. Whether you arrived early to meet with some of our departmental representatives or attend the workshop at the Black Cultural Center, or if you're just joining us now, I hope you'll all enjoy your time here and get a chance to explore our city more. Our province is very proud of its history and culture. As you can see, we pride ourselves on being a welcoming place, and we certainly appreciate the opportunity to showcase our province to visitors from all around the world. Before I talk a little bit about restorative practices in Nova Scotia, I want to first acknowledge the incredible work that has been accomplished globally thanks to the commitment and expertise of the people that are right here with us in this room. You have all made significant strides for restorative justice in your individual countries, and it's a privilege to have you here today with us. I look forward to meeting many of you to look to learn more about your experiences and the successes that you've achieved. It is an honor to know that Nova Scotia has earned its recognition globally as well for our restorative practices. Nova Scotia's restorative justice program is recognized as a leading program in Canada due to its comprehensive and unique model. Established in 1999 as a pilot project in four Nova Scotia communities, the program has made incredible strides in the last 17 years. What is key to this success is the partnership that has been developed between the police, the courts, Public Prosecution Service, Corrections, our restorative justice agencies, and the MiG-Mod legal support network. Seeing the difference that a restorative approach could make, we wanted to integrate these values further into our justice system. Under the leadership of the judiciary, we were proud to support specialty courts for mental health, domestic violence, and drug treatment in Nova Scotia. Using a restorative approach is having a big impact on our communities and people here in Nova Scotia. By applying a restorative approach in over 120 schools in our province, we've seen the difference it makes for our youth. Schools that are using restorative approach have seen a significant drop in suspensions, improved academic achievement, less sick time for teachers, and increased attachment to the school for everyone. A pilot program from Dalhousie University, Halifax Regional Police, and our Department of Justice was established to address the concerns of local residents in a restorative manner, and university students participated in restorative dialogue to better understand how to model good citizenship on and off the campus. By applying the restorative approach to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, we've seen exponential progress. Issues that would normally take years to resolve are now completed in a matter of months, and with an RJ approach, we have seen an increase in satisfaction and confidence in the human rights process for all involved. Another unique example is the restorative inquiry into abuse at the Nova Scotia home for colored children, which some of you will have learned about over the weekend. This inquiry is taking an entirely new and different approach. It adopts a restorative model rather than the traditional adversarial model. It is about giving a voice to those affected and finding ways to truly heal. As I previously mentioned, our restorative justice program for youth is widely recognized. Our model is inclusive and provides an opportunity for everyone who's been impacted by a criminal incident to come together and have a voice. The partnership between government and community-based organizations across the province has resulted in tremendous successful outcomes, such as a reduction in youth reoffending, victims being involved in decisions about how to repair the harm caused, and community members actively engaged in a process of learning and support for youth in conflict with the law. So we've seen how a restorative approach to justice benefits our youth who are in conflict with the law, and we know it can be the same for adults. So because of this, we know this particularly here in Nova Scotia because we did run two pilot projects, which are still underway for adult restorative justice. One was in Cape Bretton Island and the other in Colchester County and the municipality of East Hans. The key objectives to the adult program were to better support victims, to reduce the court load, to reduce recidivism, and to enhance public confidence in the justice system. The adult pilot was also unique in its approach in that it was based on a shared skills model where our probation staff worked alongside community-based restorative justice practitioners. This model has undergone extensive evaluation and I am so pleased to say that the results have been clear. The program has been an outstanding success. If there were more time, I would love to share some of the amazing stories that have come from that, but all of our objectives have been met. And based on the success of these pilots, I'm pleased to tell you today that beginning November 1st in Nova Scotia, we will be offering restorative justice for adults across the province. After that, we're really excited here in Nova Scotia, all of the partners that are involved in the rollout and it's going to be a big change for us. We're really, really pleased. This decision was made after extensive consultation and input with our criminal justice transformation group involving police, the prosecution service, legal aid, the barrister's society, the judiciary, among others. Many of you are probably here in the room today that have been involved. Everyone in this room knows the significant value of using a restorative justice approach. We know that for the victim it empowers them, allowing them a process by which to be heard and to play a very active role in the situation. And we know that for the offender, it allows them to take responsibility fully on a more emotionally engaging level as they hear first hand how their actions negatively impacted individuals and their communities. And we know that a restorative approach is more inclusive. It gives our communities a voice and a way to engage in the process. Together, the victim, the offender and the community can work together to make things right and repair what has been broken. But many people outside this room don't know this. They truly don't understand this approach and its worth. And as global leaders and champions of restorative justice, it's our job to get that message out. By building public trust and confidence in this approach in all of our communities, we can continue to advance and expand the use of restorative approaches throughout our cities, countries and the world. This conference provides a tremendous opportunity for growth and for getting that message out. The room is full of innovative, passionate and committed individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of restorative practices. And I'm proud that Nova Scotia has earned its place alongside all of you. And that Nova Scotia was able to be a leader in the establishment of the international restorative learning community. I want to extend my deep gratitude to the many organizers of this conference, including Jennifer Llewellyn for her extensive work internationally and in the province and the instrumental role that she has played designing the restorative public inquiry into the home for colored children. And I would also like to thank her co-chair Amanda Dempsey from the Dalhousie dental class. Thank you all for being here. I'm looking forward to meeting many of you over the next two days. And I hope that together you'll all have a wonderful sharing of information, making new contacts and learning more ways that we can bring this information and extend our programs and get more public support as we go. Thank you very much.