 I'm so excited to be with you this morning as we host this national and to some degree international gathering on restorative justice. The National Restorative Justice Symposium brings together such innovative and forward-thinking champions of restorative justice and honestly it's a big honor for us to host it here in Halifax. I understand that we've mentioned this morning that many of you had the chance to be treated to some maritime hospitality last night before this symposium began and I hope you all have a really good time at that event. I do want to especially again thank our restorative justice societies that are here today from Nova Scotia. Having this symposium here in Nova Scotia really affords us the opportunity for so many of our staff that do this work every day to be able to share their experiences and learn from others and participate. So it's really wonderful for us and I know we have our Nova Scotia champions of restorative justice here with us. Many of them are on the steering committee and planning committee and we also I think are very fortunate to have with us Chief Judge Pam Williams who's in the room. I didn't get a chance to say hello to everybody in person as I came in but I think that when we talk about restorative justice and as you go forward the partnerships are key. So our province is very proud of its history and culture and we pride ourselves on being welcoming so we know that good relationships are the foundation of strong communities which is one of the reasons why you see the importance of restorative justice. Before I talk about restorative justice in Nova Scotia I do want to acknowledge again all the champions that are here in this room from right across our country and beyond. Thank you for thinking beyond things that have traditionally worked to how we can improve justice for everyone. You've all made significant strides for restorative justice in your own areas and it's a privilege to have you at this symposium to share your significant experiences. It's an honor to know that Nova Scotia has earned recognition globally for our restorative justice program model. Nova Scotia's restorative justice program is one of the oldest and most comprehensive in all of Canada. We're very proud of that. Established in 1999 as a pilot project in four Nova Scotia communities the program has made incredible strides in the last 17 years as we learn and as we go and improve. Through the years the Nova Scotia restorative justice program has grown significantly. What's key to the success is the partnership that's had developed as I said between police, court services, public prosecution services, correction services, our restored justice agencies and the make law legal support network. Seeing the difference that a restorative approach could make we wanted to integrate those values further into the justice system. We are proud that we've developed specialty courts for mental health, domestic violence and drug treatment and we're working to expand them because they don't spread across our province. This success is due in large part to the unwavering commitment and collaboration of all our partners in our judiciary to improve access to justice. Beyond the justice system we've also integrated restorative approaches and practices in other areas to large impact. By applying a restorative approach in over 120 schools in the province we've seen the difference that it can make for youth. Schools using a restorative approach have seen a significant drop in suspensions, improved academic achievement and increased attachment to the school. By applying a restorative lens to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission we've also seen exponential progress. As a result of this change issues that would normally take years to resolve are completed in a matter of months. And as we've seen through that we see an increase in satisfaction and confidence in that system and that's very significant because it has been under a lot of stress. We've seen how restorative justice can benefit our youth who came into contact with the law and we believe we can do the same for adults. That's why in February 2011 we launched pilot sites for adult restorative justice in Cape Breton, Colchester County and the municipality of East Hens. The key objectives were to better support victims, reduce court load, impact positively on offenders and reduce recidivism and also enhance public confidence in the justice system. The valuations have shown that all of those have been met. For those of you who attended the International Restorative Justice Conference you know about what we've done here in Nova Scotia and have heard me talk about our adult restorative justice pilots in the past. Today those discussions become a reality. After extensive consultation with our community partners and input with our criminal justice transformation group which involves police, Public Prosecution Service, Nova Scotia Legal Aid, the Nova Scotia Barristers Society and the Nova Scotia Judiciary among others, we are now moving forward with the expansion of restorative justice in Nova Scotia. Everyone in the room knows the significant value of restorative justice. We know that for the victim it empowers them, allowing them a process by which to be heard and 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 restorative justice is more inclusive. It gives our victims and communities a voice and a way to engage in the healing process. Together the victim, the offender and the community can work together to make things right and repair what was broken. But many people outside this room don't know this. They don't fully understand this approach and it's worth. It's our job to get this message out and I intend to do just that. Later this morning when we make our announcement on the expansion of restorative justice here in Nova Scotia. By building public confidence and trust in this approach we help to create safer and healthier communities. This symposium provides a tremendous opportunity for growth. The room is full of innovative, passionate and intelligent individuals who have made monumental contributions to the advancement of restorative justice. And I can say personally they've helped me to understand the importance of it and the reason that we need to advance it and extend it across our province. So I thank you personally for that. But we wouldn't be here today without the work of some very dedicated individuals, some of whom we've already met. And I want to extend my gratitude to the many organizers who have pulled together a wonderful schedule and activities with it for the next two days. I know it's going to be tremendously interesting and productive to share with each other the many successes you've had and the challenges of how you overcome them and how we can get the message out right across our country that restorative justice is the right way to go, that we need to extend it and offer this opportunity to more people when they come into contact with the law. I want to thank all of you for being here and for your commitment to restorative justice. Thank you and have a wonderful symposium.