Yukoners who have become victims of crime were promised more access to information and services by the Yukon government today, when officials from the Department of Justice announced their victims of crime strategy.

While much of the strategy is couched in vague terms, one concrete action was announced by Justice Minister Marian Horne - the creation of a Victims of Crime Act.

The Yukon is the only jurisdiction is Canada that does not have such an act, legislation which gives victims the right to know otherwise private details of the legal process.

In B.C., for instance, the act gives all victims the right to know where an investigation stands, why certain charges are laid and others are not, and who to contact about possibly changing parole or release orders put on the offender.

In "appropriate" circumstances, victims can also find out where an offender is being held, when he or she will be released and if the offender is on a temporary release order.

"If you are a victim and you see a buddy out picking garbage because he's on a day work pass, that can be very upsetting," Dan Cable, policy director for Justice, said when describing possible provisions of the act.

"You'd probably want to know that, which is something the act could do."

Other parts of the act would likely have more to do with statements of principle than tangible rights for victims.

As Horne said, it would ensure "that victims are treated with courtesy, compassion and respect."

A legislative planning committee has been formed and has written a draft act, Cable said.

As with the revamped Corrections Act, the victims of crime legislation will have to go through a public consultation period before it is sent to the legislature for debate and a vote.

"It will come to us no sooner than the spring sitting," Horne said, "and probably not that soon."

The act is part of an overall strategy for helping victims of crime recover from their experience, and also to prevent further crimes being committed against them.

It is one of a handful of initiatives that sprung from the less-than glowing results of a 2005 public consultation on corrections.

Other projects coming out of that consultation include the new corrections centre and Corrections Act, as well as work toward improving Justice services for Yukoners with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

The act is part of a five-year strategy which promises to increase resources for victims of crime, especially aboriginal women, the group that continues to suffer from the highest rates of domestic

and sexualized violence in the territory.

The department is also looking into a pilot program which would support people who want to return to a relationship marred by violence, according to the strategy.

Making victims feels safe enough to come forward and report crimes is one of the most important parts of the strategy, Horne said.

The plan announced today "is just a framework," she said when pressed for details of how the government intends to reach out to silent victims. "We are still working on that."

Cable said co-ordination of services within the justice system will be an important part of what the government does over the next five years, as will posting more staff in rural communities and training volunteers who can provide counselling to victims.