Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a special appearance in Vaughan last Friday at the 6th annual Canadian Crime Victim Foundation gala dinner and fundraiser.

Founded by Joe and Lozanne Wamback after an assault on their son Jonathan in 1999, the foundation advocates for and provides scholarships to survivors of crime.

“To date we have provided scholarships and allocated money for scholarships in excess of $250,000,” Joe Wamback said this week. “On that evening, we provided a $20,000 gift to York Region Victim Services and we provided a $20,000 gift to Peterborough Lakefield Victim Services.”

Over 500 people attended the gala event, Wamback said, including the prime minister, Defence Minister Peter Mackay and about 30 parents of murdered children.

“You and I, we paid for Karla Homolka’s university degree and yet we, as Canadian society, have done nothing for victims of people like Karla Homolka,” he said.

All money raised by the charitable foundation goes toward its scholarship program, Wamback said.

Vaughan Today
Online: June 14, 2008 [link]