New Brunswick·NewThe Department of Women’s Equality is putting $2.8 millions of its recent budget increase toward funding a new, specialized RCMP unit to investigate sexual violence and human trafficking cases across New Brunswick.$2.8M from the province will help hire, train 14 officers in Shediac, Oromocto and TracadieKatelin Belliveau · CBC News · Posted: Nov 03, 2025 4:12 PM EST | Last Updated: 17 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesRCMP Insp. Marie-Eve Mackenzie-Plante says part of making sure victims of sexual violence are comfortable enough to come forward is making the interview process feel safe and inclusive. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC)Victims of sex trafficking and other sexual violence crimes will now be able to report their experiences to a specialized RMCP unit based in Shediac, N.B.The province is investing $2.8 million toward the new unit, which will be housed inside a domestic violence shelter.”This new unit will focus on improving investigations, supporting survivors and ensuring the police have the tools and training they need,” Minister of Public Safety, Robert Gauvin, said at an announcement in Shediac on Monday.Some of that money will be used to hire and train 14 officers across the province in trauma-informed techniques, including interviewing children and handling complex cases of cross-provincial sex trafficking.WATCH | New unit to be made up of specially trained, trauma-informed officers:Province puts money behind sexual violence investigation unitThe province is funding an RCMP sexual violence investigative unit that will open offices across New Brunswick.The provincial funding is part of the $9.2 million budget increase the province allocated to the Department of Women’s Equality earlier this year.The first unit will work out of the Courage Centre, a women’s shelter in Shediac which already provides resources for victims fleeing domestic violence. “By working in facilities such as the Courage Centre, we can provide survivors a choice…about when and how they receive the services,” RCMP Insp. Marie-Ève Mackenzie-Plante said.The Courage Centre, which serves victims in the Shediac area, already offers resources for people fleeing domestic violence such as emergency housing. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC)There are also plans to open additional offices in Oromocto and Tracadie to address rural areas which are underserved.”The most alarming thing for us is…this is happening all over the province,” Gauvin said.Training officers to work with a victim-centered perspective as they investigate sexual crimes is one of the recommendations that came from a 2017 national RMCP review and action plan on sexual assault.Mackenzie-Plante said the RCMP is seeing an uptick in reports of sexual violence cases in part because “survivors know that they’re believed now.”Mackenzie-Plante said part of making sure victims are comfortable enough to come forward is making the investigative environment less intimidating.The unit will use what’s called a soft interview room, which is already in place at the Courage Centre. Mackenzie-Plante said a soft interview room “looks more like a living room” and is “less institutionalized” than interview rooms at an RCMP detachment.”Even the service dog is available for police officers to use,” Mackenzie-Plante said.While the province’s press release indicates the Shediac unit will be up and running by the end of the year, Gauvin could not provide a specific date for the launch of any locations.ABOUT THE AUTHORKatelin Belliveau is a CBC reporter based in Moncton.
New RCMP unit will investigate human trafficking, sexual violence in N.B.
