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Ruth Bonneville \/ Free Press PHILANTHROPY Toba Portrait of Toba CEO Christy Dzikowicz, at Toba, Tuesday. Story publication date: Saturday, July 25th Story: Philanthropy. The Toba Centre for Children and Youth (formerly Snowflake Place) was created in 2013 to provide a safe, child-friendly setting for children impacted by abuse or witness to violence, and their caregivers, to meet with service providers and to be interviewed by highly trained forensic interviewers. Services expanded in 2020 with the addition of case navigation support services aimed at ensuring the well-being and recovery of children and their families. In 2023, they moved to their current location in Assiniboine Park. There, police, social work, medical and other support services work together to serve children and families. This coordinated response, in a building that is welcoming in a child centered way, serves to reduce potential trauma to children and families and improve services overall. July 21st, 2026<\/p>\n
Dr. Megan Cooney, pediatrician in the field of child maltreatment, sees children and adolescents where disclosures of physical and\/or sexual abuse have been made. The section head of the Child Protection Centre, a division within the Department of Pediatrics with Shared Health, she\u2019s worked at a satellite clinic at the Toba Centre since 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the gold standard for how children and families should be cared for after a child or youth is physically or sexually assaulted,\u201d said Cooney.<\/p>\n
Before the Toba Centre came into existence, all children and youth were being seen at the Health Sciences Centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome would arrive in the middle of the night after they had been transported from rural communities,\u201d Cooney explained. \u201cThey had not slept or eaten. It\u2019s not a calm place to be, with alarms and buzzers going off, babies crying. It\u2019s not the type of place to be seen after a sexual assault, seeing these kids and doing these exams, after the worst thing that\u2019s ever happened, with something bad happening in the next room. It\u2019s disruptive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the Toba Centre, the difference is we are seeing them in a space that is designed to be child- and family-centred. It\u2019s welcoming. Instead of coming into the emergency department, there\u2019s a family room. We are seeing kids after they\u2019ve had a chance to eat and sleep,\u201d Cooney added.<\/p>\n
The Toba Centre has not only simplified but improved both the conditions and the outcomes for children and youth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m seeing kids at the hospital, I have to ask kids about what happened,\u201d said Cooney. \u201cIt\u2019s traumatizing. At the Toba Centre, all of the kids have had a forensic interview before we see them. I can really focus on what they need in that moment. The focus becomes, \u2018What do you need; how are you doing; what can we do to help right now?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
CEO Christy Dzikowicz describes the environment as homey and designed with trauma-informed care.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have 23 police officers that work here, a full medical clinic with two exam rooms. When a child walks through the door, they have a team: a CFS worker, a police officer, a victim advocate now and beyond, a forensic medical practitioner, and a pediatrician. We have three trained dogs on staff, all important components to ongoing support.\u201d<\/p>\n
A social worker by trade, Dzikowicz has worked in child maltreatment for 30 years in most of the systems, including child protection in Ontario and Manitoba, child abuse investigations, working with Manitoba Justice, and with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve developed here at Assiniboine Park is a child advocacy centre. We seek to excel in all areas of this, in a child-centred, trauma-informed way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finding the $15 million needed to make it happen brought with it some unexpected learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was easier than I expected it to be,\u201d Dzikowicz said. \u201cPeople care about kids and we\u2019d never invited the community in before,\u201d she continued, noting that $10 million came directly from community, and $5 million from provincial funding.<\/p>\n