The Government of Saskatchewan, as was announced in the provincial budget, is providing funding for two additional investigators with the province’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit. The province now says one will be located in Saskatoon and the other in Regina.

Provincial ICE Coordinator Shawn Stubbs says, “It is important for all parents and caregivers to speak with their children about internet safety; it takes a village to keep our kids safe online.”

Including the two recently added positions, the Province provides funding for nine ICE investigator positions.  They are located in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. As well the provincial government directs funding to cover five RCMP resources which are dedicated to the ICE unit.

The ICE unit conducted a record 853 investigations in 2021.

Minister responsible Christine Tell said in a news release that she wanted to extend the Province’s gratitude for the “unrelenting work of the ICE unit in protecting our most vulnerable citizens.”

Parents are urged to take steps to protect their children online, including:
-Check your child’s chat or messaging program to ensure it is set up so that no one can begin speaking to them without permission;
-Enable controls and privacy settings on apps/services to limit who can see posted photos or videos;
-Monitor the use of cameras on your child’s devices, as well as the posting and exchanging of pictures/videos online;
-Know and explore the online games your child wants to play and determine if the game is age-appropriate;
-Use filtering options available on search engines to help moderate search results; and
-Model for your child how to make careful decisions about what you record and share online.