Alberta's Hidden Crisis: SACE Campaign Exposes Survivor Waitlists

EDMONTON, AB – May 04, 2026 – By Daniel Thomas

Hundreds of plush teddy bears, each adorned with a simple teal ribbon, have become the silent, powerful face of a growing crisis in Alberta. As part of Sexual Violence Awareness Month, the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) has launched its “Out in the Open” campaign, a public education and fundraising initiative designed to bring a deeply entrenched issue out of the shadows and into the public square. Each bear represents a survivor in the community waiting for specialized support, a tangible symbol of a service gap that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

The campaign arrives at a critical juncture. Demand for SACE’s services—which include free, specialized trauma counselling, crisis intervention, and court support—has surged, creating a bottleneck where the need for healing far outpaces available resources. This initiative aims to make that reality visible, highlighting not only the immense scale of sexual violence in the province but the urgent, human cost of underfunded support systems.

The Scale of an Invisible Epidemic

The campaign's urgency is rooted in staggering statistics that paint a grim picture of life in Alberta. Research confirms that an estimated 43% of Albertans, or nearly one in two, will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. This translates to approximately 1.8 million people across the province who have been impacted by sexual abuse, a figure that challenges the common misconception of sexual violence as a rare occurrence.

While sexual violence affects all demographics, its impact is not evenly distributed. Women and girls experience it at significantly higher rates, with studies showing 60% of females in Alberta have been subjected to sexual abuse compared to 31% of males. The burden falls even more heavily on marginalized communities. Indigenous people are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than non-Indigenous individuals. Nearly half of all transgender people have been sexually assaulted, and bisexual individuals face a sexual assault rate 29 times higher than their heterosexual counterparts. Furthermore, women with disabilities are roughly twice as likely to be victimized.

This widespread issue remains one of the most under-reported crimes in Canada, with an estimated 95% of survivors never reporting the assault to police. Despite this, a notable cultural shift, partly credited to the #MeToo movement, has encouraged more survivors to come forward. This has led to a significant increase in police-reported incidents, which climbed by 21% in Alberta in 2021 and continued to rise, surpassing 4,300 reported cases in 2023. While this increased reporting is a positive sign of reduced stigma, it places an even greater strain on support centres like SACE, which are often the first point of contact for survivors seeking help outside the justice system.

A System at its Breaking Point

The “Out in the Open” campaign is a direct response to this mounting pressure. The rows of teddy bears are more than a symbolic gesture; they are a visual representation of a growing waitlist for essential services. SACE provides its specialized, trauma-informed counselling at no cost to ensure that financial barriers do not prevent survivors from accessing the care they need to heal. However, the rising demand means that the organization is struggling to respond to everyone in a timely manner, leaving vulnerable individuals in limbo.

“This campaign is about making the invisible visible,” said SACE Co-CEO Lena Betker in the campaign announcement. “Out in the Open shines a light on the growing number of survivors reaching out for support, and the urgent need to ensure services can meet that demand. Right now, more survivors are seeking support than available resources can accommodate—and that has to change.”

The challenge faced by SACE is not unique. Non-profit organizations across the province and country are grappling with similar resource shortfalls. As public awareness grows and more survivors feel empowered to seek help, the infrastructure designed to support them is being tested like never before. The gap between the need for services and the funding available to provide them has become a systemic crisis, one that community-led fundraising can highlight but not solve alone.

From Symbolism to Tangible Action

By transforming an abstract waitlist into a physical installation of teddy bears, SACE is employing a powerful strategy to foster public empathy and mobilize support. The campaign effectively translates the silent suffering of individuals into a collective, visible problem that the community can no longer overlook. The teal ribbon on each bear is the recognized colour of solidarity for sexual violence awareness, a small but significant detail that connects each symbolic survivor to a broader movement.

SACE is clear that awareness is only the first step. “Sexual Violence Awareness Month is about more than awareness—it’s about action,” Betker stated. The campaign outlines several concrete ways for the community to get involved. Citizens are encouraged to buy or sponsor a bear, with the proceeds directly funding SACE’s programs. Direct donations are also critical to sustaining the centre's operations.

Beyond financial contributions, the campaign is a call for advocacy. SACE is urging Albertans to write to their local government representatives, demanding increased and sustainable funding for sexual violence support services. The organization also emphasizes the power of social media in amplifying the message, asking supporters to share the campaign to broaden its reach and foster a province-wide conversation about the issue.

Investing in a Safer Future Through Prevention

While the immediate focus of “Out in the Open” is on addressing the urgent need for survivor support, SACE’s long-term vision extends to ending sexual violence before it begins. A core component of the organization's mission is public education and prevention. The campaign serves as a platform to remind the public that while crisis response is essential, a truly effective strategy must also address the root causes of violence.

SACE works to foster safer communities by providing education on topics like consent, healthy relationships, and bystander intervention to schools, businesses, and community groups. This proactive work is designed to challenge the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours that perpetuate sexual violence. By investing in prevention, the organization aims to reduce the number of people who will need its crisis services in the future.

This dual approach—providing compassionate support for today's survivors while working to build a safer tomorrow—highlights the complexity of tackling sexual violence. It requires a sustained commitment from all sectors of society, from individual community members to government bodies. The sea of teddy bears in Edmonton is a stark reminder of the immediate human cost of inaction, but it is also a symbol of hope that, by bringing the crisis “Out in the Open,” a movement for meaningful, lasting change is possible.