Crown attorney to take lead in human trafficking cases

Nova Scotia has appointed its first Crown attorney devoted to the prosecution of human trafficking offences.

On July 14, Josie Mckinney is to begin her new role, which will focus on human trafficking proesuctions and provide training on human trafficking issues for Crown attorneys across the province.

Mckinney articled with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice after graduating from the Dalhousie Law School in 2006.

In 2007, she joined the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic as the co-ordinator of Aborginal legal services. Mckinney, a Mi'kmaq and Maliseet woman, also represented clients in the Indian residential school settlement process.

In 2011, Mckinney was appointed as a Crown attorney in the Yarmouth office of the Public Prosecution Service before she moved to the Halifax office in 2018.

Mckinney has prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases, including sexual assaults and cases of child luring, and is a member of the Public Prosecution Service sexual assault working group and the equity and diversity committee.

"Ms. Mckinney's skills as a prosecutor combined with her extensive experience in dealing with vulnerable witnesses and difficult facts make her ideally suited for this new position," Martin Herschorn, director of Public Prosecutions, said in a news release Wednesday.

The new position is part of the province's $5-million initiative to address human trafficking.