Q&A: What is Project KARE?

Q: Just what is Project Kare? A: An RCMP-led task force investigating the disappearances and deaths of Albertans who led high-risk lifestyles. At times, Edmonton Police Service officers have been dedicated N to the task force. Q: What is a high- risk lifestyle? A: Project Kare’s mandate includes investigations involving victims who are involved in the sex trade, have drug addictions or are homeless. More than a dozen female sex-trade workers have been found dead around Edmonton since 1989. Q: When was Project Kare created? A: Project Kare was publicly announced on Nov. 18, 2003. The task force was an expansion of the High-Risk Missing Persons Project formed 11 months earlier after the remains of several Edmonton sex-trade workers were found in rural areas in the Edmonton region. Q: Do Project Kare members only investigate once a body is found? A: No. In the past decade, officers have contacted dozens of women in the sex trade to catalogue information in case they become victims of crimes. Personal information such as names, birthdates, friends and family members, identifying marks and hair samples have been collected from women. Q: Has Project Kare solved any murders of sex-trade workers? A: Yes. In 2008, Thomas Svekla was convicted of second-degree murder in the December 2005 death of Theresa Innes. At the same trial, Svekla was acquitted of killing Rachel Quinney. He has since been declared a dangerous offender and is serving an indefinite prison term. In September 2011, Joseph Laboucan was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Ellie May Meyer. Q: What is Project Kare now? A: In recent years, according to the RCMP, Project Kare has expanded into an umbrella term for certain cases involving the missing persons unit, historical homicide investigators and the crime-prevention unit. Q: How many missing people are Edmonton police agencies currently investigating? A: In Edmonton, there are 84 historical missing persons files dating back to 1971. A dozen of those are aboriginal men and 10 people, including Delores Brower, are aboriginal women. Q: Why is Kare spelled with a K?

A: The Alberta division of the RCMP is known as K-Division. The names of all projects and task forces must begin with a K. rcormier@edmontonjournal.com