Third Option Evidence Collection

Third Option Evidence Collection (also known as Third Option) is an Alberta Health Services (AHS) program that provides survivors of sexual assault the opportunity to complete a forensic medical exam (which can include a Sexual Assault Evidence Kit) and have the evidence stored confidentially until the survivor is ready to decide if they wish to report the incident to the police or not. Providing the survivor with time to decide if filing a police report is the right option for them is a victim-centred approach that allows for the survivor to access other supports they may need while ensuring that potential crucial evidence is obtained and secured; which may assist in securing a conviction in court. The Alberta RCMP partnership with AHS permits the RCMP to supply the kits free of charge and hold the collected evidence confidentially for a period of 12 months to allow the survivor sufficient time to make an informed decision on how they wish to proceed, if at all. For full confidentiality, no identifying information about the survivor is provided by AHS to the RCMP at this time.

Date modified:

2022-04-07