ARCHIVED - Harper Government supports Calgary in fight against gangs
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CALGARY, October 11, 2012 — The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, announced today that support has been extended for the successful crime prevention project, Effective Community Response to Immigrant Youth Gang Crime Project, run by the Centre for Newcomers Society of Calgary.
“I am very proud to announce additional funding for this worthy project which helps immigrant communities within Calgary,” said Minister Toews. “This is yet another example of how our government is committed to preventing gang crime and improving the safety of our streets.”
The project aims to prevent immigrant youth aged 17 to 25 years from joining gangs and to help those who are already involved with gangs to end their association and criminal involvement.
“Gangs actively recruit youth who are marginalized and disenfranchised, and immigrant youth are particularly at risk,” said Jonathan Denis, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General. “This project provides immigrant youth with a support network that includes counselling and skills training to keep them away from gang activity.”
Funding for this project comes from the National Crime Prevention Strategy's Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF), which is administered by Public Safety Canada's National Crime Prevention Centre. On September 13th, the government announced that it is providing up to $10 million toward new crime prevention projects under the CPAF, and is now accepting applications for funding. The deadline for applications is October 25, 2012.
In 2011 alone, the government funded 138 community-based crime prevention projects through the National Crime Prevention Strategy, in which nearly 16,000 at-risk youth participated. Thirteen of those projects were located in Alberta. The extension for this project is close to $300,000 in additional funding.
The Harper Government's support for this project demonstrates a commitment to preventing crime and making our streets safe. To help ensure that all Canadians can feel safe in their own communities, the government is also investing $7.5 million per year in the Youth Gang Prevention Fund, which helps those youth who are most at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity.
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Information:
Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
Julie Carmichael
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Public Safety
613-991-2924
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