EDMONTON, AB, March 30, 2026 /CNW/ - Canadians deserve to feel safe in welcoming, vibrant, and inclusive communities. Building safe communities requires enforcement alongside a compassionate approach to prevention. That means taking practical action to reduce factors that can contribute to crime and disorder, support community safety, and address challenges affecting community well-being.
That is why the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety, today announced $650,413 in federal support to the City of Edmonton through the Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF).
The CPAF supports evidence-based crime prevention initiatives in communities that address known risk and protective factors associated with crime among vulnerable groups of the population, especially children, youth, and high-risk offenders.
This funding will help the City of Edmonton advance a coordinated, prevention-focused approach to community safety in the downtown core. Project activities include supporting stronger local partnerships, improving access to services and supports, enhancing public spaces, and increasing awareness of community safety resources. The project will also support more coordinated responses to complex social challenges, contributing to broader local efforts to foster public spaces that feel safe, welcoming, and inclusive.
This investment in prevention is another step the Government of Canada is taking to keep communities safe, building on broader efforts to combat crime by enhancing intelligence tools, strengthening enforcement, and deepening collaboration with partners across the country and internationally. To help keep pace with a rapidly evolving digital environment, we are taking action to help law enforcement investigate threats more efficiently, disrupt the illicit money and technologies that enable crime, and support stronger investigations and prosecutions, while introducing stricter bail provisions and tougher sentencing for violent and repeat offenders. Together, these efforts support the ongoing work of federal, provincial and municipal governments, police services, and community partners to address criminal threats in Edmonton, across Alberta, and throughout Canada.
Quotes
"Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities and welcome in the public spaces where they live, work, and gather. This investment will help Edmonton strengthen a coordinated approach to prevention, improve safety in the downtown core, and connect people to the services and supports they need. It is one part of our government's broader work to combat crime and support stronger, safer communities."
- The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada
"On behalf of the City of Edmonton, I thank the Government of Canada for their investment in our city through the Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF). Together with our community partners, we're taking a whole-of-system approach to public safety. Whether it's pathway improvements for people navigating support systems, or providing prevention-focused resources for businesses and homes, the work of enhancing public safety and well-being is something we can't tackle alone. That's why funding like the CPAF is so important. We are grateful for the federal government's support and look forward to implementing proactive and sustainable solutions to keep our communities safe."
- His Worship Mayor Andrew Knack
Quick Facts
- The CPAF is part of the National Crime Prevention Strategy, which supports evidence-based interventions to address known risk and protective factors associated with crime among vulnerable groups of the population, especially children and youth. The 2024 Call for Applications prioritized initiatives that focus on Indigenous youth, racialized youth, youth at risk of committing violence, youth who have had repeat contacts with the criminal justice system, and cyberbullying.
- The Government of Canada recently convened summits on extortion in Surrey, B.C. and Brampton, Ontario, bringing together federal, provincial, and municipal leaders, along with law enforcement partners, including the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and RCMP, to strengthen coordination and advance integrated efforts to disrupt cross‑border criminal networks and protect local businesses and residents.
- Budget 2025 announced $1.7 billion in funding to strengthen the RCMP's response to a wide range of threats related to transnational organized crime, financial crimes, and money laundering, while enhancing its intelligence and national security capacity, fulfilling the government's commitment to hire 1,000 RCMP personnel. The Prime Minister has indicated that 150 of these new personnel will be dedicated to tackle financial crimes – targeting money laundering networks, organized crime, online fraud, and the recovery of illicit assets.
- Leveraging these investments in federal law enforcement capacity, Budget 2025 proposed to establish a new Financial Crimes Agency to be Canada's lead enforcement agency against financial crimes.
- To counter modern-day threats, like extortion, the Government of Canada is working to update critical pieces of legislation that aim to disrupt the criminal networks that profit from fear. These include the newly introduced Bill C-22, an Act to keep Canadians safe, the Strong Borders Act (Bill C-2), the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12), and the proposed Bail and Sentencing Reform Act (Bill C-14), which would make bail harder to obtain and impose tougher sentences for extortion-related offences.
- To support community safety and give young people positive pathways, Alberta has received $53 million over five years (2023–2028) through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (ITAAGGV). Edmonton has also received more than $4.2 million through the $250 million Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF), which helps municipalities deliver local initiatives that prevent gun and gang violence.
- To strengthen border management and enforcement capacity, Budget 2025 provides funding for 1,000 new CBSA officers across frontline and operational functions. This investment boosts the CBSA's ability to detect, disrupt, and deter illegal activity, including the removal of foreign nationals who may be subject to removal due to criminality.
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Contacts: Soraya Lemur, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, [email protected]; Media Relations: Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]
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