Government of Canada provides $4.7 million to Nova Scotia to combat gun and gang violence

HALIFAX, April 24, 2019 /CNW/ - Our communities thrive when Canadians feel safe and secure in their neighbourhoods. It is the responsibility of all governments to keep our communities safe. That is why the Government of Canada is taking action to combat gun and gang violence in communities across the country by investing heavily in the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.

Today, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, the Honourable Bill Blair, announced more than $4.7 million in funding over five years to support the Province of Nova Scotia's Guns and Gang Violence Action Fund. The efforts will support police services and organizations to enhance their efforts to prevent, disrupt and combat gun and gang violence, while increasing awareness and understanding of the issues surrounding this problem.

The province will focus on developing a strategy to address gun and gang violence that includes prevention and intervention initiatives, as well as, increasing law enforcement capacity and prosecution activities. Additional activities will include intelligence-gathering and sharing, specialized training programs for law enforcement, and developing and enhancing data systems to collect and report on results. 

Quotes

"There is no place for gun and gang violence in any community. Prevention and intervention initiatives, along with specialized law enforcement training to address the root causes of gang violence, can give young people, who are often the target of gangs, the tools to reject joining a life of crime, making our communities safer and enabling youth to achieve their full potential."

- The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Border Services and Organized Crime Reduction

"This funding agreement will help make our province safer. It will help strengthen our efforts to prevent, disrupt and combat gun and gang violence in our communities. This investment, for example, will help communities and community organizations to offer and expand programs that will support victims of human trafficking, develop community mobilization teams to respond effectively to violent incidents, and it will also provide legal supports, life and employability skills to help indigenous women and men reconnect with their communities and stay out of the criminal justice system."

- The Honourable Mark Furey, Attorney General and Minister of Justice for Nova Scotia

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada invested $327.6 million over five years to help support a variety of initiatives to reduce gun crime and criminal gang activities under the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.
• From the $327.6 million, $214 million will be made available to the provinces and territories through the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund over a period of five years. Through this fund, over the full five years, Nova Scotia will receive a total of $4,731,447 million. 
• The Government of Canada also invested an additional $8 million over the next four years in the Youth Gang Prevention Fund beginning in 2019, under the National Crime Prevention Strategy, as part of its commitment to community funding under the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.

Associated Links

• Gun and Gang Violence 
• Federal funding to tackle gun violence and gang activity
• National Crime Prevention Strategy

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For more information, please visit the website www.publicsafety.gc.ca.

SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

For further information: Marie-Emmanuelle Cadieux, Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]

Related Links

https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca