The Ontario government is getting tough on hate-motivated crime with more funds. Photo by Tony Watkins.
The Ontario government is investing up to $2.6 million over two years to help communities fight hate-motivated crime.
The funds are made available through a Safer and Vital Communities (SVC) grant, which provides funds to community-based, not-for-profit organizations, First Nations Chiefs and Band Councils to address local risks to safety and well-being in the community.
Christine Hogarth, the MPP for Etobicoke Lakeshore, said the funding will help 26 community-based, not-for-profit organizations and First Nations Chiefs and Band Councils, in collaboration with their police partners.
The groups will implement local projects that tackle discrimination, foster greater inclusiveness and address the increase of police-reported hate crime, according to Hogarth.
Grant recipient The Neighbourhood Organization, will receive $110,000 to work with Toronto Police to develop community specific responses to hate motivated crime and related issues.
The Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre will receive $104,200 to work with police to deliver a two-part Indigenous Safer and Vital community project.
And the Kiever Synagogue Security Upgrade will obtain $63,000 to upgrade their security systems and Security Access and Public Announcement Systems Upgrades will receive $110,000 to update their systems.
“Our government has zero tolerance for hate and racism in any form,” says Hogarth, the Parliamentary Assistant for Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “We continue to be focused on advancing community-based solutions to ensure Ontarians can overcome these real-life barriers.”
She said the initiatives are important to protect people from ‘being victimized because of their race or religious beliefs.’
Hogarth said the grant will complement Ontario’s new $1.6 million Anti- Racism and Anti-Hate Grant, which is being designed with community groups to create solutions based on lived experiences and local needs.
In 2017, police-reported criminal incidents in Canada motivated by hate jumped by 47 per cent over 2016, according to Statistics Canada. The largest provincial increase occurred in Ontario at 67 per cent.