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Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
Statement: Ontario's Police Leaders Welcome Government of Canada’s Investments in Programs that Proactively Address Gun Crimes and Gang Violence
On May 8, 2023, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, announced that the federal government will be investing $390 million in programs to stop gun crime and gang violence. To be allocated over the next five years to Ontario and other Canadian provinces, this funding will support a variety of initiatives, including supporting our law enforcement members in the important work they do in this area of crime prevention as well as providing much needed supports for prevention programs.
As police leaders tasked with ensuring the community safety and well-being of all our citizens, members of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) welcome this investment in the safety of our communities. OACP commends Minister Mendicino for his support for our officers on the frontlines of combatting crimes related to guns and gangs. We also thank the Government of Ontario for its continued strong support for community safety and well-being.
During an event to announce the funding hosted by Peel regional Police, the OACP’s President, Chief Nishan Duraiappah, thanked Minister Mendicino as well as Ontario’s Solicitor General the Honourable Michael Kerzner, for their commitment to combatting gun violence and gang activity, which remains a top priority for police services across Ontario. The announcement is a significant investment in a continuing, comprehensive, and collaborative approach to addressing and reducing gun and gang violence by providing the resources required to investigate and hold accountable those that victimize our communities.
Background
- Gun and gang-related crime continues to be a serious issue in Canada and the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (ITAAGGV) is making a positive difference in provinces and territories since the program began.
- ITAAGGV recipients reported that their projects were producing positive impacts relative to their objectives and to the communities, populations or stakeholders served by their project.
- ITAAGGV funding helped enhance the RCMP’s Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative (ICFI), expanding the services available to law enforcement to better combat the use of illegal firearms and improve the national collection, analysis and sharing of firearms-related intelligence and information.
- ITAAGGV funding has also supported enhancements to CBSA’S detection technology, equipment and infrastructure to help prevent firearms from coming into the country illegally.
Funding Breakdown – Ontario
|
Jurisdiction |
5 year allocation 2018 - 2023 |
5 year allocation 2024-2029 |
Amount of increase
|
|
Ontario |
$65,539,130 |
$121,465,792 |
$55,926,662 |
Resources
- OACP’s Out of the Shadows resource document on organized crime
- Major new federal funding and summit to tackle gun violence and gang activity
- New investments to help end gun and gang violence in Canada
- Government of Canada delivers on plan to build safer communities and reduce firearms violence
- Further strengthening our gun control laws
- Government takes action to prevent gun violence with $250 million Building Safer Communities Fund
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