$2.96M in federal funding provided to help reduce gun crime, gang violence in Regina
Regina is receiving $2.96 million from the federal government’s Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF) to help reduce gun crime and gang violence in the city.
An announcement was made at the mamaweyatitan centre Friday morning by Pam Damoff, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Mayor Sandra Masters.
According to a government of Canada news release, the city will distribute the funding to community-led projects for young people involved in gangs or who are at risk of joining them.
“My number one priority as Minister of Public Safety is keeping Canadians safe. Investments in grassroots efforts in Regina are essential to addressing the social conditions that lead youth and young adults to get involved in a life of crime. Put simply, we must stop gun and gang violence before it starts,” federal Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino said in a news release.
Mayor Sandra Masters said ensuring at-risk youth have access to resources and can participate in the community will help prevent them from getting involved in gang activity while also creating more opportunities for them to thrive.
“We know that gang related activity is active in our city,” Masters said Friday.
“In 2021, Regina had the highest rate of firearm-related violent crime out of all census metropolitan areas in Canada. It affirms the need to focus on proactive measures that will keep youth from seeking community through gangs.”
The amount of funding provided from Ottawa’s BSCF program is determined by crime severity, which includes: homicide by firearm, incidents of firearms offences, organized crime/street gang-involved crime, as well as population density.
Masters said the city will engage with people who work with youth daily, as well as the youth themselves, about what type of programming might be beneficial.
One organization Masters mentioned that would likely benefit from this funding is Growing Young Movers, a non-profit focused on eliminating gaps that exist for youth.
“We work predominantly with folks from North Central Regina and our mandate is to work to employ young people to work with even younger youth from the community. They get paid employment working with our organization,” Brian Lewis, the executive director of Growing Young Movers and a teacher at Scott Collegiate, said.
The organization offers a range of mentorship after the school day ends.
“Hearing about funding such as this, we think about all the options of expansion as we continue to grow of offering more opportunities for young people,” Lewis said.
He’s hoping funding would potentially allow the organization to expand further into other parts of the city, offer different types of programs and open to weekend sessions.
In terms of gun violence specifically, Lewis said they hear about it on occasion from high school students.
“It’s not something we bring up with the little ones unless it’s brought up,” Lewis explained.
“We know it exists. We know that there’s a lot of challenges in this community but we also know that these young people have such strength.”
Ottawa also provided similar funding this week to the British Columbia Interior and the Fraser Valley region.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.