Ontario is providing more than $1.4-million to support victim safety, anti-hate crime, and anti-racism projects across the province.
Eight projects will share $875,000 under Ontario’s victim safety project – an 18-month, $4.5-million joint initiative between the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Victim Services Wellington will be receiving $89,000 to hire a victim notification and safety coordinator to help shorten the time between offender release and victim notification and notify victims of the outcome of hearings when the offender is not released.
Ontario is also providing almost $580,000 under its Safer and Vital Communities grant program to community-based, not-for-profit organizations and First Nations Chiefs and Band Councils. This year’s grants are dedicated to addressing racism and hate crime. Grants in previous years have addressed youth crime, drug and alcohol abuse and elder abuse.
Guelph MPP Liz Sandals said of the programs, “We are working with the community to ensure that victims of crime are safer and better informed. This funding will help ensure that victims know when the offender is released.”
Under Canada’s Criminal Code, any crime can be considered a hate crime if it is motivated by hate or bias.
A 2004 report by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics found that 57 per cent of hate crimes were motivated by race or ethnicity.
Studies show the economic costs of violent crime to the health care system, criminal justice, social services and in lost productivity is estimated to be in the billions of dollars.
