TORONTO: The Ontario government is investing $1.7 million over the next two years in community-based programs to combat hate-motivated crimes.
The funding will flow through the Safer and Vital Communities (SVC) Grant to not-for-profit organizations and First Nation Band Councils.
Applicants are required to partner with local police service and are encouraged to partner with at least one other organization from a different sector to ensure a broad range of community engagement.
“Our government has zero-tolerance for hate, racism, and discrimination in all forms,” said
Sylvia Jones, Solicitor General and Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism. “Effective solutions
cannot come from government alone and the grant will allow community-based organizations to be full partners in the fight against hate in Ontario.”
The Safer and Vital Communities Grant is open to community-based, not-for-profit organizations as well as Indigenous community-based and First Nation Band Councils to implement local projects that tackle hate-motivated crime and address the increase of police-reported hate crime in Ontario.
The theme of this year’s grant is Preventing Hate-Motivated Crime through Community Collaboration.
To be eligible, applicants must address hate-motivated crime in their community through programs and strategies. Applications could include recreational programs that positively affect the development of children and youth, raising awareness of hate-motivated crimes, as well as the improvement of the security infrastructure. Applications are open until September 16.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2017, police-reported criminal incidents in Canada that
were motivated by hate jumped by 47 percent over the previous year. The largest provincial increase occurred in Ontario at 67 percent.