August 2, 2022

Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities. That is why the Government of Canada is taking action on gun violence, with a comprehensive plan that gets guns off our streets and puts more resources into our communities. The most important element of this plan is preventing gun and gang violence from happening in the first place, which is why we launched the $250 million Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF). First announced in March of 2022, the BSCF supports local initiatives to prevent gun violence and help young people make good choices.

Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury , today announced that the City of Greater Sudbury will receive up to $2 million in funding through the BSCF, on behalf of the Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Marco Mendicino. This funding will help to address the underlying social conditions that give rise to crime. The BSCF will support community-led projects to combat violence among young people who are involved in gangs, or are at risk of joining them.

No single program or initiative can tackle the challenge of gun violence on its own. That is why the BSCF is one the many elements in the Government’s comprehensive plan to keep Canadians safe. This begins at our borders, where we’ve added resources to fight smuggling and stop guns from coming into Canada. We banned assault-style weapons like the AR-15. Finally, we recently introduced Bill C-21 – the most significant action on gun violence in Canada in a generation – which includes a national freeze on handgun ownership, new “red flag” laws to stop domestic violence, and tougher penalties for organized crime.

Quotes

“My number one priority as Minister of Public Safety is keeping Canadians safe. Investing in grassroots and community efforts in Greater Sudbury is essential to addressing the social conditions that lead youth and young adults to get involved in a life of crime and gun-related violence. Put simply, we must stop gun and gang violence before it starts.” - The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety

“This investment in Sudbury will have extreme impact, and tangible benefits for our community. Through the Building Safer Communities Fund, the support will help make critical investments in community-based initiatives to help address the root causes of crime. Public safety is of utmost importance in our community, and I commend our Government for making such significant investments like this.” – Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament Sudbury

“The people of Greater Sudbury deserve to feel safe and secure, and have confidence that our community is taking steps to protect our most vulnerable youth from gang and gun violence. Prevention works best when it is community-led and takes a comprehensive view of the real challenges faced by our youth. Canada’s Building Safer Communities Fund acknowledges this and places the power into the hands of the Greater Sudbury Police Service and our community. As Mayor, I am grateful for this investment as we continue to build a safer future for our youth.” - Brian Bigger, Mayor of Greater Sudbury

Quick Facts

• Public Safety Canada is finalizing agreements with municipalities and communities that have been identified through the evidence-based criteria and meet the program requirements.

• The amount of BSCF support for a community is based on two major elements: crime severity (homicide by firearm, incidents of firearms offences, organized crime/street gang-involved crime) and population density.

• The BSCF builds on the success of the Initiative To Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence, a $358.8 million investment over five years, announced in 2018, that brings together federal, provincial and territorial supports to tackle the increase in gun-related violence and gang activity in Canada.