Backgrounder

Canada's New Government is serious about community safety and we are focusing our crime prevention initiatives on those who are most at risk. Through the National Crime Prevention Centre, we are providing more than $2.7 million to support crime prevention projects in British Columbia.

Below are the selected projects that will work to prevent and reduce crime in communities across British Columbia:

1. Vancouver Native Health Society, Aboriginal Youth Workshop on the Realities of Urban Living, ($43,530). The project will reduce the alienation and isolation many Aboriginal youth face when moving from reserves to urban centres. The project identifies relevant programs and services available to the Aboriginal population.
2. Surrey School District #36, Straight Talk, ($82,600). This project will address issues of neighbourhood crime, gun possession, violence and gang involvement among high-risk youth, by developing a training package for schools. Funds will be used to create curriculum materials to improve communication between youth, their parents and the community. Twenty-five students from each of the nine participating schools will take part in the pilot project.
3. Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, School Aged Children and Youth Substance Use Prevention Project (SACY), ($175,906). This project will enhance substance abuse prevention and intervention infrastructure within the Vancouver School District for students in grades six to nine.
4. British Columbia Crime Prevention Association, BC Crime Prevention and Community Safety Resource Network – Phase II, ($187,054). This project will promote safety within BC communities by offering access to current pertinent crime prevention information.
5. Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Vancouver, Welcome to My Life, ($235,000). Seven modules will be developed and delivered to grade seven girls dealing with issues around decision making and conflict resolution, unhealthy/healthy relationships, identity, values, personal safety online and in social situations.
6. Prince George Urban Aboriginal Justice Society, OPTIONS: Restorative Justice For Schools, ($307,551). This project will increase the retention of Aboriginal youth in Prince George secondary schools and reduce the number and severity of crime and victimization incidents in local schools.
7. Cowichan Women Against Violence Society, Safer Futures Program, Safer Communities: Making Links, ($569,160). This implementation of a Comprehensive Community Safety Initiative (CCSI) will cover three neighbourhoods within the Cowichan Valley. Project participants will work toward three key goals:
   1. to build safe and caring neighbourhoods by simultaneously working at the community and policy levels;
   2. to boost local crime prevention efforts through collaboration among local social service agencies; and
   3. to embed integrated planning into local government decision-making.
8. Port Alberni Women's Resources Society, Getting to the Root of It: Crime and Victimization in the Alberni Valley, ($574,091). This Comprehensive Community Safety Initiative (CCSI) project will increase Port Alberni's capacity to address root causes to prevent crime and victimization in the Alberni Valley. Residents and community stakeholders will share resources and combine efforts to promote well-being for the area.
9. Selkirk College, Boundary Comprehensive Community Safety Initiative, ($574,708). This project supports a two part approach to achieve a safer, healthier, and more vibrant community. The project will develop and implement a Collaborative Leadership and Learning Centre at the Grand Forks Campus of Selkirk College to help individuals and organizations work collaboratively to address and prevent crime.

Total: $2,749,600