More funding for Kawartha Lakes Police Service from Province

By Lindsay Advocate

Kawartha Lakes Police Service is the recipient of provincial funding, according to a media release from local MPP Laurie Scott’s office.

This funding is part of Ontario’s $267 million investment in the Community Safety and Policing (CSP) Grant Program for initiatives that help combat crime locally.

Last week, the Kawartha Lakes Police Service also received a grant of $164,947.84 over two years through the Victim Support Grant (VSG) program to enhance capacity to support survivors of intimate partner violence and human trafficking.

“This funding will help our local police services and community partners work together to help more victims get the supports they need and support the implementation of important public safety and community policing initiatives,” said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.

The Kawartha Lakes Police Service will use the Community Safety and Policing Grant Program funds to continue important mental health and addictions outreach programs in our community. The Kawartha Lakes Police Service works with partner agencies like the Ross Memorial Hospital and FourCast Addiction Services to pair police officers with mental health and substance abuse professionals. The CSP Grant helps to support the cost of these programs and deliver specialized service to the most difficult cases.

The CSP Grant Program helps police services address priority issues identified in their communities such as expanding mental health supports, preventing crime in schools and combatting cyber-crime. It also addresses provincewide priorities such as: 

  • Gun and gang violence
  • Sexual violence and harassment
  • Human trafficking
  • Mental health and addictions
  • Hate-motivated crime

The Kawartha Lakes Police Service will use the Victim Support Grant to support and enhance services such as:

  • Reducing barriers to making a police report
  • Statement support
  • Safety planning
  • Accessing the Victim Quick Response Program+ when eligible
  • Assistance entering a shelter
  • Assistance with priority housing application
  • Referrals to community and government support services

“Intimate Partner Violence has had a devastating impact on many people within our community. The government of Ontario recently provided funding through the Victim Support Grant to assist victims and survivors of Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking. Locally, funding was used to create the Kawartha Lakes Intimate Partner Violence Support Unit which is a collaboration between the Kawartha Lakes Police Service, City of Kawartha Lakes OPP, Kawartha Haliburton Victim Services and Women’s Resources. The Kawartha Lakes IPV Support Unit offers services to meet the unique needs of victims of intimate partner violence in the City of Kawartha Lakes,” said Mark Mitchell, Chief of Police for the City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service.

“Community safety is a top priority, and our government has been strengthening our justice system to protect communities and hold offenders accountable,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “This investment is another way we are helping police services address local challenges and improve the well-being of the people they serve. Whether to combat the opioid crisis, share intelligence, or prevent violent crime, this funding will make a difference in all corners of Ontario.”

QUICK FACTS

  • This investment will be allocated over a three-year period: 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 to recipients and projects listed here.
  • The maximum funding for any one initiative under the Provincial Priorities Funding Stream is $1.5 million over three years.
  • Under the Local Priorities Funding Stream, each eligible police services board had a pre-determined allocation that they could apply for.
  • Police services will be required to report twice a year on the financial activities and outcomes of their initiatives.
  • The current two-year grant cycle under the VSG program is supported in part by the federal government’s Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence, which includes a total investment of more than $65 million over five years for Ontario’s Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy.

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