$2 Million Increase in Supports to Improve Community Safety in North Bay
April 14, 2022Investment helping local police fight crime and keep people safe
NORTH BAY – Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing announced that the Ontario government is investing $1,950,000 over three years to provide the North Bay Police Service with significant new resources to safeguard the City of North Bay. This funding is in addition to the $200,000 we announced last week for the Nipissing Enhanced Victim Support Project.
“Community safety is a top priority for our government,” said Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing. “This investment is another way we are helping the North Bay Police 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 our community.”
“These four grants from the provincial government amount to a tremendous investment in the North Bay Police Service and will significantly bolster our ability to serve the people of North Bay and keep our community safe. Investments at this level show a profound commitment to the work we are doing as a police service. I am very thankful for our continued partnership with the provincial government,” said Scott Tod, Chief of the North Bay Police.
“This funding will support important community policing programs such as the Gateway Hub and Mobile Crisis Team, helping to ensure that the North Bay Police Service has the resources it needs to address critical needs in our community,” said Mayor Al McDonald.
The North Bay Police Service is one of 90 police service boards receiving funding through the CSP Grant Program for 147 public safety initiatives focusing on local and provincial priorities such as gun and gang violence, sexual violence and harassment, human trafficking, mental health and addictions and hate-motivated crime. Many projects will be undertaken in collaboration with community partners.
The breakdown of funding is as follows:
- $618,000.00 for the Community Outreach Officer Program, which will support two full-time officers with the North Bay Police Service dedicated to community outreach that will help increase public safety and reduce crime.
- $618,000 for the Mobile Crisis Team which is a community-led collaborative partnership between the North Bay Police Service and the North Bay Regional Health Centre. It will support the role of two full time officers.
- $405,000 for the North Bay Police Analyst and Researcher Program, funds used to hire a dedicated full-time researcher to explore how to achieve more comprehensive data collection, evaluation, analysis and reporting on police interactions with individuals who may be experiencing mental health and/or addictions issues and economic uncertainty. In addition, a new specialized position to analyze the current opioid crisis in North Bay and the surrounding area will also be created.
- $309,000 for the Gateway Hub Officer Project which will support the role of full-time officer with the North Bay Police dedicated to the Gateway Hub. The Gateway Hub is a multi-sectoral risk intervention model that provides a frontline, multi-agency forum for identifying individual and families who are at risk.
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. 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 crimes
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: Current community safety project grant recipients | ontario.ca
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES