Photo: CKRW file from July 2023.
Whitehorse, YT – Yukon’s ongoing fight against gun and gang violence is getting a significant boost, with nearly $4 million in new federal funding through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence for 2023 to 2028.
This funding nearly doubles the $2.3 million that was allocated over the previous five years.
The money supports a range of initiatives, including hiring three new investigators and a crime prevention analyst for the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Unit.
Other programs that will be supported focus on community safety planning, restorative justice healing circles, youth crime prevention education and food security for at-risk youth.
The initiative also includes creating an interagency table to support vulnerable individuals at high risk of offending.
Yukon MP Brendan Hanley says he’s taken a tour of Whitehorse businesses in recent days to gauge the top issues pressing the business community.
“There are lots of challenges including affordability and now the Postal strike while break-ins are happening repeatedly,” said Hanley. “There’s a lot of frustrations that have been expressed.”
