TACKLING RISE IN CRIME

EFFORTS BEING TAKEN TO HELP KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE, WRITES ADAM VAN KOEVERDEN

I would like to address the recent increase in violent and dangerous crime that has taken place in Milton over the past several months.

First, thank you to councillors Adil Khalqi and Sameera Ali for their leadership in organizing a public safety town hall. Thank you to everyone who attended, especially our local police for their hard work and courage every day in our community

Last fall, I hosted a meeting with Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino to ensure our concerns about community safety were being heard by the federal government.

Recently, I joined my Halton federal colleagues to announce details of a comprehensive plan to help get guns off our streets and put more resources into our communities. Initially announced in March 2022, the $250-million Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF) will be key in helping to stop violence before it starts. It supports local initiatives that reduce gun and gang violence and help young people make good choices.

Halton will receive $3.94 million to address the root causes that give rise to crime, making you and our community safer. This money will be given to community-led projects for at-risk youth, helping them become strong and successful contributors to the community.

Milton continues to be one of the safest places in the country to live, but we are not immune to crime or violence. That's why our government has taken significant steps to combat violent crime, including:

• Taking stronger action at our borders, with investments in the CBSA and RCMP to fight gun smuggling into Canada;

• Launching a buyback program and a national hand gun freeze to get weapons off of our streets; and

• Justice Minister David Lametti has indicated that our government is moving ahead on targeted reforms to update Canada's bail system.

While we have taken many steps to reduce violent criminal behaviour, I recognize that more must be done — and stronger collective action across all levels of government must be taken in order to ensure that we are continuing to make our communities safer so that everyone is afforded the peace of mind that they deserve.