• Halifax gets nearly $2M in federal funding to prevent gun, gang violence

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-29 19:46:50.0
  Tags: [National, Nova Scotia, Municipal, Public Safety, Social Services]

  Federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced up to $1.9 million in federal funding for the Halifax Regional Municipality through the Build Safer Communities Fund to prevent gun and gang violence. The initiative is part of a broader $157.5-million national commitment over three years, intended to support community projects addressing the underlying social conditions leading youth to crime. Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore and municipal public safety advisor Amy Siciliano noted that the funding will expand crisis de-escalation supports, improve spaces for youth mentorship, and provide educational, mental health, and anti-trafficking resources. The funding allocation is based on community crime severity data, which showed nine homicides and 30 shootings in the municipality in 2025.

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• Ottawa invests $2.2 million to give Edmonton youths a literal fighting chance

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-09-09 23:22:54.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, Municipal, Justice, Public Safety, Social Services]

  The federal government, through Justice Minister Sean Fraser, announced a $2.2 million investment from the Crime Prevention Action Fund to support the Empire Fighting Chance program in Edmonton. Administered locally through REACH Edmonton and operated out of Brave MMA and Fitness, the program adapts a model from Bristol, England, utilizing non-contact boxing, martial arts discipline, and psychologically informed mentoring to redirect at-risk youth away from crime and gang activity. Local municipal leaders, including Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack, alongside organizations like Native Counselling Services of Alberta, collaborated on the initiative to provide barrier-free early intervention and mental health resources.

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