SAINT JOHN, April 26, 2005 -- Paul Zed, Member of Parliament for Saint John, on behalf of the Honourable Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, today announced $150 000 in federal funding to support a comprehensive community initiative called “Vibrant Communities Saint John Poverty Reduction Strategy.” “What we’re supporting here is the efforts of the Saint John community to make our city stronger and safer,” Mr. Zed announced. “Investing in the social infrastructure is fundamental to improving quality of life, to increasing social inclusion, and to tackling tough issues like poverty, crime and victimization.” “Saint John is a wonderful, vibrant city in many respects, but we are not without our challenges,” Mr. Zed continued. “ Saint John has the third highest rate of poverty for Canadian cities of this size - by recognizing this as a problem and working in partnership on finding solutions, Saint Johners are making a commitment to build a brighter, prosperous future for our community.” Social and economic exclusion, unemployment and low literacy are risk factors that can result in people living in poverty, and are also risk factors for individuals coming into contact with the law as an offender or as a victim. This funding, allocated under the Government of Canada’s National Crime Prevention Strategy, will allow the project sponsor, the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative and its partners, to undertake specific work to provide support and enhance social inclusion for single parent families of young children. Resources from the federal government will also help to evaluate the impact of poverty reduction on preventing and reducing crime and victimization. Through the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), the Government of Canada works in partnership with governments, volunteers, academics, community organizations and others to develop, implement and test initiatives designed to stop crime from happening in the first place. The multi-sectoral approach of this project is a good example of the various sectors of community working together toward a comprehensive community solution to difficult social issues. The Vibrant Communities Saint John Poverty Reduction Strategy is also receiving significant support from a wide range of its other local, provincial and national partners, including the provincial government, the Corporation of the City of Saint John, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, the Tamarack Institute, and the Saint John business community. As part of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, the NCPS acts as the first link in the Government of Canada’s public safety continuum. Since its launch in June, 1998, the NCPS has worked with its many partners to support more than 5,000 crime prevention initiatives nationwide. In February, 2005, the Government of Canada announced an additional $90 million over the next three years to renew the National Crime Prevention Strategy as a key measure to protect Canadians from crime and victimization. - 30 - For further information: Monique LeBlanc Manager, Programs National Crime Prevention Strategy (506) 452-3965 Aaron Kennedy Executive Assistant Office of Mr. Paul Zed, MP (506) 657-2507 Mark Stokes Director, Communications National Crime Prevention Strategy (613) 954-1721 Monica Chaperlain Project Coordinator, Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative Inc. (506) 633-5588
