When thinking of gun and gang violence throughout Canada, many often think of major cities throughout the nation. However, the Government of Canada states that small towns and rural regions are also often victims of gang violence. In light of this, the Government of Canada is investing $1.8 million to fight gang and gun violence.
In a press release from Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, it was announced on Friday that the Government of Canada is investing heavily to support the Guns and Gang Violence Action Fund in Newfoundland and Labrador. The government will be investing $1.8 million over a five year period in an attempt to combat the violence that the province faces.
This Gung and Gang Violence Fund will work towards addressing this issue by funding law enforcement and criminal prosecutions as well as creating a new partnership program with community agencies.
According to Minister of Border Services and Organized Crime Reduction, Bill Blair, one main thing that the province hopes to use this funding for is to give youth across the province the opportunity to have a successful future and help them avoid joining any gangs.
Minister of Justice and Public Saftey, Andrew Parsons states that “combatting serious and organized crime are ongoing priorities for our policing agencies and this agreement will allow officered to be better positioned to targeted offenders.”
While the press release doesn’t state exactly how serious gang violence is in Newfoundland, the expansion of two major outlaw motorcycle clubs has drawn the attention of officials throughout the province.
According to CTV News, both the Outlaws and the Bacchus OMCs have set up their homes in the province. The Outlaws are even said to have two chapters in the province, one located in Bishop’s Falls and another located in Centreville.
Since 2018, the RCMP have issued a statement to the public to report any sightings of these Clubs in large groups and to never engage with these Clubs if they are near you.
On top of this, members of Hells Angels, Nomads, and Red Devil were spotted on the island this month as the paraded across the province to ‘show their colours’ and to remind residents that they still have a presence in the Maritimes.
Earlier this week, New Brunswick also received $2.7 million to fight gun and gang violence. While it is still uncertain if gang violence is getting any worse, these fundings show that the provinces are under some stress with a recent gang presence.
Source: Narcity