Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq Announces Support for Crime Prevention in the Northwest Territories

Program offers at-risk children and youth life skills to make smart choices

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 2, 2010) - Today, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Member of Parliament for Nunavut, Regional Minister for the North and Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, announced funding for projects aimed at helping at-risk children and youth in several communities in the Northwest Territories avoid criminal activities. The Government is delivering more than $7.8 million in support of three crime prevention projects called A Community within a Community: A Culture-Based Leadership and Resiliency Program, Youth Drop-In Centre and the Family Group Conferencing Model of Intervention.

"Today's announcement is welcome news for families in the Northwest Territories. This Government is committed to preventing crime and building safer communities," said Minister Aglukkaq. "The support we are announcing today demonstrates our ongoing efforts at reducing crime, and will provide at-risk children and youth in these communities with the tools they need to make smart choices."

"Crime prevention is a focal point of our efforts to strengthen community health in the Northwest Territories," says Northwest Territories Minister of Justice Jackson Lafferty. "Today's funding announcement supports our work and commitment to grass roots prevention programs that serve to improve the long term well-being of our population."

Through the National Crime Prevention Strategy's (NCPS) Northern and Aboriginal Crime Prevention Fund and the Crime Prevention Action Fund, the Government of Canada is providing funding to three projects in the Northwest Territories. These projects will promote youth development through community involvement, provide positive mentorship and help prevent their involvement in substance use and criminal activity.

The NCPS is administered by the National Crime Prevention Centre within Public Safety Canada. The strategy provides funding support to selected projects that help prevent crime and increase knowledge about effective crime prevention measures. The NCPS's priorities are:

addressing early risk factors among vulnerable children, youth, and young adults;
preventing recidivism among high-risk offenders;
fostering crime prevention in Aboriginal and Northern communities; and
preventing youth gang and drug-related crime.

For more information, please visit the website www.publicsafety.gc.ca

For more information, please contact

Public Safety Canada
Media Relations
613-991-0657