Several police services boards in Grey Bruce are receiving $2.2 million in combined funding from the Ontario government.
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker recently announced the funding, which will be allocated over a three-year period through 2024.
The funding is part of the Ontario government’s $627 million investment in the Community Safety and Policing Grant Program for initiatives which help combat crime locally.
The dollars are intended to assist public safety initiatives focused on local and provincial priorities like gun and gang violence, sexual violence and harassment, human trafficking, mental health and addictions, and hate-motivated crime.
The Owen Sound Police Services Board, Hanover Police Services Board, Grey Highlands Police Services Board, and West Grey Police Services Board, are four of the 90 who received funding through the program.
The Owen Sound Police Services Board received nearly $1.2 million, which is spread out among its “Community Oriented Response and Enforcement Unit Enhancement (CORE),” “Part Time Officer Program – Enforcement and support for full time officers during peak call periods,” and “Mental Health Crisis Response Team.”
Owen Sound Police Chief Chief Craig Ambrose says, “this new funding will provide a tremendous boost to our ability to provide the kind of community policing the people of Owen Sound expect. I’m very much looking forward to getting our new CORE officer out and engaged with the community as we move into the busy summer months and begin seeing many of our community events coming back as Covid restrictions begin to ease.”
The Hanover Police Services Board received $84,000 for “Community Trials and Downtown Safety – increasing police presence.”
The Grey Highlands Police Services Board received over $98,000 for “Grey Highlands School and Community Engagement and Safety Officer.”
The West Grey Police Services Board received over $168,000 for “enhancing police response to victims of violent crime.”