Seized cash as well as the proceeds from the sale of cars, and other high-end goods taken during criminal investigations is being redistributed to 27 organizations as part of a provincial grant program, Ontario’s attorney general announced Thursday.
Recipients of this funding round of the Civil Remedies Grant Program include the Toronto Police Service, Victim Services Toronto, and the Jewish Family and Child Service of Greater Toronto.
Funding for the grants comes from proceeds of crime that have been seized by police services as part of criminal investigations across Ontario.
“It is a variety of things. It can be high-end goods, purses, it can be cash, it can be property, it can be cars, it can be any variety of things connected to crime,” Attorney General Doug Downey said during a news conference at Toronto police headquarters on Thursday morning.
“This is about turning the proceeds of crime into tools for prevention, tools for support, and creating safer neighbourhoods.”
He said it is important that proceeds of crime seized by police services been managed and distributed by the province.
“It is very important that there is a separation so that the police are using money that they are seizing,” Downey said.
About $200,000 will be given to the Toronto Police Service.
Speaking to reporters, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the grant money will go to “coordinate bail enforcement, community referrals, and early intervention across the service.”
Carly Kalish, CEO of Victim Services Toronto, said the $200,000 in funds distributed to her organization will be used to improve Ontario’s response to human trafficking.
“At Victim Services, we see first-hand how human trafficking impacts survivors and how often the system isn’t equipped to respond in the way it should,” she said.
“Survivors are navigating complex systems that don’t always trauma, coercion, or what real supports look like.”
She said the grant provided by the province will give the organization an opportunity to change that.
“Through this initiative we are bringing together survivors’ voices and data-driven insights to strengthen Ontario’s response to human trafficking,” she said.
“Survivors will help shape the training, tools, and resources used by police, crown attorneys ad justice partners across the province.”
The $10,000 awarded to the Jewish Family and Child Service of Greater Toronto will be used to train staff on the Strength at Home program, a trauma-informed, cognitive-behavioral intervention for intimate partner violence.
“We work everyday with individuals and families who are impacted by violence in the home,” Talyah Breslin, the CEO of the organization, told reporters on Thursday.
“We need to do more than response when harm or after harm happens.”
She noted that the grant will help train staff on the program, which she said aims to help people learn safer ways to “manage conflict, take accountability, and change their harmful behaviours.”
“By strengthening our staff’s skills, we can better support survivors and those who need help to break the cycle of harm,” Breslin said.
