News
Government taking action on gun crime in Regina with up to $2.96 million for prevention programs

Mar. 17, 2023, Regina, Sask. – The Government of Canada is taking action with a comprehensive plan that gets guns off the streets and puts more resources into communities. An important element of this work is stopping violence before it starts, which is why the government launched the $250 million Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF). First announced in March 2022, the BSCF supports local initiatives that prevent gun and gang violence and help young people make good choices.

Pam Damoff, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, on behalf of the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, announced that Regina will receive up to $2.96 million from the BSCF to prevent gun crime and gang violence in the region. This funding will help address the underlying conditions that give rise to crime. The city will distribute it to community-led projects for young people involved in gangs or at risk of joining them – helping them set themselves up for success in life.

The work begins at Canada’s borders, where the government has added resources to fight smuggling and stop guns from coming into the country. The government banned assault-style firearms, like the AR-15 two years ago, and will soon begin a buyback program to get these guns out of communities. Last October, a national freeze on handguns was implemented. The government recently introduced Bill C-21 – Canada’s most significant action on gun violence in a generation. In addition to the handgun freeze, it proposes provisions to combat organized crime and address the alarming role of guns in domestic violence.