Ontario expands grant program for protection from hate crimes

Queen's Park is expanding a program giving religious and minority organizations grants of up to $10,000 to improve security to combat hate crimes.

Hate has no home in Ontario. Hate is toxic to our democracy and the fabric of who we are - and today we are taking steps to stamp it out," Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said Friday in Brampton.

It doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter who you love or how you worship or where you came from or how you got here," said Kerzner as he and Citizenship and Multiculturalism Minister Michael Ford unveiled the two-year, $25.5-million program.

What matters is that we're here together - our diversity is our greatest strength," he said.

To that end, the province has revamped the security grants announced last year to now help protect churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, urban Indigenous organizations and cultural groups representing Black, Asian, LGBTQ and other minority communities.

The grants - designed to help keep facilities safe from vandalism, graffiti or other damage - can be used for security cameras, locks, cybersecurity measures, training and the short-term hiring of guards.

More organizations are now eligible to apply for the funding, which was originally focused mostly on protecting places of worship. Applications will open this summer.

The new anti-hate security and prevention grant will help build stronger, safer and more inclusive communities and ensure everyone has a safe environment to practice their faith and express their culture and beliefs," added Ford.

Since the original program was launched in February 2022, more than 1,200 groups have received grants.

The Muslim Association of Canada's president-executive Abdullatif Bakbak called the grants a significant step towards combating hate in Ontario."

Our mosques and community members have unfortunately been subjected to Islamophobic attacks, and this funding will help provide a safer environment for all to practice their faith without fear," said Bakbak.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs' vice-president Noah Shack also praised the timely expansion of the grant program.

Despite being one of the most diverse and welcoming places in the world, our province has experienced an alarming increase in antisemitism and other forms of hate," said Shack.

Details on eligibility requirements for the new grants were not immediately clear, but the previous program was limited to registered charities and not available for sports organizations, teams and recreational, athletic, hobbies or games-oriented clubs" or faith-based schools, cultural schools, seminaries and other institutions that provide theological instruction."

Similarly, health care, housing, social services groups, children and youth programs, theatre and dance troupes, and business and political organizations were also ineligible.

Under the former program, the cash couldn't be used for benches, concrete barrier walls fingerprint reader systems, night vision goggles, body armour, projectors, security desk, radios, hidden cameras or dummy cameras, tire shredders and any other equipment or hardware not related to deterring hate-motivated crime."

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie