File photo of Lethbridge City Hall. On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, City Council unanimously approved $200,000 in provincial grant funding aimed at increasing safety in the city. (Photo: LNN)

By Justin Goulet

Funding secured by Lethbridge City Council for new safety program

Feb 13, 2024 | 4:43 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – City council in Lethbridge continues to prioritize community safety.

On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, council unanimously approved $200,000 in provincial grant funding aimed at increasing safety in Lethbridge.

In partnership with the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS), the City of Lethbridge applied successfully for the provincial government’s Community Support Fund.

It awards funding for projects or initiatives that improve the wellbeing of Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2S+) people. The City said these projects do so by supporting community-based projects or initiatives that address violence against these individuals and increase their safety and economic security.

Stemming from the City’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls workplan, the funding will be applied to the creation and delivery of a Safe Reporting program.

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City councillor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel said, “We’re very grateful to our partners at the Government of Alberta for providing the funding to assist in the creation and delivery of this program.”

“Building towards safer and healthier outcomes for our community is a top priority for Council. This program will work to support those goals and will be another valuable resource for those who need it.”

The Safe Reporting program will focus on reducing barriers and broadening the range of choices for survivors of sexual violence.

Officials said the program will be developed and delivered in partnership with the Blackfoot Resource Hub, the Sweetgrass Youth Alliance, Honouring Traditions and Reconciliation Society, the City’s Indigenous Relations Office, Alberta Health Services (AHS) Indigenous Wellness Core in the South Zone, and the LPS.

Shahin Mehdizadeh, LPS Chief said, “We recognize that sexual violence is underreported and there is a significant community need for the creation of safe spaces and mechanisms for online reporting to help reduce barriers for survivors.”

“The Lethbridge Police Service looks forward to partnering with the City of Lethbridge and other community stakeholders to provide resources that enhance supports to assist Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirt+ people.”

Officials said the two main objectives of the program are:

1. The creation and promotion of additional safe spaces in downtown Lethbridge at service delivery organizations and in public places that meet the unique needs of Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit+ people.

2. The creation and promotion of a community-wide online safe reporting system that survivors can access through a variety of channels, allowing them to report incidents on their terms.

The City said work is now underway to deliver the program to the community and more details about it are anticipated to be released in the coming weeks.

The grant funding will become available in March and will be funded through to the summer of 2026. A review at that time will determine if it should be continued beyond the current funding timeline.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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