It was my pleasure to once again welcome Hon. Cliff Cullen, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, to Thompson last week to make two very important announcements on how our government is distributing nearly $450,000 through the Proceeds of Crime Fund to police agencies across Manitoba. Provincially funded investments, including nearly $50,000 for our area, will be co-ordinated through the Thompson RCMP detachment to support programs to reduce youth crime in Thompson.
The RCMP will provide $25,500 to support the work of the Peace and Prevention Group which launched in May 2018 and recently hosted a very successful family fun event at Winterfest in Thompson this past weekend, and $23,600 will be dedicated to bringing members of the StreetReach program to Thompson from Winnipeg. Members of the Winnipeg-based StreetReach team will also receive support to travel to Thompson every two months to work with RCMP and identify at-risk and vulnerable youth. The team’s goal is to reduce the amount of time spent looking for missing children who are at risk of sexual exploitation or involved in high-risk behaviours, and help ensure they are returned to places of safety.
“We are pleased to be receiving these funds that will go to support two very deserving youth programs here in Thompson,” said Inspector Brian Edmonds, officer in charge of the Thompson RCMP detachment. “This investment supports our youth and will help them make positive choices for bright futures.”
Our government is committed to keeping Manitobans safe and helping community leaders create positive change. During the minister’s visit we also met with City of Thompson councillors and officials to discuss justice, policing, and other issues Thompson is facing, and we met with Canadian Tire owner Mike Howell and his manager to better understand the issues businesses face on a day-to-day basis in the Thompson downtown area. We also met with officers and toured the RCMP detachment, Thompson courthouse, sheriffs department, Crown office, probation services, the Hope North Youth Recovery Centre, and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba. When we work together to focus on the needs of at-risk young people, we create opportunities for individuals and a stronger safer community for all of us.
