KENORA – Two Kenora-area groups are receiving provincial funds to boost public awareness about cybercrimes.
Ogimaawabiitong (Kenora Chiefs Advisory) and the Makwa Patrol are receiving $110,000 for the work through Ontario’s Safer and Vital Communities grant. The Ontario government allocated $1.6 million to help 18 community-based, not-for-profit organizations, First Nations chiefs, and band councils combat online hate crimes, human trafficking, and fraud.
Chief Chris Skead of Wauzhushk Onigum Nation said “by working with Makwa Patrol and providing this funding, it allows for a huge opportunity in terms of battling racism and allowing the public to hear from our most vulnerable, and the very real lived experiences they have."
"We must take the stigma away from those who are in a tough position right now and show compassion, empathy, and support. By enabling us to share those voices and stories I think it will go a long way in terms of public perception and helping educate and teach about the very real system gaps and missed services these people face.”
In addition to committing the resources to raise public awareness, the funding will help Ogimaawabiitong and Makwa train and equip educators with the tools to educate students on cybercrimes and human trafficking.
The funding will also be put towards organizing workshops, discussions, and forums for understanding the different types of cybercrimes, how they can be prevented, and what resources are available to support victims.
“The Step-Up Step-Down programming is an amazing opportunity, especially considering this is the first program within Treaty 3 of its kind funded,” continued Skead. “A recurrent barrier we see is what happens to the youth after the immediate service response."
"Our youth are our future and youth in trauma have a very real chance of being retraumatized, and we have the responsibility to ensure there are programs in place to support these youth as they heal not only for the immediate but the next steps after that. This program will deliver culturally appropriate programming, through the community lens, and really work with the youth from start to finish to ensure they are not lost in any systems.”
According to Statistics Canada, police-reported cybercrimes have increased by 201 per cent from 2017 to 2021 across Ontario. In 2021, 193.2 out of 100,000 individuals faced some form of cybercrime.
“As our lives become increasingly reliant on technology, cybercrime continues to grow and affect an ever-expanding range of victims,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “Our government is committed to finding solutions to help prevent cybercrime."
