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Report From the Legislature – New projects cultivate hope and support Aboriginal crime prevention

New projects cultivate hope and support Aboriginal crime prevention

Two new Alberta government Safe Communities Innovation Fund pilot projects support Aboriginal community crime reduction and encourage hope among Aboriginal youth.

Reclaiming Our Youth with Hope: A Hope-focused Service-learning Project will receive $383,772 over three years. The Hope Foundation of Alberta will lead a program for Aboriginal students age 13-16 at the Montana School in Hobbema and at the Mother Earth Children’s Charter School near Stony Plain. The program will address gangs, substance abuse and violence within the Aboriginal community. It will give youth the opportunity to explore the role of hope in their lives and work with positive role models. The goal is to cultivate hope as a foundation for increasing school engagement, students’ self esteem, leadership abilities, citizenship and career aspirations.

The Comprehensive Community Feasibility Study and Needs Assessment on Crime Reduction will receive $75,000 in funding. The Yellowhead Tribal Community Corrections Society will work with the Alexander First Nation and RCMP to develop a crime prevention strategy. The one-year pilot project will be completed in three phases: data collection; identification of key factors and incidents; and development of a comprehensive needs assessment. A subsequent crime reduction plan will aim to address priority issues identified in the community, which may include drugs, alcohol, vandalism, gangs, and child and family violence.

Led by Safe Communities partner ministries, Aboriginal Relations, Education, and Solicitor General and Public Security, these pilot projects are two of the 14 projects designed to build safer communities, reduce crime and address the needs of at-risk members of Alberta’s Aboriginal community. The Safe Communities Innovation Fund builds on the work of the Safe Communities initiative to address crime on an immediate basis, as well as over the long term. For more information please visit: http://www.safecommunities.gov.ab.ca/scif.

Program lightens greenhouse gas emissions

A new commercial lighting incentive program will give business owners some bright ideas to boost energy efficiency. Under a $4 million pilot program, Albertans who operate restaurants, offices, warehouses and other businesses are eligible for a provincial rebate of between $37,500 and $375,000, depending on the building type, when energy-efficient lighting is installed in their businesses.

The initiative takes effect immediately and will provide a range of rebates, depending on the type of retrofits. All participants must undertake a pre-retrofit assessment and demonstrate the potential for energy savings to be eligible for rebates.

The commercial lighting incentive program aims to reduce 191,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking approximately 40,000 cars off the road by 2020. The rebate program will be administered by Climate Change Central, a non-profit organization empowering Albertans to take action on climate change.

The program will continue until Dec. 31, 2011 or until funding is exhausted.

For specific information on eligible retrofits and how to apply for a rebate, visit www.LightitRight.ca or call toll-free at 1-888-537-7202.

Province keeps the heat on impaired drivers

Law enforcement agencies throughout Alberta will target impaired drivers in coordinated Checkstops in August. The message is clear: driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be tolerated.

Impaired driving is a crime and is the leading cause of criminal death in Canada. It imposes enormous costs on our society: families, the health care system, the legal system, insurance companies and individuals all pay the price for impaired drivers. Drivers who choose to drive impaired could kill themselves, their friends or someone else, and also face very serious legal, financial, and social consequences.

In 2008, 22.5 per cent of drivers involved in fatal collisions had been drinking or were impaired. During the summer months, casualty collisions involving alcohol typically increase especially on long weekends. In Alberta, about 8,000 people are convicted of impaired driving each year.

From 2004 to 2008, on average each year, more than 110 people were killed and almost 1900 people were injured in collisions involving at least one driver who had consumed alcohol prior to the crash. Specifically, in 2008,107 people were killed and 1881 were injured.

Before you get in your vehicle, remember these safety tips:

· Make the right decision for everyone’s sake – don’t drive if you have been drinking or using drugs.

· Keep in mind that you do not have to be legally drunk to be charged with impaired driving.

· Plan ahead for safe transportation – call a cab or use a designated driver.

· If you encounter a suspected impaired driver, record the vehicle license plate number and dial 911 anywhere in the province.

Alberta’s Traffic Safety Plan focuses on education, communications, enforcement, engineering and community mobilization. The Traffic Safety Plan calendar focuses on impaired driving for the month of August.

For more information, contact the Office of Traffic Safety at 780-422-8839 or your Regional Traffic Safety Coordinator. To find your local coordinator, visit the Saferoads website at www.saferoads.com and click on Contact Us, then the Regional Traffic Safety Coordinators link on the left-hand side.

As the MLA for Edmonton Mill Woods, I am always available to assist constituents. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Safe Communities Innovation Fund, the commercial lighting incentive program, Alberta’s Traffic Safety Plan, or any other matter, I can be reached in my constituency office at 218; 4128A-97 Street, or in my Legislature office at (780) 422-9299. I can also be reached through email at [email protected]

Report From the Legislature – New projects cultivate hope and support Aboriginal crime prevention

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