WINNIPEG, January 17, 2003 - Raymond Simard, Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface, Manitoba, along with Doug Martindale, MLA for Burrows and Winnipeg City Councillor Mike Pagtakhan, today announced the Winnipeg launch of the Cities Project for Aboriginal Youth.

The Cities Project targets new resources to address challenges facing Aboriginal youth at risk and in conflict with the law. It also marshals existing federal, provincial and community resources and programs in several cities to develop a collaborative approach to opening up new avenues for Aboriginal youth. The Winnipeg project is the first in Canada.

"We need to provide hope to Aboriginal youth,"said Canada's Justice Minister, the Honourable Martin Cauchon. "This project is all about ensuring that Aboriginal youth in Winnipeg have access to the social and economic opportunities that will allow them to work towards community goals."

The Department of Justice also today released a report titled "A One-Day Snapshot of Aboriginal Youth in Custody Across Canada". In terms of absolute numbers, the report reveals that there is a significant Western urban problem of Aboriginal youth in custody.

"Our focus now is on working together with Aboriginal youth in Winnipeg on a very practical level to pursue those projects that are demonstrated to be effective," said Manitoba MLA Doug Martindale (Burrows). "It's important as we continue this journey together that we learn from our experience and discard those approaches that don't work."

Under the Cities Project for Aboriginal Youth, the Department of Justice is directly funding the two key positions of Project Implementation Coordinator and Youth Outreach Worker to coordinate existing programs and resources focused on Aboriginal youth at risk. Up to $2 million is dedicated to qualified programs and services for these Aboriginal youth in Winnipeg.

As a pilot for similar projects in urban areas, the project may be expanded to other cities and towns identified in the One-Day Snapshot as having high numbers of Aboriginal youth in custody, such as Thunder Bay, ON.

The Department has also funded an inventory of existing programs and services for Aboriginal youth in conflict with the law in Winnipeg, and established youth and community advisory boards, to determine where gaps in programs and services exist and to provide direction to the Cities Project in Winnipeg.

"The City of Winnipeg shares the commitment of the majority of Canadian citizens to improving opportunities for Aboriginal Canadians," said Winnipeg City Councillor Mike Pagtakhan. "We have long recognized in this community that the issues surrounding youth crime - both in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities - are complex and that any solution must address factors both within and outside the justice system. That is why a collaborative approach such as that taken by the Cities Project seems best suited to reducing the number of urban Aboriginal youth coming into conflict with the law."

The Cities Project for Aboriginal Youth is coordinated through the Government of Canada's Youth Justice Renewal Initiative, and is part of the Urban Aboriginal Strategy, which brings federal departments together to ensure programs effectively serve urban Aboriginal people. The Cities Project is funded by a combination of key federal departments, provincial and municipal governments and community organizations.

Ref:

Mike Murphy
Special Assistant - Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621

Mark Feldbauer
Senior Communications Advisor
Justice Canada
(613) 954-3431