The province will give a total of $500,000 to community organizations in the cities of Brandon and Portage la Prairie to “secure municipal facilities and support community safety initiatives,” states a news release.
Specifically, Brandon will receive $300,000 and Portage la Prairie, $200,000.
(Brandon is located 214 kilometres outside Winnipeg, while Portage la Prairie sits 85 kilometres outside the capital.)
The funding is part of Manitoba’s Safer Neighbourhoods, Safer Downtowns Public Safety Strategy, an initiative the province launched in November 2024 in efforts to address violent crime, retail theft and violence against women and girls.
Among other things, the strategy involves investing in new community policing officers, more money for municipal policing, the hiring of additional mental health workers and expending the province’s electronic monitoring program.
As for the investments in Brandon and Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the funding is about “keeping people safe and supporting the organizations that do essential work in our communities.”
“By making these investments, we’re helping local partners strengthen safety while continuing the important work of preventing crime and addressing its root causes,” said Wiebe in a statement.
Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard echoed those sentiments.
“Brandon and Portage la Prairie are growing communities, and investments like these make a real difference on the ground,” said Simard. “This funding will help ensure residents feel safe and supported, and that community organizations and the cities have the resources they need to continue serving people effectively.”
The news release notes the funding will be used for “community partnerships to enhance security with a focus on de-escalation and well-being.”
It will also be used for “security upgrades” such as cameras, security systems and new lighting, and will also go towards repairing broken windows, doors and locks, and damage caused by vandalism.
This is the latest move the province has made under its safety strategy.
Back in November, Manitoba’s government took $750,000 from its Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund and invested in more than a dozen groups dedicated to helping victims of crimes such as sex assault, intimate partner violence and murder.
And in December 2024, the province announced it was expanding its electronic monitoring program to the rural areas of Selkirk, Steinbach, Pembina Valley, Central Plains, Blue Hills and Westman.
The program involved software installed on victims’ smartphones that gives them real-time updates as to the location of whomever wears an electronic ankle bracelet.
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