A University of Calgary professor says the Saskatchewan government is on the wrong track when it comes to its anti-gang strategy.
The province recently announced 10 local organizations would be given $20,000 each to help address the issue of gangs in their communities.
However, Robert Henry, who has written an extensive report on the gang problem in Saskatchewan, says this money will do little if anything to tackle the problem.
“The $20,000 is just lip service in my opinion,” he says. “The province got $11.8 million from the federal government and they’re only going to give, what is it, $200,000 to community organizations and the rest is going into policing and corrections.”
Saskatchewan has received 11.9 million from the Trudeau government to address gangs and gun violence in the province.
Henry’s report makes a total of 24 recommendations on how the gang problem in the province might be alleviated, many of which suggest using a local and community-based approach that doesn’t involve police.
However, he says this doesn’t appear to be the direction the provincial government is taking.
“So, if we look at the way this money continues to address this idea of guns and gangs across the country, we continually see a big push for suppression. Suppression tactics and an increase in community policing initiatives.”
Henry says he remains skeptical as to whether the government has even read his report.
(PHOTO: Robert Henry. Photo courtesy ww.news.usask.ca.)