A city committee is reserving judgment on giving a one-time contribution of $100,000 to Crime Stoppers, pending more consultation by city staff.
Keith de Bellefeuille Percy, board chairman of Crime Stoppers for the National Capital Region, told the city’s corporate services and economic development committee yesterday that in its 25 years of existence, the charity has relied solely on personal donations, but the recession has taken a toll on fundraising. With about $80,000 in the bank, he said, “There is a risk to our survival.”
The $100,000 would fund a new awareness campaign targeting youth and seniors in areas of the city with high crime rates. Residents of high-crime areas, de Bellefeuille Percy said, tend to call in fewer tips to Crime Stoppers, possibly because of apathy, fear of reprisal or a lack of knowledge about Crime Stoppers and its guarantee of anonymity to tipsters.
In his presentation, de Bellefeuille Percy identified nine neighbourhoods that would be the focus of the program: Caldwell-Ramsey, Michelle Heights, Britannia Woods, Overbrook, Bayshore, Heatherington, Ledbury, Russell Road, and Confederation Heights.
Now that the city’s budget is done, deputy city manager Steve Kanellakos told councillors the only source of new funding would likely be the city’s $2.8-million contingency fund, much of which is already spoken for.
The committee voted to defer the decision to a future meeting.
