Applications open for grants taken through civil forfeiture

By Jeremy Appel on September 6, 2018.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel

The provincial government has opened up applications for community groups to apply for money seized through civil forfeiture.

The goal of civil forfeiture — when police confiscate cash and property used for criminal activity — is intended to deter crime.

“The process of civil forfeiture makes crime unprofitable and deprives offenders of the money and tools necessary to commit illegal acts,” reads a news release from the Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General.

Last year’s 17 grant recipients — for a total of $2 million — included Medicine Hat’s Miyawasin Friendship Centre.

A total of $2.5 million is available this year. Non-profits, schools, municipal governments, Métis settlements and First Nations communities are all eligible for a grant from $50,000 to $200,000.

“These funds help organizations maintain their exciting programs and extend their reach to improve the lives of even more Albertans,” Minister of Justice Kathleen Ganley said in the release.

The government says the funding will be provided to organizations “that directly prevent at-risk youth from becoming involved in criminal activity,” as well as “crime-prevention initiatives, such as co-ordination plans to deter rural crime.”

The application deadline is Oct. 12.

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