Last fall, I wrote about Project Black Feather. The federal government funded this program through their Building Safer Communities Fund, and it is a joint program between the City, Township, and Langley School District. Project Black Feather’s mission is to reduce the likelihood of young people going down a dangerous path of gang and gun violence.
Project Black Feather, as of last fall, has worked with 400 young people in the Langley School District, with over 150 experiencing positive changes, including addiction recovery and reduction in gang-affiliated behaviour. By all accounts, it has been a success.
Funding for this program was set to expire at the end of March. In the fall, Langley City Council went on an Ottawa mission, where one of our goals was to see the extension of Project Black Feather.
The federal government has extended funding for this program, which is great news, though Council would like to see it become permanently funded. With that in mind, Council approved sending a letter to the federal government, including the Minister of Public Safety, asking for an opportunity to meet to talk about making the Building Safer Communities Fund permanent to support programs like Project Black Feather, and to help support a Canada-wide knowledge sharing network for programs like Project Black Feather.
I look forward to hearing back from the federal government.
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