TAKING ON CRIME HEAD-ON – Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee discusses the funding to combat gun and gang violence on Wednesday afternoon in Whitehorse.

Money to help combat gun and gang violence The Yukon will get a $2.2 million nod from the feds spread out over the next five years to tackle gang and gun violence. By Palak Mangat on March 7, 2019

The Yukon will get a $2.2 million nod from the feds spread out over the next five years to tackle gang and gun violence.

That was announced by Yukon MP Larry Bagnell and territorial Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee on Wednesday afternoon in Whitehorse.

It’s something that’s been a growing problem, particularly the use of firearms in rural areas, Bagnell said.

“Shootings have now become the most common method of homicide, and gang-related homicides are no exception,” he said, referencing numbers from Statistics Canada.

Those show that gang-related homicides committed using a firearm made up 12 per cent of all homicides in 2015, while in 2017, that figure jumped to 21 per cent.

“There needs to be support for prevention, intervention and rehabilitation,” Bagnell added. That can include things like enhancing training, gathering more data and sharing intelligence to support investigations around activity.

McPhee noted that the funds will help support the existing Safe Communities and Neighbourhoods Unit, though the funding is very much in its “early days.

“We’re trying to figure out exactly where and how to use this funding,” she said.

However, there is a focus on helping those units that deal with complaints about drug use in neighbourhoods.

Details beyond that could be sensitive in nature, as there are some outstanding matters that are still being investigated, McPhee pointed out.

“It’s clear this is not just a big city problem; there’s organized crime here in the territory, and this initiative should help us try and combat that.”

The minister noted that there have been organized groups identified in the Yukon, as the infiltration of gangs is not unique to the city but seen across the North.

“Hot economies bring lots of activity, which means lots of money and the drug trade here in the territory is one of the things that we’re seeing is dealt with by organized crime.”

They are mainly from B.C.’s Lower Mainland and Alberta, she pointed out.

Recalling her more than two decades-long-experience working in law enforcement before her political role, McPhee added that activity has generally picked up in the last 10 years.

There can be a challenge to track down that activity, as moving in and out of the territory can be relatively easy, she said.

The smaller population doesn’t discount the aftermath that Yukoners are left to deal with after crime has infiltrated here, the minister added.

“So the size of our communities, a new person in a tiny community or new gang of people in a tiny community would certainly be noticed, she added.

“But that doesn’t mean their activity doesn’t have an impact on that community – even if they’re moving in and out quickly.”

The MP agreed that it can be sensitive issue to tackle.

“You’ve got to remember that organized crime is organized and they’re pretty smart,” Bagnell said.

“So we don’t want to really tell them what we’re going to do to get rid of them.”

He also acknowledged the small population may mean fewer homicides in comparison to the Yukon’s more populated neighbours.

“Very few is a lot in the grand scheme of things,” Bagnell said.

“I think any family in the Yukon who was involved in a gun crime would think that one is too many.”

The Yukon is also looking at bringing in a graduate level researcher from a university to help the Department of Justice “examine issues related to the countering of gun and gang violence,” McPhee added.

The $2.25 million will be coming from Ottawa’s Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence, a $327.6-million pot of money to be used over the next five years.

Bagnell is in Whitehorse for a number of funding announcements this week.

The federal government will table the country’s budget on March 19, while McPhee headed back to the legislature Thursday for the Yukon’s spring sitting.

Bagnell’s presence also comes as the feds continue to weather the aftermath of the SNC-Lavalin affair, which saw two ministers resign from the cabinet in recent weeks.