City of Toronto opens nominations for the Mayor’s Community Safety Awards

Today, the City of Toronto announced the opening of nominations for the Mayor’s Community Safety Awards. The awards, sponsored by Bell and in partnership with the Toronto Police Service, recognize and celebrate innovative Toronto-based and resident-led projects that help build safer communities.

Six outstanding projects (three community- and three youth-led) that contribute to community safety in Toronto will be selected to receive funding to support their innovative approaches to addressing violence and overall safety within their local communities.

To be eligible for a Mayor’s Community Safety Award, projects must:

• Promote violence prevention, reduce violence and help victims and/or increase community safety
• Demonstrate innovation and serve as a model to other groups, individuals and communities
• Have been developed and implemented within the last two years
• Be inclusive of priority populations such as: Indigenous peoples; racialized groups; people with disabilities; 2SLGBTQ+ persons; newcomers; youth; people with low income; individuals impacted by community violence
• Encourage and develop partnerships in building safer, stronger communities
• Be a resident-led and resident-based project/program and not a program from an established/registered organization
• Be initiated by a Toronto-based community group and benefit Toronto communities
• Be youth-led and geared towards young people between the ages of 12 and 29 to be eligible for a Youth Award

Organizations may submit more than one eligible project; however, only one project will be selected annually from a group/organization for an award.

The award winners will be honoured during a virtual ceremony hosted by the Mayor John Tory on July 5 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Winners will receive a commemorative certificate and a $1,000 cash award from Bell to continue their work to help improve community safety.

To submit an online nomination or for more information about the awards, visit https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/awards-tributes/awards/the-mayors-community-safety-awards/.

Nominations close on Friday, June 18 at noon.

Previous winning projects included a youth skills development program aimed at bringing about positive, personal and community transformation; a program to escort children to school and, before and after school care; a skills development program for 2SLGBTQ+ youth to address violence aimed towards them; and creating a space for youth to explore themes of forgiveness and conflict management.

Quotes:

“The City is committed to working with communities to make our city safer and to support grassroots projects. I encourage communities and young people to nominate their projects. I look forward to seeing the winning proposals and the impact that they have once fully implemented.”
– Mayor John Tory

“The Toronto Police Service welcomes this opportunity to work with our communities while assisting in the engagement and development of our youth. Initiatives such as this will continue to foster better relationships within our communities as we strive to build a safer and better Toronto for all.”

– Stacy Clarke, Superintendent, Community Partnerships and Engagement Unit, Toronto Police Service

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.