Ontario Ends Extra Funding For Rape Crisis Centres As Wait Times Soar

Published On: March 6, 2020

The Ontario government will not provide cash-strapped rape crisis centres with any additional funding this year, despite a spike in demand from sexual assault victims in need of help. 

The Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres was informed by the Ministry of the Attorney General late last week that the one-time funding bump of $1 million provided in 2019 to 42 centres would not continue, coalition staff Nicole Pietsch told HuffPost Canada. 

That means their total annual funding is back to $14.8 million, despite a promise by the previous Liberal government to implement a permanent 33 per cent increase. It would’ve been the first significant funding boost in years. 

Sexual assault survivors are already waiting more than six months for counselling in cities such as Toronto, Hamilton, Niagara and Waterloo, Pietsch said. 

Read more here.

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