Manitoba first province to sign on to federal funding for crisis hotlines
Posted August 10, 2022 2:41 pm.
Last Updated August 10, 2022 8:38 pm.
Manitoba is the first province to sign on to new federal funding for crisis centres that help victims of gender-based violence.
The federal government will provide Manitoba up to $1 million over four years so that crisis centres can do things such as hire more staff and train more volunteers.
It’s part of the federal government’s promise to spend $30 million on the issue, first announced in the spring budget.
Marci Ien, the federal minister for women and gender equality and youth, says she expects other provinces to sign on soon as well.
The executive director of Klinic, a centre that operates a round-the-clock crisis hotline in Manitoba, says the volume of calls rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ayn Wilcox says the new funding is essential to respond to the rising demand for help.
