$762,621.03 for South Simcoe Police will help fight crime and keep people safe
BARRIE-INNISFIL — South Simcoe Police is receiving $762,621.03 as part of the Ontario government’s more than $91 million investment to help protect families and communities across the province. The funding is being delivered through the Community Safety and Policing Grant Program, $299,781.03 will be used for Project COMPASS (Community-Oriented Mental Health Partnership and Support Strategy), and $462,840 will be allocated to Project RISE (Resilience, Intervention, Support, Empowerment).
“As MPP for Barrie-Innisfil and a local resident, I applaud Ontario government’s dedication to keeping our communities safe by investing in the local police service,” said Andrea Khanjin, MPP for Barrie-Innisfil. “This investment will have a direct impact on public safety in our region and ensure that South Simcoe Police front-line officers are equipped to maintain the law and order.”
The South Simcoe Police projects are part of 127 projects being funded across the province for 2025-26. Of the 127 projects, 88 projects will address local priorities, and 39 projects will address provincial priorities, including gun and gang related violence, sexual violence and harassment, human trafficking, mental health and addictions, hate-motivated crime, housing and homelessness, and commercial/retail theft.
“Our government is delivering on our promise to protect Ontario and keep communities safe,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “Through this funding, we are helping to build safer communities by ensuring Ontario’s police services have the resources they need to address local issues and improve the well-being of the people they serve.”
The Community Safety and Policing Grant Program supports policing initiatives that focus on local or provincial priorities and provides eligible police services/boards and municipalities policed by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) with funding to deploy front-line officers where and when they are needed most.
QUICK FACTS
Project COMPASS (Community-Oriented Mental Health Partnership and Support Strategy) is a frontline initiative by the South Simcoe Police Service (SSPS) aimed at strengthening our response to mental health and addiction-related calls through continued investment in our policemental health co-response team and Community Response Unit (CRU). This project will fund officers who work in close partnership with crisis workers and local service providers to deliver collaborative, trauma-informed responses that reduce risk, connect individuals to appropriate care, and prevent repeat crises. The COAST (Crisis Outreach and Support Team) model has become a cornerstone of SSPS’s community safety strategy, enabling officers to respond to mental health-related calls with the support of trained clinicians.
Project RISE (Resilience, Intervention, Support, Empowerment) is a multi-faceted initiative led by the South Simcoe Police Service (SSPS) to enhance community resilience to human trafficking and sexual violence through education, partnerships, outreach, and strengthened policing capabilities. The initiative is grounded in the belief that community safety is a shared responsibility — and by equipping police with the tools to collaborate, connect, and support, SSPS can help foster an environment where victims are empowered to seek help and communities are better equipped to respond.