Ottawa is spending $8.6M to address anti-Black racism in the justice system — here’s where the money is going in Ontario

Black Canadians have long faced disproportionate harm within the justice system — a new $8.6 million federal investment is aiming to change that by funding community-based solutions across the country.

Despite decades of advocacy by Black communities and activists, Black Canadians continue to face anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination, contributing to the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system, both as victims and as those in conflict with the law. The issue is rooted in Canada’s historical legacy of colonialism, slavery, and segregation, as well as in institutions that were originally established during periods when segregation was still legally enforced.

In response, in Feb. 2025, the federal government released Toward Transformative Change: An Implementation Plan for Canada’s Black Justice Strategy (CBJS), outlining a 10-year plan for reforming the country’s criminal justice system. As part of the 2024 Fall Economic Statement, the Canadian government committed an initial investment of $87.4 million over two years, beginning in 2025–2026, to support the CBJS across eight departments and agencies. 

The $8.6 million in funding, which comes as part of the initial investment into the strategy, will go to 24 different projects developing services for victims and survivors of crime, Black youth, and people navigating the criminal justice system across Canada.

The Victims Fund

The investments will support 13 community-based organizations in Ontario with the development of projects dedicated to Black communities, with funding provided through three Justice Canada funding programs: the Youth Justice Fund, the Victims Fund, and the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program. 

Among organizations receiving money through the Victims Fund, five are based in Ontario, including the Black Legal Action Centre in Toronto, which will work on supporting Black victims and survivors of crime who have been impacted by hate crime and gun violence. 

In Mississauga, Black Mental Health Canada will be developing the Black Response for Empowerment, Advocacy, and Trauma-Informed Healing and Equity Program, a counselling service specifically designed for Black victims and survivors of crime.

Waterloo’s CanAfro Research Institute will receive funding to conduct research documenting the lived experience of Black male survivors who have been criminalized after acts of self-defence or trauma response.

In Toronto, funding will also go towards Supporting Families and Caregivers After Gun Violence, a project of Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The group offers family and caregiver support for Black victims and survivors of crime impacted by gun violence. Additionally, Toronto’s Women’s Centre for Social Justice will use the funding to provide service providers and government workers with appropriate training on the provision of Black-centered supports, as well as services dedicated to Black survivors of gender-based violence.  

Justice Partnership and Innovation Fund

The Justice Partnership and Innovation Fund will support three Ontario-based programs, including Ottawa’s Jaku Konbit, which works to reduce systemic barriers for Black communities by providing culturally relevant legal information, support and navigation services. 

Money will also be dedicated to Toronto’s Think 2wice International, which provides culturally grounded, trauma-informed navigation and legal literacy supports, aiming to reduce overrepresentation of Black adults in Canada’s criminal justice system. 

Meanwhile, in Scarborough, money will go to the Aya Black Justice Navigator Project by Tropicana Community Services, aiming to help clients gain a better understanding of legal processes, provide help with court preparation, advocacy support and referrals, and run monthly community workshops.

Youth-focused programming

The Youth Justice Fund will provide money to Toronto’s For Youth Initiative, which will implement the Re-Integrating the Socially Excluded 2.0 project, focusing on counselling, trauma-informed mental health services, and culturally responsive case management to help youth reconnect with their communities. Similarly, funding dedicated to the Friends In Toronto Community Services will go towards the Circle of Change Restorative Justice Program, which uses culturally grounded healing circles to support restoration and reintegration for youth in conflict with the law.

Additional funding will support broader, systemic interventions. The John Howard Society of York Region will get funds to deliver the Youth Reintegration Program, helping youth build support networks, access education and healthcare, and secure stable housing and employment. The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, Youth Justice Division, Government of Ontario, will see funds to enhance programming aimed at addressing gender-based violence and the overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous youth in the justice system. 

Additionally, the Youth Association for Academics, Athletics, and Character Education will run the Transitional School for Transformation project, offering culturally responsive education, mental health and substance use supports, gang exit programming, and employment training to justice-involved youth.

More information about the other 11 Canadian organizations receiving funding under Canada’s Black Justice Strategy can be found on the federal government’s website.