A program to help a disadvantaged community in Newmarket is having great success but could be endangered by uncertain funding support, according to the Regional Municipality of York.
The community safety and well-being plan has worked to provide focused community support to Newmarket Heights ― a neighbourhood around Longford Drive near Davis Drive and Yonge Street ― and other historically disadvantaged neighbourhoods across the region with targeted programming since 2022. Regional council members heard Dec. 5 about the program's success in reducing the threat of crime and victimization.
But most of the program’s funding, provided by the federal government, is set to expire in March 2026. Council agreed to send letters to both provincial and federal governments advocating for continued funding for the program.
“It’s incredibly encouraging to see what that kind of engagement and support can do in a community,” Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said. “How it can build resiliency, strength, optimism. You can see it on the ground there … We definitely need to advocate to other levels of government because it has the potential to bear incredible fruit across the entire region.”
The plans were mandated by the province and the York Region version has been ongoing in four neighbourhoods since 2022, including Newmarket Heights. The plan targeted historically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, with Newmarket Heights having an average income of about $9,000 lower than the regional average in 2022 ($41,425 versus $50,997).
Community action tables involving York Regional Police and many service groups were formed to provide programming relating to mental health, housing stability and economic stability. The goal was to help these neighbourhoods and reduce the risk of future crime.
Programs have ranged from after-school sports camps and workshops on tenants' rights to community meals. Staff said the program has engaged more than 47,000 York Region residents across the four target areas since the program’s inception.
The plan also created situation tables, which brought together diverse service providers to resolve situations of “acutely elevated risk” and prevent recurring negative outcomes.
These action tables addressed 546 situations between January 2023 and October 2024, with responses leading to 78 per cent of these situations having a decreased risk of crime or victimization. After the effort of tables, there was a 65.4 per cent decrease in calls for service related to these situations.
“This, to me, is absolutely positive evidence upstream interventions can, and are, having an impact on downstream incident response,” Deputy Police Chief Kevin McCloskey said.
The program is funded 64 per cent from Public Safety Canada, 30 per cent from regional tax levies and six per cent through a provincial grant provided to York Regional Police. The program cost about $4 million in 2024.
It is uncertain whether the federal government will renew funding for the program, which was initially funded from 2022-26. Staff are looking at renewing the program beyond 2026 but have to plan around the funding received.
Georgina Mayor Margaret Quirk said the program has had a tremendous impact on her community.
“We need to have a plan in place for when the funding from the federal government ends,” she said. “We need it across York Region. I look forward to the discussions of budget if we can get creative.”
Taylor said a focused, place-based strategy is creating strong results.
“We’ve created a winning formula but need funding to continue to expand it,” he said.
