Public Safety Minister pledges to move ‘urgently’ to speed up funds for Canadian Jewish institutions

Shortly after Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino learned about the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, his phone started buzzing with messages from Canadian Jewish community leaders. They wanted to make sure he saw what was happening—and also wanted to convey their concerns about copycat attacks at home. In Canada, the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) has existed for more than a decade, covering up to half the costs, to a maximum of $100,000, for security infrastructure upgrades to places of worship, community centres and religious schools. And while many synagogues have benefited from the program, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is pushing the Canadian government to refocus the program—or create new programs—for security personnel for the Jewish community. While Mendicino didn't announce any new measures, he granted The CJN Daily an in-depth interview about how the government is responding to the American situation. That includes speeding up the process of getting funds into the hands of community leaders and considering expanding the program in the future. What we talked about: Read "Outremont, Que., shuls receive federal security grant" at thecjn.ca Read CIJA's press release, "Hostages freed. Jewish community calls for more security", at cija.ca Learn about the U.K.'s Community Security Trust at cst.org.uk Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.