The City of London will be receiving $500,000 from the province for a public education campaign and online resource library to fight hate and racism.
Thursday’s announcement comes just days before the two-year anniversary of the horrific attack on the Afzaal family, which authorities have deemed hate-motivated.
On June 6, 2021, Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal and Salman’s 74-year-old mother Talat Afzaal were intentionally struck by a man in a pickup truck.
The couple’s nine-year-old son sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and survived the attack.
“As we approach the two-year anniversary of the London terror attack, I want to thank the National Council of Canadian Muslims and the City of London for their leadership and partnership in developing initiatives to reject hate in all its forms and promote inclusion,” Michael Ford, minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, said in a statement.
The province says the $500,000 will go toward a print and digital public education campaign as well as an online library “of anti-hate resources, including guides, videos and bystander tips,” in order to “raise awareness about the widespread impacts of hate and provide strategies for identifying and addressing it.”
“Not only must we speak out against hatred, we must also take decisive and tangible action – and that’s exactly what this funding allows us to do,” said Josh Morgan, mayor of London.
The province added that the funding “builds on” a recent announcement that will allow religious groups and cultural and Indigenous communities in Ontario to apply for grants of up to $10,000 to protect their facilities from hate-motivated crimes.
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