Community-based organizations in Sudbury receive provincial funding to prevent cybercrime
The Ontario government is investing $1.6 million into 18 community-based organizations as a way to stop fraud, human trafficking and hate crime from happening. Two organizations in Greater Sudbury are on the list to receive funding.
Spark Employment Services in Sudbury is one of the recipients.One of the recipients in Sudbury is Spark Employment Services. The organization is receiving over $70,000 which they will use to create a Cyber Security Awareness Training program in the form of a two day workshop. (Molly Frommer/CTV News Northern Ontario)Spark is receiving just over $70,000 and that money will be going into creating a Cyber Security Awareness Training program, which will be a two day workshop.
“The program will be designed to support job seekers who are interested in job searching online, and or working remotely and looking for those opportunities online,” Chantal Makela, the CEO of Spark Employment Services in Sudbury, told CTV News.
“It’s for anyone seeking employee support and it’s also targeting the employers. So, how to promote it online, how to safely do that and attract individuals online so we’re open to everyone.”
Makela said having a program like this in place is vital, especially these days.
“We know that there are many victims to cyber crime and fraud online,” she added.
“We know especially since the pandemic a lot of individuals are now spending a lot of their time online and looking to change their way of work and therefore wanting to work remotely and for this reason educating individuals about cyber crime security, frauds, scams that are unfortunately circulating online will be really important in order to protect them.”
Spark said it has partnered with both the Ontario Provincial Police and the Greater Sudbury Police Service on this initiative and is currently putting the curriculum in place.
They plan to launch the program in the new year.
More information about Spark and their upcoming events can be found on their Facebook page.
The other area recipient is Sudbury & Area Victim Services.Sudbury & Area Victim Services will be receiving a total of $110,000 and working with other local organizations will focus on youth education and prevention about human trafficking, online luring and sexual exploitation. (Supplied)The organization will be receiving a total of $110,000 and it will be working with other local organizations.
“So, the Sudbury Women’s Centre, Crime Stoppers and Greater Sudbury Police Services,” Tiffany Pyoli York with Sudbury & Area Victim Services explained to CTV News.
“We’re planning on doing some very specific branding, such as a social campaign as well as creating some online tools in terms of education and prevention around human trafficking, online luring and sexual exploitation.”
Pyoli York said the efforts will be aimed at youth in our community as well as their caregivers. She added that having these prevention skills in place is crucial.
“In our case studies and our statistics youth are targeting as young as the age of 13, it’s the average of age of entry into human trafficking. So, when we look at that statistic we want to look at getting that information out to the kids younger than 13,” said Pyoli York.
Those involved said the goal is to share this information with elementary schools, with the hope of the empowering youth.
More information about Victim Services can be found on their Facebook page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.