Three religious organizations in Windsor, Ontario, received nearly $100,000 combined to improve security at their churches and synagogues.

Windsor-Tecumseh Member of Parliament Irek Kusmierczyk announced Friday that funding will be provided to the following organizations:

• Gracanica Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church – $12,726

• St. Mary and St. Moses Coptic Orthodox Church – $82,446

• Congregation Beth El – $1,271

“It’s really good,” said Father Moses Sadik of St. Mary and St. Moses.

“We’re going through a very difficult time right now… and sometimes people come and break our windows, vandalize around the church and damage property.”

The church has been the victim of theft about a dozen times in the past decade, Sadik said.

“They’re tearing it down, they’re cutting the sound system,” he said. “And they do a lot of damage to property, inside and out.”

He added that some of the thieves and vandals appeared to be petty criminals, mostly homeless people involved in the city’s drug use, but the Egyptian Christian sect to which the church belongs had also become a target of ISIS and similar groups.

Church needs to match government funds

At one point, members of the congregation caught people lighting a fire in front of one of the church’s doors, Sadık said.

Sadiq said the community had previously taken advantage of the government’s Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) to build a fence and install security cameras, which helped reduce incidents significantly.

It is using existing funding to add more fencing and security cameras and upgrade gates.

The church must match the government contribution, bringing the total cost of the measures to more than $160,000.

“The Government of Canada remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that all Canadians feel safe, wherever they work, gather and pray,” Kusmierczyk said in a press release announcing the funding. he said.

“Since 2019, our federal government has invested millions of dollars in Windsor and Essex County to prevent crime, reduce hate-motivated incidents and create a safer Canada for everyone.”

The federal government announced on September 24 that it plans to replace SIP with a new Canadian Community Safety Program (CCSP). The program will expand the number and type of eligible activities under SIP.

Windsor Police Service received 32 tips Just over half of the hate-motivated incidents in 2023 were related to race or ethnicity, and nine were related to religion.