November 4, 2014

Mr. Bas Balkissoon
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
25 Grosvenor Street, 18th Floor
Toronto ON M7A 1Y6

Dear Mr. Balkissoon:

It is an honour and a pleasure to have you as my Parliamentary Assistant. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and to outline some of the important work that lies ahead of us.

As you know, our government has a plan to invest in the talent and skills of our people, build modern infrastructure, support a dynamic and innovative business climate, and provide better retirement security to people across the province. At the heart of this plan are partnerships with businesses, people, and communities, which will help our government grow the economy, create jobs, and implement solutions that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.

This balanced and comprehensive plan is underpinned by a focus on fiscal prudence. The mandate letter I received last month from Premier Kathleen Wynne reinforced our government’s commitment to balance the budget by 2017-2018 and to pursue increased openness, accountability, and modernization.

Parliamentary Assistants play a key role in delivering these priorities and have a responsibility to put our government’s plan into action.

In your role as Parliamentary Assistant, I ask that you support me as we ensure that all of Ontario’s diverse communities are supported and protected by law enforcement, and that public safety and correctional systems are safe, secure, effective, efficient and accountable. I ask that your specific focus be on supporting the development of a community safety and well-being strategy.

As Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, your specific responsibilities include:

  • Engaging with stakeholders and ministry partners to identify priority areas and vulnerable groups affected by crime
  • Communicating the objectives set out in the report Crime Prevention in Ontario: A Framework for Action
  • Reviewing and proposing changes to the ministry’s community safety programs, including the Safer and Vital Communities Grant and Proceeds of Crime funding, to ensure funding is getting results for communities
  • Working with the Minister to develop a made-in-Ontario Community Safety and Well-Being Planning Strategy.

I am confident that together, working in collaboration with our partners in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, we can deliver on our commitment to the people we are privileged to represent and serve. I look forward to working with you to deliver our ministry’s mandate, build Ontario up — and help achieve a brighter future for every person in this province.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

The Honourable Yasir Naqvi
Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services