Ontario to spend $340,000 to tackle anti-Asian hate in schools

TORONTO – The Ontario government is putting up $340,000 to help tackle anti-Asian racism in classrooms.

The province says the pandemic has sparked a surge in discrimination and hate crimes against people of Asian descent in Canada.

It says the money will be used to help students learn in a more inclusive environment.

Part of the funding will go to mental health supports for students, families and teachers of Asian descent.

Money will also go toward developing online resources and tools to help Chinese Canadian households talk to their children about racism.

Overall, the province is spending $6.4 million on equity-related projects as part of its Safe Return to Class Fund.

In late April an annual police report cites the COVID-19 pandemic first reported in Wuhan, China, and the police murder of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, contributed to an increase in hate-crime incidents.

In all, 210 complaints were reported to police, up from 139 in 2020 – a 51 percent jump – and well above the average of 152 incidents per year noted over the past decade.

The report from the hate crimes unit says police arrested 41 people, almost twice as many as the 23 suspects taken into custody the previous year.

The Jewish community was the most victimized last year, followed by the Black, LGBTQ, and Asian/Chinese communities.