By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor M’CHIGEENG — After five years of early intervention work aimed at preventing intimate partner violence (IPV) in Anishnaabe communities across Manitoulin Island, the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service is calling on the federal and provincial governments to permanently fund its Lighting the Fire Within program. Originally launched in 2018 with a $1 million investment from Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), the program was built to address the roots of IPV through trauma-informed, culturally grounded, community-first approaches. But with the original funding expired, UCCM Police say the work can’t stop now. “The Lighting the Fire Within programming helped within our communities and it’s unfortunate that the funding has stopped,” said UCCM Police Chief James Killeen. “We want to keep a…
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