Canada is set to offer up to $10,000 grants to religious groups, institutions and indigenous communities to protect their facilities in face of hate crimes.

Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, Michael Ford, announced today that the province would spend $25.5 million over two years on a new anti-hate security and prevention grant.

He says no Ontarian should live in fear that they will be targeted because of their background, who they love or how they worship.

The government says there were more than 1,500 police-reported hate crimes in Ontario in 2021.

The government says the grants can go toward building upgrades, lock enhancements, camera installations, staff training, security assessments, cyber security measures, repairs and the hiring of short-term security staff. 

The National Council of Canadian Muslims welcomed the announcement.

"These are all critical steps toward a province that takes the protection of its marginalized communities seriously," the organization said in a statement.

"The $25 million increase in funding is a necessary step towards helping a large number of cultural and faith-based organizations across the province to beef up their facilities' security against possibly hateful actors and crimes," the council said.