TORONTO — Premier Dalton McGuinty today said his government is taking further action to fight gun crime by putting another 200 OPP officers on the streets and called on the federal government to live up to its commitment to provide Ontario with its fair share of police funding.

"Ontario is moving forward to build safer communities by putting more police on our streets, but we can't fight guns and gangs, illegal drugs and organized crime alone," said Premier McGuinty. "The federal government committed to putting 2,500 more police officers in communities across Canada — and it's time they delivered Ontario's fair share."

Of the 200 new OPP officers funded by the McGuinty government, 53 will go after illegal guns. In addition, the government is hiring six new prosecutors to better track, investigate and stem the flow of handguns and other restricted guns across the province.

Premier McGuinty also repeated his call today for the federal government to ban handguns.

"Organized justice means tackling gun violence from every angle," said Attorney General Michael Bryant. "These specialized prosecutors will work with police from day one of an investigation so that we can better monitor and prevent the movement of these guns and stem the flow of handguns and other restricted and prohibited firearms across Ontario's borders."

"By working with federal and U.S. law enforcement agencies and collaborating with police and specialized prosecutors, Ontario's justice sector is working to enhance the safety, security and the quality of life for all Ontarians," said Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Monte Kwinter.

"The new officers the OPP is getting for the Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit will help us get illegal hand guns, and those who use them for criminal activity, off the streets of our communities," said OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino. "And the additional resources we are receiving for the Drug Enforcement Section, Asset Forfeiture Unit and Chief Firearms Office will allow us to dedicate more officers in our provincewide fight against organized crime."

The 200 OPP officers announced today are in addition to the 1,000 new municipal police officers already placed in communities across Ontario.

Putting more police on the streets is one part of the government's plan to build strong, safer communities for families. Other measures include:

Introducing a $68-million Guns and Gangs strategy, including a new operations centre and several justice initiatives to cut down on crime Creating a Provincial Advisory Group on Marijuana Grow Operations and a Crystal Meth Task Force to combat the illegal drug trade Launching the $28.5-million Youth Opportunities Strategy to help young people, especially those in marginalized and stigmatized communities, achieve a brighter future.

"We're not going to stand by while innocent people lose their lives to gun violence," said Premier McGuinty. "We have a duty to act, and so does the federal government, but we simply can't afford to wait any longer for our federal leaders to move forward on this commitment."

-30-