N.B. election: Tory leader promises to help synagogues, churches increase security – New Brunswick [Video]

New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs is promising synagogues, mosques, churches and community organizations more money for security measures, including the installation of surveillance cameras.

With two weeks left in the provincial election campaign, Higgs, who is vying for a third term as premier, says if re-elected his party will take “harder and harder lines on crime.”

“In an ever-changing world, we are increasingly aware of the need to ensure that our public spaces, including places of worship and community gatherings, are secure and protected,” he told reporters in Fredericton.

He said that particularly for religious institutions, “there are growing concerns about safety. That’s why today we are taking action.”

A re-elected Tory government, he said, would amend the terms of the Community Investment Fund to allow non-profits to apply for funding for such things as security cameras and stronger locks on their doors. The fund provides $70,000 every year to each legislative assembly member to …