Melanie Bania
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Safer Communities
2026
Melanie joined CCFSC in 2023 and supports the development of Community Safety & Well-Being plans across Canada, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of plans and programs. Melanie was part of the team at the Institute for the Prevention of Crime that launched the CMNCP in 2006. She is thrilled to be back as part of the team! Melanie holds a PhD in Criminology and her areas of expertise include collaborative governance, community-based crime prevention, youth violence prevention, youth justice, program evaluation and performance measurement. Melanie has a unique blend of front-line, senior management, and academic experiences, allowing her to see issues and solutions from various angles. Melanie’s approach relies on genuine engagement, authentic relationship-building, and focuses on continuous learning. She grew up in rural Northern Ontario, is fluently bilingual in English and French and is committed to working from community-centered and anti-oppressive lenses.
Melanie resides on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People, colonially known as Ottawa, Ontario.
The Summit unites the public and private sectors, domestic and international, against hate and extremism. Researchers, activists, lawyers, technology experts, political leaders, and more come together, each bringing their unique tools to the fight. Important relationships that were established at the Summit in 2021 have carried forward into working groups with concrete deliverables for 2022 and beyond.
