A new child and youth advocacy centre is being made possible by contributions from the federal government and several Toronto donors, including Edward Rogers, deputy chairman of Rogers Communications Inc.

Funding for the new Toronto centre will be made possible through a $250,000 donation from Rogers and his wife Suzanne, $250,000 from Bay Street financier Sheldon Inwentash and his wife Lynn Factor and $250,000 over two years from the justice ministry.

"We’re honoured to play a small role in making this occur," Rogers said at a news conference at Toronto police headquarters on Friday morning.

Rogers said he and his wife are "thrilled" about this cause and know the funds "will make a difference."

Boost, a child abuse prevention and intervention charity, will be running the centre.

"What this funding means is that we're moving much, much closer to actually making this [centre] a reality," Boost's executive director Karyn Kennedy told Citynews Friday.

Others who attended the announcement include federal justice minister Rob Nicholson.

The federal government will provide the $250,000 funding over two years to Boost to develop Toronto's first such centre, which will provide counselling, legal assistance and child witness support programs for children and their families, he said.

Other child and youth advocacy centres are located in Edmonton, Niagara, Ont., Montreal, Saskatoon and Regina, he said.

It's not yet known where the Toronto centre will be built, but it's expected to be open by 2013.