Community Safety & Well-Being Plan

Community safety and well-being is integral to providing a high quality of life. 

The ultimate goal of this type of planning is to achieve a sustainable community where everyone is safe, has a sense of belonging, opportunities to participate and where individuals and families are able to meet their needs for education, health care, food, housing, income and social/cultural expression. The success of society is linked to the well-being of each and every individual.

There are many benefits of developing a CSWB Plan, including:

• Enhanced communication and collaboration across sectors, agencies and organizations.
• Effective alignment of resources and responsibilities to better address local priorities and needs.
• Better understanding of local risks and vulnerable groups.
• Increased awareness of and access to services for community members, including vulnerable groups.
• An opportunity to keep Quinte West safe and ensure its residents enjoy a high quality of life.

On January 1, 2019, the Police Services Act, 1990 was amended to mandate municipal councils to prepare and adopt a Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan. Under the legislation, the responsibility to prepare and adopt a CSWB Plan applies to:

• Single-tier municipalities
• Lower-tier municipalities
• Regional municipalities

The Ministry of the Solicitor General has given municipalities until January 1, 2021 to prepare and adopt their Plan.

The CSWB Plan must include the following core information:

• Local priority risk factors that have been identified based on community consultations and multiple sources of data including data from Statistics Canada as well as local sector-specific information.
• Evidence-based programs and strategies to address those priority risk factors.
• Measurable outcomes with associated performance measures to ensure that the strategies are effective and the outcomes are being achieved.

In keeping with the direction provided by the Province, the Community Safety & Well-Being Advisory Committee will include representation from:

• an employee of the municipality 
• a person who represents the education sector
• a person who represents the health/mental health sector
• a person who represents the community/social services sector
• a person who represents the children/youth services sector
• a person who represents an entity that provides custodial services to children/youth
• a person who represents the police service board or a Detachment Commander.

Developing a Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan  is about working together to ensure the right services get to the right people at the right time. It involves an integrated approach to service delivery by working with a wide range of agencies and organizations (including but not limited to local and regional government, police service, public health and mental health providers, education, social services, community and custodial services for children and youth).

A CSWB Plan involves identifying risks and proactively developing and implementing evidence-based strategies and programs to address local priorities related to crime and complex social issues.