Communities across the province are at varying levels of readiness to develop and implement a community safety and well-being plan. As such, this booklet is intended to act as a resource to assist municipalities, First Nations and their partners at different stages of the planning process, with a focus on getting started. More specifically, it highlights the benefits of developing a plan, the community safety and well-being planning that supports a plan, critical success factors, and connects the framework to practice with a toolkit framework of practical guidance documents to assist in the development and implementation of a plan. It also incorporates advice from Ontario communities that have started the process of developing a plan that reflects their unique local needs, capacity and governance structures. Planning partners in Bancroft, Brantford, Chatham-Kent, Kenora, Rama, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and Waterloo tested aspects of the community safety and well-being planning framework and the toolkit to ensure that they are as practical and helpful as possible.

Legislative Mandate

This booklet supports the legislative requirements related to mandating community safety and well-being planning under the Police Services Act (effective January 1, 2019). As part of legislation, municipalities are required to develop and adopt community safety and well-being plans working in partnership with a multi- sectoral advisory committee comprised of representation from the police service board and other local service providers in health/mental health, education, community/social services and children/youth services. Additional requirements are also outlined in legislation pertaining to conducting consultations, contents of the evaluating, reporting and publishing the plan. This approach allows municipalities to plan, and monitoring, take a leadership role in defining and addressing priority risks in the community through proactive, integrated strategies that ensure vulnerable populations receive the help they need from the providers best suited to support them.

Municipalities have the flexibility to engage in community safety and well-being planning individually, or in partnership with neighbouring municipalities and/or First Nation communities to develop a joint plan. When determining whether to develop an individual or joint plan, municipalities may wish to consider various factors, such as existing resources and boundaries for local service delivery. It is important to note that First Nation communities are also encouraged to undertake this type of planning, however, they are not required to do so by legislation.

Benefits

Through the ministry’s engagement with communities that are developing a plan, local partners identified the benefits they are seeing, or expect to see, as a result of their work. The following benefits are wide-ranging, and impact individuals, the broader community, and participating partner agencies and organizations:

 enhanced communication and collaboration among sectors, agencies and organizations;

 stronger families and improved opportunities for healthy child development;

 healthier, more productive individuals that positively contribute to the community;

 increased understanding of and focus on priority risks, vulnerable groups and neighbourhoods;

 transformation of service delivery, including realignment of resources and responsibilities to better respond to priority risks and needs;

 increased engagement of community groups, residents and the private sector in local initiatives and networks;