Section 5 – Ontario’s Way Forward

Overall, this booklet responds to the most common challenge articulated by communities across the province – the need to change the way we look at service delivery in all sectors moving forward so that Ontarians can get the services they need, when they need them. To ensure that community safety and well-being planning achieves its intended outcomes, champions will need to continue to lead the way forward to address the root causes of crime and social disorder and increase community safety and well-being now and into the future.

This booklet strongly encourages municipalities, First Nations and their partners to undertake an ongoing proactive, collaborative planning process to address local needs in new and innovative ways. holistic, Developing local plans with multi-sectoral, risk-based strategies in social development, prevention and risk intervention will ensure that risk factors associated with crime and victimization are addressed from every angle. In the longer term, information and data gathered through the planning process will provide an opportunity for multi-sector partners at the local and provincial levels to evaluate and improve the underlying structures and systems through which services are delivered.

The ministry will continue to support Ontarians as they undertake community safety and well-being planning, and evaluation, in collaboration with community, policing and inter-ministerial partners. To implementation further support this shift at the provincial level, the ministry will be looking at smarter and better ways to do things in order to deliver services in a proactive, targeted manner. This will be done through the use of evidence and experience to improve outcomes, and continuing well-established partnerships that include police, education, health and social services, among others, to make Ontario communities safer and healthier.