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Looking for 'buy-in,' for South Simcoe's Community Safety and Well-Being Plan

'Definitely a marathon, not a sprint by any means'
2020-06-03InnisCounCSWBPMK-01
Consultant Karie Warnar describes the concentric rings of the model behind the Community Safety and Well-being Plan for Council. Miriam King/Village Media Group

What if a community could identify the underlying causes of crime – poverty, mental health issues, addiction, lack of opportunities? Would it be possible to address those underlying risk factors, to promote a healthier community, and even prevent crime?

That’s the premise behind the Community Safety & Well-Being planning process, first introduced in 2007 by the province as the “Community Mobilization Model.”  

Expressed as a series of concentric rings – an outer green ring representing “Social Development,” the social fabric of the community from schools to housing supply; a smaller blue ring representing “Prevention,” the services and programs designed to promote healthy choices and inclusion; a yellow ring for “Risk Intervention”, and a red centre representing Emergency Response – it provided a framework for identifying and mitigating community risk.

Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil were early adopters of the model. South Simcoe Police Chief Andrew Fletcher came to both councils in 2016, to ask for municipal support for the concept.

In 2018, the municipalities hired consultant Karie Warnar of Avail Consulting Inc., to assist the Community Safety & Well-being Plan steering committee – and in Tuesday night’s virtual meeting of Bradford West Gwillimbury Council, Chief Fletcher and Warnar provided an update.

Since Warnar came on board, the situation has changed. In 2019, a new provincial government mandated that all municipalities undertake the Community Safety & Well-Being planning process, with the goal of having a plan in place by January 2021.

At that point, the County of Simcoe hired Warnar to assist its municipalities align themselves in clusters that reflected shared risks and solutions, to prepare and adopt their own plans.

“This is definitely a marathon – not a sprint, by any means,” Fletcher told BWG Council, noting that even though Simcoe County “very quickly scooped up” Warnar, the process locally was already “leaps and bounds ahead of so many other communities.”

It was also unique, in that it is “evidence-based or data-driven,” he said.

Rather than asking community partners what they perceived as the biggest risk factors driving criminal behaviour locally, the local plan is being developed based on statistics and best information from organizations that include the County, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, local hospitals, school boards, and South Simcoe Police.

The process has involved looking at over 230 “indicators,” and subjecting them to a data prioritization and weighted ranking matrix, to identify the key risk factors in the community, explained Warnar.

Data points used had to be measurable, reliable, readily available, something that could be addressed by action – and above all, she said, “When we’re speaking with stakeholders, does it resonate with them?”

Warnar noted, “It’s a very rigorous process;” what “bubbled up to the top” as priority areas were four issues: affordable housing, education, mental health and income.

“They all feed into each other. None of these are independent of each other,” she said, adding, “This was all done prior to COVID. We can only imagine that these areas have become even greater areas of risk” since the pandemic hit.

Now that the priority risks have been identified, the next step is to “broaden the advisory body,” complete an asset and resource inventory of the agencies, groups, programs and services that address the priority risks that are available to the community, and establish working groups to “dive deeper” and work on a draft plan.

The goal is to ensure “it doesn’t exclude anybody,” Warnar said.

The steering committee wants to identify “the amazing assets we have in our community… so key to moving this plan forward,” said Chief Fletcher, and to engage their interest as partners in the community plan.

“There’s some amazing work going on. We want to tap into that,” he said.

The question is, “how do we pull all of those agencies and those groups together to start focusing on the same risks and the same priorities, so we’re all walking to the same drum?”

If it can be done, the community will spend “less time on crisis response, less time on risk intervention, and more time on social development and prevention,” Fletcher said.

In the next couple of months, the steering committee will be “reaching out to people in the community,” to expand the Advisory Board and move forward. And while COVID 19 restrictions pose a challenge, the province has fortunately delayed the 2021 deadline.

The presentation was well received by BWG Council.

“We’re seeing right now in the world when you try to solve things using too heavy a hand,” said Coun. Gary Lamb; the community safety and well-being plan offers an alternative.

“It’s something I’m really excited about,” said Deputy Mayor James Leduc, noting that the challenge will be “getting everyone on the same page.”

“There’s a lot of steps involved in the plan. Tell me, which one concerns you the most?” Coun. Gary Baynes asked Warnar.

“The engagement of people,” she replied. During a pandemic, “that’s going to take some creativity. How do we engage people, and make sure we get the right representation?”

There has been a tendency to rely on social media – a strategy that can miss vulnerable populations, she warned.

“We look forward to a holistic approach, to make sure we don’t leave anybody behind,” said Mayor Rob Keffer.

In Innisfil Council the following night, the response was equally positive.

Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin noted that the process will identify “lots of synergies and overlap that will really pave the way for us, moving forward.”

She told Chief Fletcher, “You were working on this model long before the province came on board. Great work!”

Dollin called the plan “important work. Let’s fix it while it’s still fixable – be proactive rather than reactive.”

Chief Fletcher said that the steering committee is “extremely proud of the work we’re doing” – and that the support of councils, the “commitment at the highest level,” was the key to the success of any community plan.

Both councils received the presentation with thanks.


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Miriam King

About the Author: Miriam King

Miriam King is a journalist and photographer with Bradford Today, covering news and events in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil.
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