The City of Windsor and the County of Essex need your feedback as it prepared to update its Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.
The plan, as mandated by the province in 2019, was created four years ago, and aims to identify and address local priority risks in the community before they escalate into crime, victimization, or harm.
City Manager of Social Policy and Planning, Stephen Lynn, says the Windsor-Essex plan was adopted in 2021 with all regional municipalities involved.
"We had four regional priorities: good governance and data, engaged and safe communities, mental health and substance-use supports, and financial security and economic equity as our priorities, and so as part of that mandate from the province we're required every four years to update this plan," Lynn said.
Lynn says over the four years the plan has allowed for the partnership between the city, police services and the health unit to provide training and raise awareness about opioid harms.
He says it's also allowed them to create tailor-made neighbourhood safety plans.
"This plan has been able to leverage over $4.3-million from senior levels of government to ensure that we can work with local service providers who are working with at risk in our community, to ensure that children and youth have the necessary resources, skills, mentors, pathways for a successful future," Lynn said.
Two virtual community focus groups will be held this week, and Lynn says once those are completed, the online survey will open on May 16 to May 30.
"Our plan is that we would gather all this information, and then we would be going back to both city and county councils sometime in the fall for review and adoption of the plan, and then we would be submitting it to the province by the end of the year," he said.
If you’re interested in taking part, meetings are taking place on Zoom:
County of Essex: May 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Registration available here.
The City of Windsor meeting was held on May 13.
More information on the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan is available here.
-With files from CTV Windsor