A Public Forum for Community Safety and Well-Being was held this evening to launch the planning process in Thunder Bay.

Effective January 1, 2019, new legislation mandates all Ontario municipalities to prepare and adopt a community safety and well-being (CSWB) plan that proactively addresses locally identified priority risks to community safety and well-being. On March 11, 2019, Thunder Bay City Council appointed the Crime Prevention Council as the Advisory Committee to oversee the development of the CSWB plan for Thunder Bay.

The province has developed a Framework to guide municipalities in this work, which encourages a deeper understanding of four areas to ensure local plans are efficient and effective in making communities safer and healthier. These include Social Development, Prevention, Risk Intervention and Incident Response.

“The Community Safety and Well-Being planning process is an important opportunity for our community to come together and prioritize our most pressing safety and well-being challenges,” said Mayor Bill Mauro. “We need to hear from diverse voices and perspectives across the community and get their input.”

Consultations will take place with additional stakeholder groups from diverse sectors until the end of February 2020.

Opportunities for input include an online survey: Have Your Say: Community Safety and Well-Being Thunder Bay –which launched today. The survey is available online here: http://bit.ly/GetInvolvedinCSWB until February 10.

A draft plan will be presented to City Council in October 2020, with a final Community Safety and Well-Being Plan approved by the January 1, 2021 provincial deadline.

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Contact: Lee-Ann Chevrette, Coordinator Crime Prevention Council, 625-2554, lchevrette@thunderbay.ca