Bruce and Grey Municipalities Move to Action on Safety and Well-Being

The Bruce and Grey Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee is moving to action to further its goal of achieving safe, sustainable communities.

This large and dedicated collaborative is comprised of Bruce and Grey Counties, 16 lower-tier municipalities, eight police services, 14 police service boards, three boards of education, and more than 30 health and social service agencies and community committees. The Advisory Committee spent 2020 analyzing local data, reviewing community assets, and understanding resident perceptions of risks to safety and well-being shared through a community engagement survey. This work culminated in a regional Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (CSWBP) that was approved by both county councils.

Bruce County Warden Janice Jackson states, “We are taking a collaborative approach to creating safer communities. Our approved plan allows us to leverage resources, implement priority actions, and address emerging issues through further engagement with our residents and key partners. We look forward to continue building safe and healthy communities with all who call our region home.”

The Bruce and Grey CSWBP identified five priority areas of risk for partners to work together to make measurable improvements on both regional and local issues: Addiction and Substance Use, Mental Health, Crime Prevention, Housing and Homelessness, and Poverty and Income. To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on resident perceptions of safety and well-being, the committee has launched the community engagement survey for a second time. This survey runs from April 1 to May 16 and can be accessed on the CSWBP website at cswbp-brucegrey.ca. To request a hard copy of the survey, please contact your local municipal office or visit the CSWBP website.

Grey County Warden Selwyn Hicks notes, “This is a good time to connect with residents and gauge perceptions regarding community safety and well-being. Using a regional lens, it will be interesting to learn from the data and understand how the pandemic has impacted our communities. Having the baseline from a year ago will help identify who has been most impacted so we can focus our efforts on strategies to meet people where they are at.”

In the coming months, the CSWBP Advisory Committee will be working with identified Action Tables to ensure that targeted engagement occurs both geographically and with residents impacted by the specific areas of risk.

The goal of CSWBP is to achieve sustainable communities where everyone is safe, has a sense of belonging and opportunities to participate, and where individuals and families can meet their needs for education, health care, food, housing, income and social and cultural expression. The success of society is linked to the well-being of each and every individual and integral to this success is cross-sector service coordination.

For more information on the Bruce and Grey Community Safety and Well Being Plan, please visit cswbp-brucegrey.ca.

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