Julie Forth, Clerk of the Township of South-West Oxford
Re: Community Safety and Well-being Plan
Proposed Resolution:
Whereas legislative amendments to the Police Services Act, 1990 came into effect on January 1st, 2019, which require every municipality to prepare and adopt a Community Safety and Well-being Plan and that municipalities work in partnership with the police services and other sectors including health/mental health, education, community/social services and children/youth services throughout their planning process;
And Whereas the requirement to prepare and adopt a Community Safety and Well-being Plan applies to lower-tier municipalities in the County of Oxford and in counties, and regional municipalities throughout the Province (other than the County of Oxford);
And Whereas in October, 2019, local Councils within Oxford County supported a collaborative approach to the development of a Joint Community Safety and Well-being Plan within Oxford County;
And Whereas local municipalities established a Coordinating Committee made up of the Clerks from each of the lower-tier municipalities, and an Advisory Committee made up of representatives from across Oxford municipalities, including police and emergency services, health care, social services, school boards and community service providers. The Advisory Committee’s role has been to inform and guide the information gathering process, community consultation and develop recommendations for the Plan to address community safety and well-being within Oxford;
And Whereas each participating municipality within the County allocated $10,000 towards the development of the joint Community Safety and Well-being Plan and hired a consultant to work with the Advisory Committee and Coordinating Committee to consult with members of the public, local agencies and organizations to contribute to the development of the plan;
And Whereas the key priority risk themes within the County have been identified as follows:
- Mental Health;
- Affordable Housing;
- Substance Misuse;
- Equity, Diversity;
And Whereas the purpose of Safe and Well Oxford Communities is to improve the safety and well-being of community members, by defining and addressing priority risks through proactive, integrated system-wide strategies, the responsibility of which falls within the jurisdiction of the County within Oxford;
And Whereas all Councils across Oxford County, including the Townships of Blandford- Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Norwich, Zorra and Southwest Oxford, together with the Town of Ingersoll, the Town of Tillsonburg, and the City of Woodstock have approved Safe & Well Oxford Communities: Community Safety and Well-being Plan;
Now Therefore be it resolved that the Council of the County of Oxford support and endorse Safe and Well Oxford Communities: Community Safety and Well-being Plan (the Plan);
And Further That the County of Oxford establish a Safe and Well Oxford Steering Committee as recommended in the Plan to oversee the implementation of the goals and objectives established and approved to address the following priority risk themes identified within the Plan:
- Mental Health;
- Affordable Housing;
- Substance Misuse;
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion