About the Project
The City of Windsor and the municipalities of the County of Essex, in partnership with agencies and organizations from many sectors, are developing a plan to support the safety and well-being of communities within Windsor and Essex County.
A Regional Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan is being created that seeks to understand, respect and support the community contexts of each partner municipality. Community Safety and Well-Being plans recognize that complex social issues cannot be addressed in isolation or solely on an incident basis. Instead, CSWB planning strives, through collaboration and consultation, to leverage existing strengths, resources and best practices to establish proactive approaches to counter identified local risks.
Ultimately, the goal of the plan is to create a community where everyone feels safe; has a sense of belonging, equitable access to services and opportunities; and can have their needs met across Windsor and Essex County.
Benefits
The Community Safety and Well-Being Plan has a range of benefits for local agencies, organizations, frontline service providers and residents, including:
- Enhanced communication and collaboration among agencies and organizations
- Increased understanding of local risks and vulnerable groups
- Ensuring services are provided to individuals with complex needs
- Increased awareness, coordination and access to services for community members and vulnerable groups
Mandate
As of Jan. 1, 2019, The Safer Ontario Act, 2018 requires municipalities to prepare and adopt community safety and well-being plans in partnership with a multi-sectoral advisory committee. The City of Windsor and the County of Essex must prepare a draft CSWB Plan and seek approval from their respective councils. In response to the pandemic, new legislation under the Coronavirus Support and Protection Act, 2020 has extended the deadline for plan completion and adoption to a date yet to be determined.
Windsor and Essex County’s Regional Community Safety and Well-Being Plan will identify and prioritize local risk factors within each partner municipality and strive to enhance collaboration across multiple sectors by strengthening how our communities collectively coordinate services on issues related to safety and well-being.
Windsor Essex Regional Community Safety and Well-Being Plan Public Consultation
Launch Update
Residents of Windsor-Essex will have the opportunity to shape the first regional Community Safety and WellBeing (CSWB) Plan by participating in a community survey and virtual public meetings in February and March.
The purpose of the survey and public meetings is to hear from local residents on their priorities and
concerns across a number of topics, including financial security, mental and physical health, education, crime,
housing, and other factors that impact their community’s safety and well-being.
This engagement is part of a larger effort to develop the region’s first plan of this kind with the goal of creating
a community where everyone feels safe; has a sense of belonging, access to services and opportunities; and
can have their needs met across Windsor-Essex. The public survey will open for members of the public to
provide their input on Wednesday, February 10th, 2021. The survey will be available at cswbwindsoressex.ca in
English, French, Spanish, and Arabic and will be open until Monday, March 15, 2021.
