Contact(s)
In 2018, the Province of Ontario passed Bill 175, “Safer Ontario Act”. This Act requires that every municipality in Ontario adopt a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. The Huron County Community Safety and Well Being Plan was prepared in collaboration with all 9 lower-tier municipalities in Huron County and a multi-sectoral Advisory Committee that included representatives from social and community organizations, school boards, boards of health, the police service and other local service providers working to protect or enhance safety and well-being.
The Plan was adopted in June 2021 by Goderich Council and has identified the following four (4) priority areas for action based on their research and community engagement:
- Mental Health and Addiction
- Housing and Homelessness
- Domestic and Family Violence
- Community Security
A multi-sectoral Oversight Committee is being established to oversee the implementation of the Plan. Collaboration across sectors is important so that root causes of crime and complex social issues can be addressed by focusing holistically on social development, prevention, and risk prevention. This approach to community safety and well-being recognizes that complex social problems cannot be addressed by the police alone. Local service providers working in areas such as health, mental health and addictions, education, community and social services, and children and youth services play an integral role.
A Social Media message campaign has been developed and launched by the CSWB working group. The various CSWB messages can be located on the Town’s corporate website (i.e., General awareness of CSWB, Out of the Cold Heart to Home, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, etc.).
For more information on the Town’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, please contact Michaela Johnston at 519-524-8344 Ext. 212 or mjohnston@goderich.ca.
