Have your say in the development of a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan for Hamilton

HAMILTON, ON – Today the City launches a second phase of community engagement to inform the development of a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (CSWBP) for Hamilton.

During this phase of planning, residents can provide feedback in two ways. Residents are invited to review the project information online and to post, read and like feedback until March 1, 2021. Residents can also register to participate in a CSWBP Virtual Community Meeting on February 24 from 2 to 4 pm or February 25 from 6 pm to 8 pm.

A Community Safety and Well-Being Plan aims to ensure all residents in Hamilton feel safe, has a sense of belonging and can meet their needs for education, healthcare, food, housing, income, and social and cultural expression. Hamilton’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan will prioritize six challenges facing the community: mental health and stigma, housing and homelessness, hate incidents, violence, substance use, and access to income.

Engagement will focus on gathering more detailed feedback from community members and multi-sector service providers to inform creative, meaningful solutions to the complex challenges facing Hamilton. There will be additional opportunities and channels for community members and service providers to provide feedback throughout the development and implementation of Hamilton’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.

It has long been recognized that the conditions in which people are born, live, grow, and age significantly impact the overall safety and well-being of individuals and community. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated long-standing systemic health, social and economic issues and has reinforced the importance of a holistic and proactive approach to building resilient communities. The development of a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan is an opportunity to examine the root causes of complex challenges facing Hamilton and find new ways to integrate and balance services and supports in the community. A collective shift in focus from a reactive crisis response-based approach to incidents in the community to an upstream, holistic approach to community development will be a critical to Hamilton’s health, social, and economic recovery.

Quick Facts

1. The planning process seeks to achieve a proactive, more balanced and collaborative approach to community safety and well-being across four key areas: social development, prevention, risk intervention, and incident response.
2. The Hamilton Community Safety and Well-Being planning process will take strengths-based approach to complement and enhance, not duplicate, existing City and community work underway. 
3. Under the Province's Safer Ontario Act, 2018 municipalities are required to develop a Community Safety & Well-being Plan using the provincial government’s Community Safety and Well-Being Framework by July 1, 2021.

Additional Resources

• Register for a February 24 or February 25 CSWBP virtual community meeting
• Engage Hamilton