2024 OMSSA Forum

Strengthening Our Foundation: The Current and Future State of Community Safety and Well-Being

We all want to feel a sense of belonging and security in our communities. We want to ensure there is equitable access to services and that our general well-being is fostered through inclusive programs, policies, and developments. Ontario's municipalities are working to achieve this in part through the development of Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) plans.

These mandated plans are the result of legislative amendments to the Police Services Act in 2019. They involve multi-sectoral partnerships that include representation from the police service board and other local service providers in health, mental health, education, social services, and children/youth services. Each plan is unique and takes an upstream approach to define and address areas of social development, prevention, and risk intervention.

In 2023, the Ministry of the Solicitor General announced that all CSWB plans, if adopted before July 2021, must be reviewed and revised before July 2025, with all subsequent reviews and revisions every four years thereafter. With 2025 on the horizon, it is crucial to come together to collectively consider what is working, what our missed opportunities are, and what we can learn from our peers and partners.

While all CSWB plans are different, there are overlapping priority/action areas. The 2024 OMSSA Forum will focus on these common themes, and we will hear from human services, partner service providers, heath and public health, and academics at the local level to see what successes have emerged from the early years of CSWB planning and how they are resourcing, measuring, and evaluating the impact of this work. We will also consider how CSWB work intersects and supports existing plans and projects.