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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS 28-20Report to Executive Committee Report Number: CS 28-20 Date: September 14, 2020 From: Brian Duffield (Acting) Director, Community Services Subject: Community Safety and Well-Being Plan - Update - File: A-1440 Recommendation: 1. That Council receive report CS 28-20 regarding the City of Pickering’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan for information; and, 2. That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take necessary actions as indicated in this report. Executive Summary: In accordance with Council Resolution #162/19, Community Services staff were directed to contact the Town of Ajax and start work on the development of a Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan. Mayor Ryan identified Community Safety as a priority for the City of Pickering, and appointed Councillor Brenner as the lead on this initiative. As per the Safer Ontario Act, 2018, S.O. 2018, c. 3 – Bill 175, CSWB Plans came into enactment in the current Police Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.p15. At that time, all municipalities (except lower tier) were to create and by resolution adopt a CSWB Plan by January 1, 2021. At this time, due to COVID-19, the Police Services Act has been amended to allow the Solicitor General to give municipalities an extension beyond January 1, 2021 to prepare and adopt a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. Work on the Plan has continued, with Council support, and Pickering will be well positioned to resume work with the Region of Durham, the Town of Ajax, Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS), and community partners, once their post COVID work schedules allow. The Town of Ajax has been working on their Community Safety and Well-Being Plan for the past 3 years, and have actively been involved in creating and leading the Partnership Based Community Safety Strategy for the past 11 years. Community partners across the Region have continued to meet to discuss crime prevention efforts, areas of immediate or imminent concern, and local solutions and collaborative opportunities. While in-person meetings have been put on hold, community partners will continue to be an integral part of the Community Safety and Well-Being Strategy, and ongoing planning efforts will identify services as well as gaps within existing services in the Pickering community. Please refer to the attached Work Plan, Consultation and Collaboration which identifies action items including the need to continue to work with the community partners to establish community efforts, identify strengths and weaknesses, and develop community priorities, goals and objectives. September 14, 2020 CS 28-20 Subject: Community Safety and Well-Being Plan Page 2 In 2019, City staff conducted initial interviews with Members of Council and City staff in which common themes were identified including homelessness, mental health issues, addiction and anti- social behavior, emotional violence, various levels of mischief and crime, drugs and increased trafficking, high traffic and careless driving, and social issues, including neighbour disputes and bullying. Although this information provides a good foundation, more work is needed by dedicated staff to enable the City to complete and implement its Community Safety Well-Being Plan. Action items include adding new partners to the working committee, and becoming a member of the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention as identified in the attached draft 2019-2020 Community Safety and Well-Being Work Plan, Action Item 1.0-3. Additional surveys with the community are required to expand this foundation of information, and identify specific neighborhood needs in Action Item 2.0-1. The Province extended the date for the adoption of the CSWB Plan beyond January 1, 2021, due to COVID-19, but have yet to announce a new date. The City has also been advised by the Region of Durham that their working group activities had been put on hold due to COVID-19 and they will notify staff when they are able to resume work on their Plan. Financial Implications: The development and implementation of the City’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan will require a dedicated subject expert staff resources in 2021. Therefore, funding for this position will be submitted for Council consideration in the 2021 Current Budget submission. Discussion: In an effort to complete a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, City staff have begun work with DRPS and the Town of Ajax to create and implement a Pickering internal and community outreach consultation program. The Provincial Planning Approach includes identifying priority risks, determining outcomes, selecting strategies, implementation, and review of the CSWB Plan and the City’s efforts will move forward within this framework. In 2019 and 2020, City of Pickering staff met with Town of Ajax staff, attended the Partners in Community Safety Meeting, and completed interviews with Members of Council, senior City staff, Customer Care, Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex front line staff and By-law staff. As an introductory community engagement exercise, seniors throughout the community were provided with questions at the City’s annual Information and Active Living Fair, at which time over 150 seniors provided feedback. Each interview included questions associated with Risk Intervention, Prevention and Social Development. Additional surveys will now move to targeted populations throughout the Pickering area for further feedback, and identification of areas to include in the overall strategy. As this is a joint partnership with the Town of Ajax, community partners and DRPS, all action items concerning Incident Response will be the responsibility of DRPS. Pickering’s action plan will include Risk Intervention, Prevention, and Social Development. The purpose of the interview process is to highlight action items from across the City, create a strategy, identify resources, execute, and deliver a comprehensive plan. Additional partnerships with the City of Pickering Neighborhood Watches are a critical step in building relationships that will support the goals of the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. A number of meetings have already taken place to September 14, 2020 CS 28-20 Subject: Community Safety and Well-Being Plan Page 3 further develop these relationships. New opportunities for quarterly meetings, training and sharing sessions are identified in Section 3.0 in Attachment 1. A new Neighborhood Watch in West Shore and Fairport Beach was introduced by Councillor Brenner, and endorsed by Council on February 24, 2020. Additional Neighborhood Watches are being considered within the community. This critical engagement with the community must be enhanced, and is supported by further action in Section 3.0-1 – 3.0-3. During the COVID-19 pandemic, new community issues were discussed during ongoing meetings with the Town of Ajax. For example, an ongoing review of data from 211 introduced new emerging issues, including food insecurities, income, and mental health. Access and use of 211 was re-introduced to Council, through Councillor Brenner, as an important resource for use within the City of Pickering, and through Customer Care. Discussions also included a future partnering opportunity with Ontario Tech University for a data sharing agreement, becoming a partner with 211, and implementing a marketing campaign to enhance community use of this service. In this way, 211 may provide assistance to the community, eliminating the need to call 911 in non- emergency situations. Refer to Section 4.0 of the attached draft 2019-2020 Community Safety and Well-Being Work Plan, for sample of statistics from 211. During COVID-19, a dedicated group of volunteers emerged within the community, called the Caremongers. The City of Pickering and Pickering Public Library teamed up to assist this volunteer group, attending weekly meetings, to support promotions, flyer productions and provide financial assistance through the City of Pickering. The committee continues to work through the pandemic, and while some requests for services have been declined, others requiring food and income security have been able to continue. The Caremongers group has now applied for government assistance (through grants), in order to continue working to support the community. This group will continue to work with lower income residents, and be another valuable community support resource in the City. While the City of Pickering will not remain as active committee members, staff will continue to provide support where possible, and include the group in relevant CSWB activities throughout the City. Caremongers will continue to be part of the City’s outreach strategy to residents. The next meeting with Caremongers is scheduled for September 16, 2020. In order to meet an extended 2021 deadline for the Community Safety Plan, a number of steps are required to be completed including the addition of a dedicated City staff person. This staff resource will be responsible for conducting further research and consultation, completing the analysis on the preliminary research, developing new partnerships to complement the existing community partners team, with groups such as Pickering By-law Services, Pickering Fire Services, Pickering Public Library, Great Canadian Gaming, and Pickering Town Centre. Furthermore, this new position will be a member of the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention, and be familiar with legislative requirements, identifying local priorities, implications and practice, identifying outcomes, strategies and programs, training, including safety assessments, community consultations, building safer and healthy communities, and developing and implementing a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. With the experience gained in dealing with a public health crisis this year, this position will also be an integral part of the City of Pickering ongoing emergency planning and management focusing on community outreach, should the City need to react to a similar public health event in the future. September 14, 2020 CS 28-20 Subject: Community Safety and Well-Being Plan Page 4 Additionally, the City of Pickering requires a system for reporting community safety issues and providing immediate feedback, to engage the community and develop ongoing partnerships with DRPS, and other municipal partners working on development of the CSWB Plan. The City of Pickering is committed to the ongoing development and support of Community Safety and Well-Being. A resolution from Council enabled Pickering to advance a partnership with Ajax and Durham Region Police Service. The Ajax strategy was highly successful, and its goals, objectives, and outcomes have been sustained due to the strategy of a multi-sector, inter- departmental, and partnership based model. Partners will continue to meet quarterly, as regular work resumes, and the group will continue to grow as more community organizations are identified and engaged. Pickering and Ajax will continue to participate in the development of a Regional plan as well, and Pickering and Ajax are moving forward with an individual plan to follow the Provincial framework that will be unique to both communities. The Plan is being developed in partnership with the Durham Region Police Service (West Division) and will incorporate elements from their corporate planning initiative. This Plan will become a living document within the City of Pickering, and will change and adapt as the community continues to grow and change. That said, staff plan to develop objectives, measurable outcomes and identified goals by November 30, 2020 for council’s consideration, subject to the timing of the community partners re-engagement. Attachments: 1. Draft 2019-2020 Community Safety and Well-Being Work Plan September 14, 2020 CS 28-20 Subject: Community Safety and Well-Being Plan Page 5 Prepared By: Approved/Endorsed By: Sharon Milton Brian Duffield Manager, Recreation Services (Acting) Director, Community Services BD:sm Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Marisa Carpino, M.A. Interim Chief Administrative Officer September 14, 2020 Page 1 of 6 Community Safety and Well-Being 2019 Year End Report and 2020 Proposed Work Plan 2019-2020 Community Safety and Well-Being Work Plan Work on the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, for the period of January 2019 - June 30, 2020, included the following: 1.0 Consultation and Collaboration Meetings with the Town of Ajax/DRPS to establish understanding of CSWB plan they have initiated – Council/Staff (Councillor Brenner/Sharon Milton) Establish work plan to initiate first steps, including interview process Meetings to discuss interview process/questionnaire Additional meetings with Town of Ajax to continue work plan, including the following dates: March 25, 2019 April 3, 2019 August 24, 2019 September 4, 2019 October 10, 2019 November 20, 2019 January 29, 2020 Attendance – Partners in Community Safety meeting, including the following dates: April 23, 2019 May 14, 2019 July 16, 2019 August 28, 2019 September 4, 2019 October 10, 2019 Attendance at Regional Community Safety Committee, including the following dates: June 27, 2019 November 20, 2019 January 15, 2020 Set up interviews and schedules to complete survey Attachment #1 to Report CS 28-20 September 14, 2020 Page 2 of 6 Community Safety and Well-Being Plan 2019 Year End Report and 2020 Proposed Work Plan ACTION 1.0-1: Continue with partners meetings to establish community efforts, strengths and weaknesses, and develop community priorities, goals and objectives. ACTION 1.0-2: City of Pickering team members to be added to the Partners Committee, to include City of Pickering By-Law, Fire Services, Pickering Public Library, Pickering Town Centre, Pickering Casino. ACTION 1.0-3: Become a member of the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention. 2.0 Interviews and Results  Conducted Interviews with Mayor and Members of Council. Conducted Interviews – front line staff, including, Senior Managers, Customer Care, By-Law, Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex, Seniors – 150 responses from special event and determine early issues of concern including the following dates:  May 24, 2019  June 10, 2019  July 9, 2019  September 3, 2019  October 8, 2019  October 18, 2019  Compiled all survey results  Results included identified themes of concern including, homelessness, mental health, addiction and anti-social behavior, emotional violence, mischief and crime, drugs and increased trafficking, high traffic and careless driving, neighborhood disputes and bullying Note: This was prior to COVID–19. Additionally issues with food security and income have become higher priorities. ACTION 2.0-1: Additional community input is required – additional surveys. 3.0 Community Engagement  Established working partnership with Neighborhood Watch (NW) and DRPS  Championed by Councillor Brenner, a new Neighborhood Watch Fairport Beach Community Neighbourhood Watch was established in January 23, 2020, and endorsed by Council through Resolution #235/20  Amberlea North NW rebuilding, additional NW groups currently working towards start-up September 14, 2020 Page 3 of 6 Community Safety and Well-Being Plan 2019 Year End Report and 2020 Proposed Work Plan  Neighborhood Watch event - all Watches invited to session at the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex – discuss priorities, concerns, training, requirements for continuation. Presentation by Councillor Brenner supporting NW program, and strengthening City of Pickering support. Additional presentation from DRPS on January 18, 2020  Neighborhood Watch presentation community event – Human Trafficking on January 30, 2020  Provided assistance with mapping for Westshore Neighborhood Watch for watch to continue to grow on February 6, 2020 ACTION 3.0-1: Continue to have quarterly meetings with Neighborhood Watches – agenda based on NW input. Guest speakers and training to continue. Meetings to resume following COVID-19. ACTION 3.0.2: Budget opportunities through City of Pickering Community Grant program. ACTION 3.0-3: Continue to engage neighborhoods and build Neighborhood Watch groups through various neighborhoods in Wards 2 and 3. 4.0 Adjusting to the COVID-19 Pandemic  Continued to meet with Ajax – Councillor Brenner and Sharon Milton attended– virtually to discuss Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, including the following dates:  March 3, 2020  May 22, 2020  June 1, 2020  Re-introduction and use of 211 to City of Pickering Council  Ongoing discussions with the Town of Ajax on 211 and updates during COVID – showing increased needs in food security, income, and mental health - the following is an example of statistics from 211: Pickering May 9 - May 15, 2020 Total Contact Reports: 8 Total Needs Identified 8 Topic Areas by Priority Rank: Food/Meals, Income Support/Financial Assistance, Mental Health/Addictions, Other Government/Economic Services Total Needs Unmet: 1 Reason: Income Support/Financial Assistance - caller ineligible for service Durham Region May 9 - May 15, 2020 Total Contact Reports: 53 September 14, 2020 Page 4 of 6 Community Safety and Well-Being Plan 2019 Year End Report and 2020 Proposed Work Plan Total Needs Identified: 56 Topic Areas by Priority Rank: Income Support/Financial Assistance, Mental Health/Addictions, Food/Meals, Information Services, Health, Other Government/Economic Services Total Needs Unmet: 4 Reason: Hours of program ineligible for service, inquirer unable to connect, no resource found to meet need.  Assisted with flyer production and deliveries to all residents in Ward One  Committee Members – Councillor Brenner, Kathy Williams, Director Public Services, Pickering Public Library, Sharon Milton, Manager, Recreation Services – participated in weekly meetings  Assistance provided for promotions and marketing through the City of Pickering resources, including community pages, seniors newsletters, all social media, ongoing e mails with community partners, including the food bank  Assistance provided by the City of Pickering for funds - $3000 to the Caremongers for the purchase of food  City of Pickering assisted the Caremongers group, meetings included:  April 1, 2020  April 9, 2020  April 22, 2020  April 29, 2020  May 6, 2020  May 13, 2020  May 20, 2020  May 27, 2020  June 3, 2020  June 17, 2020  June 24, 2020  September 16, 2020 - Upcoming ACTION 4.0-1: Work with 211 – become partner – marketing campaign to build awareness. ACTION 4.0-2: Partnership with Ontario Tech – 211 data sharing agreement to be explored and taken to Council for consideration. ACTION 4.0-3: Continue to work with Caremongers until the end of COVID-19 – support grant application to continue as Community Partner – connection with Dave Sora as a community based resource for grant applications. September 14, 2020 Page 5 of 6 Community Safety and Well-Being Plan 2019 Year End Report and 2020 Proposed Work Plan 5.0 Post-Pandemic Priorities As normal operations resume, the following are areas of priority for the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (goals): 1. Basic Needs – of community are available to everyone 2. Risk of Homelessness – identified and acknowledged – create a working plan 3. Mental Health Education and Services to residents, community organizations, and businesses 4. Invest in Youth – actively listen and allow input 5. Resident Driven Assessments – community involvement in planning process 6. Ongoing opportunity for connectivity, community giving, and shared responsibility 7. Community sharing and communication – create common goals, measureable, reinforcing activity 8. Collection of data – reliable use of sources – 211 data, other community groups and services 9. Lead – innovative community safety projects and initiatives ACTION 5.0-1: Continue to work with the Region of Durham, Community Partners Group, DRPS and Town of Ajax. Recommendations on work plan specific to Pickering. Manager, Recreation Services continue until the end of December 2020 on this initiative, and provide ongoing updates to Senior Management. ACTION 5.0-2: Continue and work towards development of Pickering Community Safety and Well-Being plan. ACTION 5.0-3: Create system for reporting issues – system actively monitored, with timely response. ACITION 5.0-4: Council approve the hiring of a Supervisor, Community Safety & Well- Being to continue the strategy implemented, continue to direct staff, and provide ongoing information to Senior Management. New Position 2021 budget – January 2021. As requested, the prepared document is a detailed outline of the work on the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, to support the Report to the Executive Committee, July 13, 2020. Council directed work on this plan in 2019, in efforts to ensure Pickering is well placed and working towards the development of a CSWB Plan, as per the Safer Ontario Act, 2018, S.O. 2018, c. 3-Bill 175. While the initial timing for a completed report, led by the Region of Durham, was scheduled for January 2021, this deadline has been extended, (new date not released), due to COVID-19. Upon return to regular work and schedules, this plan will commence once again with the Regional working committee, as well as the Community partners group, DRPS and the Town of Ajax. With the assistance and guidance of Councillor Brenner, appointed to lead this work on behalf of Council, DRPS, and the Town of Ajax, staff will continue our commitment to the ongoing development and support of Community Safety and Well-Being. Developing objectives and September 14, 2020 Page 6 of 6 Community Safety and Well-Being Plan 2019 Year End Report and 2020 Proposed Work Plan outcomes to reach our outlined goals, with the next steps of creating a reasonable timeline, to be completed by the end of November 2020.