Community Safety and Well-being

Introduction

The Manitoba Government has provided funding for the City of Steinbach to participate in a Community Safety and Well-being (CSWB) Planning Project.

Representatives from various organizations in the City are coming together alongside project consultants from the Canadian Centre for Safer Communities to assess the state of Community Safety and Well-being and to create a plan to improve outcomes for residents.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Community Safety and Well-being?

The current paradigm shift in Canadian human services away from siloed, reactionary measures towards upstream, multisector collaboratives, is becoming increasingly recognized as Community Safety and Well-being (CWSB).

The Ontario Ministry of Solicitor General (2017) describes CSWB as “the ideal state of a sustainable community where everyone is safe, has a sense of belonging, opportunities to participate, and where individuals and families are able to meet their needs for education, health care, food, housing, income, and social and cultural expression”.

Why are communities adopting a Community Safety and Well-being Approach?

In recent years, there has been a great emphasis on the importance of developing comprehensive and integrated upstream strategies to prevent crime and enhance community safety.

These efforts emphasize the importance of not only addressing the root causes and risk factors of crime, violence, and insecurity through evidence-based practice, but simultaneously contributing positively to the social and economic development of the community.

What does CSWB Planning entail?

CSWB Planning brings together system leaders, organizations, and community members to co-create a vision and an actionable plan to improve safety and well-being in their community.

What is the City of Steinbach’s approach to CSWB Planning?

The City of Steinbach is following a comprehensive approach to CSWB planning developed by the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention with several stages, including:

• Preparation – forming a Project Working Group, developing a workplan, establishing an advisory/steering committee, and identifying local partners.
• Assessment – collecting data via community engagement (e.g. consultations and public CSWB surveys), reviewing existing data, etc.
• Identifying Priorities – analyzing data and forming a priority list, reviewing/validating process with Project Working Group, Steering Committee (see list of represented organizations below), etc.
• Developing a CSWB Plan – developing an action plan to address priorities, establishing governance model, implementing/evaluating key elements.

Additional Resources

• Website – Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention (CMNCP)
• File – Practitioner Guide on Crime Prevention and Community Safety & Well-being Planning (CMNCP)
• Website – The Canadian Centre for Safer Communities (CCFSC)
• Video (YouTube)  – Council Meeting Approving CSWB Initiative - February 6, 2024 (City of Steinbach)
• Release – Manitoba Government Investing Over $1.4 Million to Expand Community Mobilization, Community Safety and Well-being Planning Pilot Projects (Province of Manitoba)