2026–2029 Guelph Community Safety and Well-being Plan, as included as Attachment-1 to report 2026-277, dated July 7, 2026, be adopted.

2:47:14advisor of corporate and community strategic initiatives and erin britnell

2:47:18manager of

2:47:20corporate performance and strategy

2:47:39Okay, so good afternoon chair Caton and members of council

2:47:42I'm here today to present the proposed 2026 to 2029

2:47:47community safety and well-being plan

2:47:49For councils adoption. So under ontario's community safety and policing act

2:47:54The city is required to adopt a community safety and well-being plan and updated every four years

2:48:01endorsed by the plan's community advisory table and shaped by more than 40 community organizations and agencies

2:48:08This plan is a community driven city supported framework for identifying and collectively addressing priority risks to safety and well-being and golf

2:48:20So to guide the plan's update across sector community advisory table provided direction and guidance throughout the process

2:48:27This advisory table was co-chaired by jody sales

2:48:30general manager of strategic initiatives and intergovernmental services who sends her regrets today

2:48:35And deputy chief and your goody from gulf police service who we have here today

2:48:41Through their collective leadership the advisory table who are listed on the screen

2:48:45Helped shape the plan that reflects shared priorities and local realities related to community safety and well-being

2:48:52I would like to thank the members of the table for their time support and expertise in putting this all together

2:48:57And now I would invite stefan schmiedt

2:49:00Corporate and community strategic initiatives advisor to speak about the update process and the plan's priority risk areas

2:49:14Thank you, erin and good afternoon council

2:49:17The plan presented today was updated through a three phase process

2:49:22Guided by the provincial community safety and well-being planning framework

2:49:27The first phase focused on updating the priority risk areas using public data

2:49:32Merging trends and input from city staff advisory committees of council and the community organizations and agencies

2:49:40The second phase aligned shared outcomes actions and measures for each priority risk area in collaboration with community organizations

2:49:48And agencies who work directly with people experiencing these risks

2:49:54It's important to note that there is no dedicated provincial funding available to implement community safety and well-being plans

2:50:01Therefore, we took an approach that aligned shared priorities to better focus our collective resources

2:50:07Our aim being to support ongoing community level work that addresses these priority risks

2:50:13The third phase focused on drafting the updated plan

2:50:22Through the process six priority risk areas were identified

2:50:26The plan organizes these into two categories

2:50:30The first three risks shown in blue

2:50:33Are long-standing system level risks that a root causes to other risks

2:50:38The remaining three priority risks shown in green

2:50:42Are increasingly challenging risks that require coordinated community response

2:50:48We recognize through the development process that individuals families and communities often experience more than one risk at the same time

2:50:56Which can compound their impact

2:51:00Beginning with the identified system level risks. We will briefly outline each priority risk area in the plan

2:51:07Highlight what gulf is experiencing

2:51:09And share a summary of community level actions

2:51:17So the first priority risk area is discrimination systemic inequity and hate

2:51:21This includes unfair treatment harmful systems or actions based on identity that undermine safety belonging trust

2:51:29or physical or mental well-being

2:51:32Not all residents experience the same degree of safety belonging or access to opportunity

2:51:37In a 2022 survey by the gulf wellington local immigration partnership

2:51:42nine in ten indigenous and seven in ten immigrants invisible minorities reported experiencing discrimination in the last three years

2:51:51To improve community safety and well-being the plan focuses on promoting equity and anti-racism

2:51:57Across communities and organizations strengthening trust improving awareness and supporting collaborative community led solutions

2:52:07The second priority risk is early adversity

2:52:10Early adversity refers to stressful or potentially traumatic experiences before age 18 that without adequate support

2:52:18Can increase the risk of safety and well-being challenges later in life

2:52:22Local data and community input highlight continued strain on child and family support systems due to rising demand

2:52:30In 2024 2025 family and children services of gulf and wellington county received

2:52:363478 new referrals and initiated

2:52:411325 new investigations

2:52:43A 2 percent increase from the previous year

2:52:47To help prevent and reduce early adversity the plan emphasizes early intervention

2:52:52Fostering community resilience and supportive relationships

2:52:56And improving coordination across services for children youth and families

2:53:03The third priority risk is income insecurity

2:53:06Income insecurity means not having sufficient or stable income to meet basic needs such as housing food

2:53:13fuel transportation and other costs of living

2:53:17In 2024 the ontario works caseload

2:53:20rose to 2095 cases across gulf and wellington county

2:53:251 above pre-pandemic levels with more than 3420 individuals

2:53:30Requiring their support to meet their basic needs

2:53:34In response to this risk the plan focuses on poverty reduction promoting decent work and livable incomes

2:53:41community wealth building and improving collaboration

2:53:44Let's move on to the next set of risks identified as increasingly challenging and requiring community or requiring coordinated response

2:53:58Gender-based violence and exploitation is the fourth priority risk

2:54:02This includes intimate partner violence sexual violence human trafficking and other forms of abuse or control

2:54:09Community organizations are seeing growing demand for crisis and safety supports

2:54:13In 2024 gulf wellington women in crisis responded to 2447 crisis line calls

2:54:21and served 1188 women and 69 children

2:54:27The plan focuses on strengthening trauma informed services improving coordination

2:54:32Making it easier for people to get help and using community input to strengthen services

2:54:41The fifth priority risk is homelessness and affordable housing

2:54:45This includes challenges finding maintaining or paying for safe and stable housing

2:54:51Gualtas continuing to experience rising shelter use chronic homelessness and affordability pressures

2:54:56in 2023 across gulf and welling wellington county

2:55:01726 people used emergency shelters for more than 40 000 shelter nights

2:55:06An increase of about 40 compared to 2022

2:55:11Aligned to ongoing work by the city county and community partners the plan emphasized continued homelessness prevention

2:55:18affordable housing development housing focus supports

2:55:22low barrier emergence responses and community collaboration

2:55:29Mental health and or substance youth health challenges is the last priority risk area

2:55:34This includes emotional psychological and substance related challenges that affect daily life relationships health or safety

2:55:41Demand for mental health and substance youth health support remains high with long wait times for care and ongoing harms from drug poisonings

2:55:51In 2025 here 247 reported that 3138 people were waiting for mental health or addictions care across the gulf and pus lunch area

2:56:03Community level action in the plan focuses on reducing stigma improving access to care

2:56:09Supporting harm reduction strengthening system integration and coordinating responses across sectors

2:56:17Together these three or these six priority risk areas represent complex and significant community risks

2:56:24That require collaboration coordinated action

2:56:27and sustained support across sectors and services

2:56:31And with that i'll now invite erin to speak about the next steps for the plan

2:56:40Thanks, stefan

2:56:41So following council's adoption. We will publish the updated community safety and well-being plan on golf dot ca

2:56:46Which meets our requirement under the legislation for the update and we'll also send notice to the ministry of the attorney general

2:56:54In order to help facilitate continued collaboration in this area

2:56:57We are going to convene the community advisory table twice a year so that we can share updates review progress

2:57:05Monitor emerging issues and strengthen our relationships with the community partners

2:57:10We look forward to mobilizing the plan with the advisory table and working together with community partners to support and improve community

2:57:16Safety and well-being in gulf. So thank you for your time and we are happy to answer any questions

2:57:24Thank you. So i'm guessing you're

2:57:27Moving the motion and second motion. Okay, so we'll take councillor Klassen for this one and then

2:57:33Councillor alts a second. Can you please read the recommendation?

2:57:38Thank you. Excuse me that the 2026 2029 community

2:57:49Safety and well-being plan as included in attachment one to report 2026 277 dated july 7 2026 be adopted

2:57:58Thank you. And so councillor alts you had a question

2:58:01Yes, thank you. I actually have a number of questions. I'm just getting people's. I'm just getting the names down

2:58:07Ah

2:58:08Councillor Goller and anyone else have questions

2:58:12All right. Thank you. Thank you very much

2:58:15chair chair cate

2:58:19I have I really appreciate the presentation and I appreciate that

2:58:23That deputy chief goody is here as well because it's to him. I wish to ask a question

2:58:29and it it certainly relates to

2:58:31Uh next steps and just because I sit on the police board. I was wondering if you could outline

2:58:38what the the place of the gulf police services is

2:58:44in

2:58:45Addressing next steps. I appreciate everything we've done with regards to gender-based violence and and domestic violence, but

2:58:53Clearly there's more and clearly there are expectations in the public as well. Yeah, absolutely. Good question

2:58:59Um

2:59:00So as we started the beginning of this, this is a collaborative approach

2:59:03As you can see all the priorities that were listed

2:59:06Within this plan cannot be solved by one individual person, right or one individual organization

2:59:12So it's a collaborative. So the community advisory table

2:59:15Will remain together will continue to work on this and the police will continue to have a seat at that table and advice

2:59:21If you look at the priorities that are listed within this plan, they're actually very similar to a lot of number of priorities

2:59:27Defiliated to other social agencies across the city as well

2:59:30And I think there's already a lot of great work being done in these areas

2:59:34It's really a matter of highlighting that great work and sharing the story of the work that's being done

2:59:39But as a police organization

2:59:41The the actions we take towards the specific priorities in this plan will be shared with that community advisory table to be reported on

2:59:51And thank you because one of the the the issues that comes up quite often is people

2:59:56Often are requesting

2:59:58From me as a counselor not as a member of the police board that

3:00:02That I get the police involved to whatever the issue is make it better

3:00:06I was wondering if you could respond to the specific position of the police in in addressing what's in this particular document

3:00:13It's clearly the police can't make everything better

3:00:16No, but the police can also facilitate to work with other organizations in our city to make it better

3:00:21So I go back to if anybody wants to make it better when something happens call the police

3:00:26Right one thing we can do is help facilitate to other social services other organizations to help solve the problem in that moment

3:00:32In the bigger picture

3:00:34We'll continue to sit on advisory tables in other boards in other areas so that we can work together

3:00:40Bring forward the data that we have to help support the problems that have been initiated and action on those as we as we can

3:00:46Uh, thank you very much. Uh deputy chief goody and I do have a quick comment afterward

3:00:53But I would like to acknowledge that this is the first time deputy chief goody has been in front of us

3:00:58Uh, I think you've been in the position now a month couple months now. Yes. There you go. Yeah, we're starting to get great. Anyway

3:01:05Anyway, thank you very very much

3:01:07And with with regards to the report. I think it's very important that we have identified that uh early

3:01:12Um

3:01:13experiences in life are

3:01:16Significant and that we should not

3:01:18ever miss that

3:01:20Formative years are significant in creating a situation where those that that do experience alienation and possibly even

3:01:29Violence at some point

3:01:31Really do at at later points in life often become those that act out in similar ways. So I appreciate everything that's being done on this

3:01:40Thank you. Councillor Arlott. Councillor Klassen

3:01:43Yes, thank you, uh chair. I think I've got one for staff which is

3:01:50So I appreciate that this is part of a legislative mandate under the

3:01:54Ontario policing act and I also just want to acknowledge all of the work and all of the agencies and all of the people who go into

3:02:02supporting our community safety within the city of gualafay

3:02:06I'm deeply grateful for all of the work that's being done and to see it in this type of report is is

3:02:11is meaningful

3:02:13um, I do have a question with regard to how the

3:02:16It goes to the province after this and the attorney general's office

3:02:19But are there any insights to how the province uses these reports?

3:02:22I noted in your presentation that you said there's no funding available for these plans and we know that some of the

3:02:28The you know organizations within the report do receive funding

3:02:31So I'm just curious about what happens with this with these these reports

3:02:35I'm assuming other communities have to do them all of communities have to do them

3:02:38So what happens and I know that this isn't the first one that we've done so over time

3:02:43Have have they changed the framework? Have they provided us with any guidance or advice or support so on and so forth?

3:02:49That's the kind of response i'm looking for

3:02:53Through chair Caton to councillor Klassen

3:02:55We don't have a full detailed assessment of how the province is using it. They have provided

3:03:01a more detailed framework since the initial

3:03:04Requirement that was for municipalities to complete this when we did this four years ago. There's a lot more

3:03:10Rigor to who needs to be around the table the types of actions we need to take

3:03:14They do provide us with certain areas that we need to explore as we go through which funnel up into our priority areas

3:03:22We have had some outreach from

3:03:25Provincial staff looking for us to to speak to our experience and we've we've offered

3:03:31You know if councils adopted it to move forward that we would speak to them about our experience working through this and where we can

3:03:37Look for for further opportunities to to engage where we could use more assistance all those type of things but

3:03:44Other than that we don't have a clear sense from the province about where where they're pulling the data from once we post it on the website

3:03:51Interesting thank you for that answer

3:03:56Thank you councillor Klassen councillor

3:03:59Thank you and through you chair Caton to to staff and to all the agencies. Thank you for the work that you've done with this

3:04:06I

3:04:08Had a question about the gender-based violence and exploitation. I think with some of the the other

3:04:13items that you mentioned, you know, if we if we see

3:04:16We have surveys for the discrimination. So we want to see the surveys. So there's less discrimination and for the

3:04:23Arrow early advice adversity. We also have surveys and that that are being done and we get feedback

3:04:30but I think with

3:04:31gender-based violence, it's something that is you know

3:04:35Being drawn out that has been hidden. So so we actually expect we expect to see more of this in the future as we put more resources

3:04:42into trafficking and domestic violence

3:04:45and and you know

3:04:47What at what point do we know that it's gotten better because I feel that if we hear less of it, it doesn't mean that it's it's getting better

3:04:56Through the chair to councillor Goller. We had a great discussion at this exact topic around the advisory

3:05:02Committee table because we know that if there's more awareness sometimes that means actually

3:05:07Increase numbers because it's being reported more

3:05:10and then at the certain point

3:05:12The data is only as good as the data that we have and some of these areas one of the the overall

3:05:17recommendations we had through this process was that we need better data

3:05:21Across the board to be able to make some more data-driven decisions in many of these areas including

3:05:26We know that much of gender-based violence doesn't go reported and I think through

3:05:31Our friends at gulf police. They they have talked about this in different presentations

3:05:36I don't know. I've heard them around this table talk about the the gaps in some of that data and

3:05:41So I don't know if I have an answer in terms of the specifics of when we'll see at that turn

3:05:45But we do know that at least if it's being reported things can be dealt with we can look for different actions

3:05:50And then through that advisory table we can continue to look at the data and see if there's other actions

3:05:54We can take as a community to reduce the impacts of that risk

3:05:59Yeah, I really appreciate that and I really appreciate that we're talking about this more

3:06:04I think it's very important the other item I wanted to

3:06:07Ask through you chair Caton is about homelessness with the issue of say the mental health and addictions

3:06:14We we know how many people are on a wait list to get those supports

3:06:18Um and and presumably we would have

3:06:20Resolved the problem once that wait list is is is met and we have enough services to accommodate people

3:06:26Requiring supports with mental health and addictions

3:06:29But but with housing do we have an idea of how many affordable houses?

3:06:34And i'm i'm talking to the city of guelph portion because we're now, you know, we monitor

3:06:40affordable housing that that has been built

3:06:42Uh and affordable rentals do we have a target for how many?

3:06:46affordable rentals we would need in the city of guelph to

3:06:50Have addressed the issue of homelessness as much as we can as a municipality

3:06:58Through councillor Goller, I'd have to check with our with staff in our housing team to see if we have any data

3:07:04On that, but I don't have it top of hand here with this plan

3:07:08Okay, okay

3:07:09No, I appreciate that and and perhaps if I could make a request for for the next update of this plan

3:07:14Which would be 20 29? I believe

3:07:17If we could have some of those

3:07:19Indicators of you know, what we're striving towards. I think it would be helpful even if it's aspirational

3:07:24You know, we have a parkland target that we know we we cannot afford to meet at this point

3:07:28But it's what we would like to have as a community if we had a target for how many

3:07:35Social community houses units we have and how many affordable rental units we had in the city

3:07:40I think that would help us know where we're driving towards

3:07:44But uh, thank you. Thank you chair

3:07:46Thank you councillor Goller councillor Busuttil

3:07:49Thank you and through the chair

3:07:52Um, very similar to my colleague councillor Goller and to councillor claus and

3:07:58No funding no money, you know, just magic and goodwill

3:08:03So I'm gonna my first question is about the agencies around the table. Uh, are they as part of this process adopting the plan?

3:08:11Uh and incorporating, uh, you know, you've got uh, how we monitor pro progress and those kinds

3:08:17Are they taking this to their governance board to their boards to also adopt the plan?

3:08:24Through the chair to councillor Busuttil

3:08:27It will depend on the agency how they choose to bring it back

3:08:30We council itself is the only organization that's mandated to adopt the plan

3:08:36I will say all the members around the advisory committee were very supportive and very enthusiastic about the recommendations and

3:08:43Looking at their strategic plans and how they can bring this back to their organizations

3:08:48Once it's published on the website

3:08:50But I don't know if that's through motions of their board or just to bring it back as information

3:08:54But they were enthusiastic to to be on board to help move this forward

3:08:59I guess i'm trying to through the chair trying to get at more than good intentions and

3:09:05And into operations of some of this and similar to my colleague councillor Goller, you know

3:09:11And you you reference better data indicators and so on when I look at things like how we create change

3:09:18How we monitor progress, you know with alongside, you know councillor Goller. We sit on public health

3:09:24We know a lot of these reports and is there going to be

3:09:30How to create change in the community level is is there going to be like a

3:09:35You know, I don't want to do a wellington county. I'm looking at you know planning table, but

3:09:41You know shared language data all those kinds of things and they're with no resources

3:09:46You know, I don't want to

3:09:48Speak ill of this but how with no resources and all the planning that needs to be done

3:09:53How do you create change with all those players in the community?

3:10:00uh through the

3:10:02chair Caton uh to councillor busatel

3:10:05It's a good question and I think we

3:10:07We want to work as an advisory table to continue to have these conversations

3:10:12So one of the things we didn't do four years ago is continue to meet with the organizations

3:10:16So having this twice annual meeting is an important

3:10:21Uh an important piece that we can move forward. Um the other piece I think is

3:10:28around the

3:10:32The agencies so I think um

3:10:35One of the the options could be if if council was interested

3:10:39There's an opportunity for a motion for the agencies to adopt this and move forward

3:10:44But I will say the actions that are in in the plan itself were brought forward from the agencies because there are things

3:10:50They're already invested in and they're working in and we did this on purpose because we knew there wasn't a budget to add a whole bunch of new

3:10:57opportunities

3:10:59Was to focus in on the things that they're already doing and how we can add

3:11:04Supports add awareness and add feedback to that

3:11:10That

3:11:11That is the best we can do without the resources to try to move some of this action forward is to continue the conversation

3:11:16Make sure we're sharing the data as it comes forward and connecting with the organizations

3:11:24I'm not sure if that answered your question or not

3:11:26I guess you know

3:11:27From my background in school boards and so on edis all that information graduation rates and so on in order to create a

3:11:35A report i'm thinking at the end of this

3:11:38How are you reporting back to us and to the community saying?

3:11:42We collectively around the table are making progress on this and it's it's hard for me to think about how you're going to do that

3:11:50With no resources to consolidate

3:11:53and pull this together, but

3:11:55I guess that's just a comment and and and not a

3:11:59question

3:12:00And through chair Caton to just to clarify we we do report in four years to the

3:12:05Province but our plan is to look at this every year to see how we're doing against those indicators

3:12:10Are we moving things forward and provide data to move to move that forward as part of our our annual reporting that we're doing as a city?

3:12:19anyway

3:12:22Thank you. Councillor busal

3:12:24And councillor all you had a comment

3:12:27No, you're good. Okay, so I'll do my comment

3:12:31I I'm

3:12:33Optimistic for this the fact that we've got two times of a year that we're going to be

3:12:38Coming together as a table as opposed to just having us set it and forget it which is what is legislated to do

3:12:44I'm I think that's a really good move. I appreciate that

3:12:47and

3:12:48I just wanted to echo the

3:12:51deputy

3:12:52police chief that we

3:12:55As much as you can and as much as you feel comfortable if something happens, please report it

3:13:00I have personally had it as much as you can have a good experience when you have to report something to the police

3:13:06I've had a great experience with the equity division

3:13:09I think we've got a great team locally and you can always bring somebody with you

3:13:13If you're nervous about going to the police you can bring a buddy. That's totally fine

3:13:18so

3:13:19Please get out there do that and it's unfortunate that we still need to do these kinds of reports

3:13:25But I appreciate that we've got such a large group that are working together towards it

3:13:30and

3:13:33To move the recommendation

3:13:37Sorry

3:13:38Oh, we're going to move. Sorry

3:13:40We're going to vote

3:13:41anybody against

3:13:46Seeing none

3:13:47That's unanimous. Thank you very much

3:13:50And

3:13:53Councillor Caton since you're in the in the chair, would you

3:13:57Consider calling adjournment as well. Yes. I was just wondering if anybody had any announcements first

3:14:05I was going to wish everybody a happy disability pride month

3:14:09Because that is the day with the button

3:14:12And thank you very much and I'd like to

3:14:15Move for adjournment. We'd like to take that

3:14:18Councillor Richardson, Councillor Klassen

3:14:21anyone against

3:14:23Thank you very much. Have a great day