Frequently Asked Questions

What is Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Planning?

  • An integrated approach to service delivery that involves working across a wide range of sectors, agencies and organizations to proactively enhance or develop evidence-based strategies to address local priorities related to crime and complex social issues on a sustainable basis.
  • CSWB Plans and their implementation seek to shift the focus of safety and well-being efforts from a reactive, incident-based approach to a more proactive, holistic approach. Research indicates that the result of this shift will be a reduction in pressures on first responders. While incident response is a vital component of safety and well-being, the CSWB plan will primarily focus on social development, prevention and risk intervention strategies.
  • For more detailed information on the CSWB planning process, please review the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Service’s CSWB framework.

Why are we doing a Regional Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (RCSWB) Plan?

The Safer Ontario Act, 2018 requires that Ontario’s single-tier and regional municipalities prepare and adopt a community safety and well-being plan. The City of Windsor and the County of Essex must prepare a draft Community Safety and Well-being Plan and seek approval from their respective councils. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Province has granted a deadline extension to a date yet to be determined.

Windsor and Essex County’s Regional Community Safety and Well-Being Plan will enhance how we collaborate with community partners, enrich relationships and look to strengthen how we collectively coordinate services on issues related to safety and well-being.

What are the benefits of CSWB planning?

CSWB planning has a wide range of positive impacts for local agencies/organizations and frontline service providers, as well as the broader community. A few key benefits are highlighted below:

  • Enhanced communication and collaboration among sectors, agencies and organizations
  • Transformation of service delivery, including realignment of resources and responsibilities to better respond to priorities and needs
  • Increased understanding of and focus on local risks and vulnerable groups
  • Ensuring the appropriate services are provided to those individuals with complex needs
  • Increased awareness, coordination of and access to services for community members and vulnerable groups
  • Healthier, more productive individuals that positively contribute to the community; and
  • Reducing the financial burden of crime on society through cost-effective approaches with significant return on investments

What are the requirements for the CSWB planning process?

A CSWB plan must include the following core information:

  • Local priority risk factors that have been identified based on community consultations and multiple sources of data, such as Statistics Canada and local sector-specific data
  • Evidence-based programs and strategies to address those priority risk factors; and
  • Measurable outcomes with associated performance measures to ensure that the strategies are effective and outcomes are achieved

Who is leading the work?

Over 25 partners from across nine sectors, all of whom either have a mandate for, or an interest in community safety and well-being, have come together to form the Regional CSWB Systems Leadership Table and develop a CSWB plan for Windsor and Essex County.

Why is the Government of Ontario mandating CSWB planning to the municipality?

CSWB planning is being mandated to municipalities to ensure a proactive and integrated approach to address local crime and complex social issues on a sustainable basis. Municipalities will have a leadership role in identifying their local priority risks in the community and addressing these risks through evidence-based programs and strategies, focusing on social development, prevention and risk intervention.

It is important to remember that while the municipality is designated the lead for CSWB planning, developing and implementing a CSWB plan requires engagement from all sectors.

What are the goals of the CSWB planning process?

  • To create a community where everyone feels safe; has a sense of belonging, equitable access to services and opportunities; and can have their needs met across Windsor and Essex County.
  • To ensure Windsor and Essex County are better prepared for the ever-changing demands in our communities.

Why is CSWB planning important for every community?

CSWB planning supports a collaborative approach to addressing local priorities through the implementation of programs/strategies in four planning areas, including social development, prevention, risk intervention and incident response.

Further, by taking a holistic approach to CSWB planning, those in need of help receive the right response, at the right time, and by the right service provider. It will also help to improve interactions between police and vulnerable residents by enhancing frontline responses to those in crisis.

How will community input be used?

  • Insights and ideas shared by community members will inform the content of the plan and help identify any potential gaps.
  • Input will help build the strategies and actions for the plan.

Note: Any identifying information will be removed through the data analysis process. Individual responses will not be shared. Responses will be combined to report statistics and/or common themes.​

When does the plan need to be completed and adopted?

In order to support municipal, policing and community partners during the COVID-19 emergency, on April 14, 2020, the Provincial government passed the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support and Protection Act, 2020, which extends the deadline for the completion and adoption of CSWB plans past the original deadline of January 1, 2021. The amendments came into force immediately upon Royal Assent. The Ministry of the Solicitor General has indicated that they will be working with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the City of Toronto to determine a new deadline. As of July 1, 2020 a new deadline has not yet been established. 

Please contact 311 for general information.

For detailed inquiries, please contact cswbinfo@citywindsor.ca by email.