Williams Lake city council heard from Sylvia Dubray, community well being and safety plan coordinator at their May 30 regular council meeting.
Dubray presented while about 25 people sat in the audience; it was the same meeting the city council would discuss a memorandum brought forward by Coun. Scott Nelson which proposed declaring a state of local emergency and imposing a curfew on the community in order to address issues in the downtown.
Dubray, who works part time as a contractor for the city, provides connections between service agencies and supports programs aimed at addressing social wellness issues in the city. Her position is largely grant-funded.
She spoke about the community well being and safety plan's reasons for existing including providing structure, guidelines and clear goals.
"Law enforcement plays a vital role when it comes to criminal statistics, but they cannot be the only organization responsible for safety, it requires a coordinated effort," Dubray said.
She said police, first responders, health care providers, educators, social service agencies and community organizations all play a role.
"Together, all of these partners can keep Williams Lake and the surrounding communities safe, healthy and resilient," she told council.
A well being and safety plan includes helping ensure all of the different services are accessible and timely, explained Dubray.
She said the plan helps share knowledge and prevents duplication of services in the community across service providers.
Dubray also said the community has a number of organizations which help address social and wellness issues and she divides her time between meetings and collaboration with a number of them.
This includes the Cariboo Chilcotin Acute Response Table, the Mental Health and Wellness Resource Guide, the Collaborative Approaches to Addressing Homelessness and Encampment Challenges Committee, the Traumatic Event Committee, the Integrated Youth Team, Safety for Seniors, Restorative Justice, Community Policing and a pilot project with Canadian Centre for Safer Communities.
She said this list represents less than half the committees or projects working on safety in the community.
"One of the things that I've learned is that safety is seen in a lot of different ways and arises at a lot of different times," she said.
She elaborated on some of the list, explaining what each does and how they address issues in the community, including working to help individuals at high risk of self harm or of harming others.
She shared the six most common risk factors for people in crisis, with the most common being a lack of appropriate housing.
She said the collaboration has enabled faster referrals and has helped RCMP to ensure more situations are transferred to more suitable agencies.
"We are freeing up our valuable RCMP members' time to do the other important work that they have to do," she said.
She also announced the upcoming release of an updated Mental Health & Wellness Resource Guide, which will come out this summer.
Finally, Dubray shared some details on a pilot project Williams Lake is involved in as one of 10 cities from various parts of Canada taking part.
Halifax, Montreal, Sudbury, Edmonton, Kelowna and other much larger communities are part of the pilot as well.
"It gives us data-driven information, evidence-based information, and allows us to work with other communities who are also looking for upstream solutions to much of the issues we are facing," she said.
Dubray said this allows her to connect with others working on similar issues in other higher-crime communities.
She thanked city staff and council for supporting her in her work.
Mayor Surinderpal Rathor thanked Dubray and praised the city's staff.
All of the present council members spoke in support of the work Dubray is doing, with some connecting her work to the current concerns for public safety in the downtown.
Coun. Joan Flaspohler said she believed this is where the city's focus needs to be, on proactive work.
"In my opinion, this is exactly how you fix problems in your communities," said Flaspohler. "Reactive will not solve the creation of these issues."
"I really like when I hear data-driven and evidence-based solutions, that's music to my ears. As governors, we require that information in order to make good decisions," said Coun. Angie Delainey. "This is a long game, this isn't something that we can fix overnight."
"Using reactive tools, in my mind, is a waste of taxpayers' money," said Delainey, pointing out how it can result in duplication.
"We have to be patient and we have to work together."
Later in the same meeting, the council voted four to three in favour of having staff prepare a report on declaring a state of local emergency and to have individuals displaying signs of public intoxication or severe mental health issues brought to the hospital for review of involuntary treatment. Staff were also to provide a report on options the city might undertake in collaboration with local stakeholders and RCMP including arresting individuals engaged in unlawful activities and escorting unhoused individuals to a shelter or other facility for appropriate support.
After a report presented at a special council meeting held on June 3 and a notification from the province announcing the city will be receiving additional RCMP supports, the city voted against declaring a state of local emergency.
