If you've been waiting for a chance to have a say on the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, now's your chance.
A public survey launched today, and the dates for the public meetings have been announced.
The Police Services Act requires municipalities to have a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan by Jan. 1, 2021.
Trimedia Consulting Inc. is developing the local document that will identify priority risk factors, strategies to reduce the potential risks, and set measurable outcomes.
Since December, Trimeda president Melanie Verreault has been meeting with service providers and talking to stakeholders in the community.
“The committee is aggressively meeting and getting our agenda through in terms of planning and processing what are going to be our priorities, but we really do need to hear from the public in terms of what they think the priorities are as well in our community,” she said.
Even though the public process is just launching, Verreault has been hearing from people already.
"People are very passionate to want to get the city back to being vibrant like it was before,” she said.
They've also been asking about how to be involved.
“We’re hoping that there will be more people that would like to be part of some of the initiatives. The survey will allow them to give us their email address, which I can then make contact with them to be part of that,” said Verreault.
The public survey can be filled out online here until March 31.
Verreault encourages everyone to share their thoughts.
“We want to hear from you, we want to hear your great ideas. Community members have a responsibility in this too, it’s not just service providers that are responsible. We want everybody to be empowered to make change, please fill out the survey and come to the engagement sessions,” she said.
Five public engagement sessions are also planned. Each will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the dates being:
- April 16 at the Timmins Native Friendship Centre
- April 28 at Centre Culturel La Ronde
- April 29 in the McIntyre Community Centre Ballroom
- May 6 at Maurice Londry Community Centre
- May 14 at R. Ross Beattie Senior Public School
For the sessions, she said there will be booths for people to interact one-on-one and ask questions or get information on different safety or public health initiatives.
"We want people to have the opportunity to talk and we know that some people don’t like to get up and talk at a microphone,” she said.
If you want to fill out the survey, but don't have access to the internet you can stop by the Timmins Public Library on 2nd Avenue.
Getting a library card is free, all you need is proof of address and a photo ID. For an internet card, you need a photo ID.
