FAQs

The Community Safety and Wellbeing (CSWB) Plan for Whitehorse seeks to engage key partners, organizations, and community members to co-design a shared vision and plan to address community safety issues facing the city. The CSWB Plan will be developed over 18 months through inter-agency collaboration and community engagement. Once finalized, the Plan will seek to address the risk and protective factors underlying crime, vulnerability, and harm in Whitehorse.  Actions and solutions will be implemented throughout the planning process as they are identified.

The CSWB Plan will identify opportunities for the City, Government of Yukon, local organizations, and community members to take a leadership role in making the community safer and improving wellbeing for all. While community safety and wellbeing plans are future-oriented and aspirational, they also set concrete goals and seek to challenge the status quo and overcome barriers to more effective community-based solutions. 

The Downtown Whitehorse Safety Response Action Plan is a focused roadmap designed to enhance safety, health, and overall wellbeing specifically in the downtown area. As a living document, it identifies both immediate and long-term solutions to address social challenges unique to the downtown core.

In contrast, the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan will take a broader, city-wide approach. While it will align with and complement the Downtown Whitehorse Safety Response Action Plan, the CSWB Plan aims to assess and address safety and wellbeing challenges across all areas of Whitehorse. This broader lens allows for the identification of a wider range of issues and potential actions that impact residents throughout the entire community.

The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to provide feedback and guidance through all phases of the CSWB planning process. The Advisory Committee consists of representatives from key sectors and organizations. Representatives come from a broad cross-section of the community, rooted in a diversity of demographic backgrounds and lived experiences, to provide a diversity of insights based on knowledge of key areas of the CSWB Plan. The Advisory Committee will serve as one method of engagement to obtain meaningful input and advice to inform plan development, in addition to other engagement opportunities. 

The role of the Advisory Committee will be to:

• Bring vital community perspectives on areas such as crime prevention and reduction, community health and wellness, public safety and community policing, community vitality and prosperity, and Indigenous ways of knowing and doing;  
• Provide solutions-based input to help inform the CSWB Plan's objectives and desired outcomes, results-based approaches and indicators, and to guide future implementation; 
• Share relevant information and evidence such as surveys, reports and data during the data collection process to inform the knowledge base for the project;
• Review and provide timely comments on the proposed engagement plan including materials and activities;
• Review and provide timely comments on referred documents on a broad range of topic areas that may be addressed within the CSWB Plan;
• Assist in identifying and connecting the project team with key stakeholder groups through personal or professional contact networks as requested;
• Assist in informing the community about the CSWB Plan planning process and encourage participation by diverse members of the community.

Developing the Whitehorse CSWB Plan will involve a comprehensive, multi-stage approach, including the following phases and activities: 

• Preparation (January to April 2025)
• Assessment (May 2025 to January 2026)
• Identification of priorities, goals, and actions (January to March 2026)
• Validation process (March to April 2026)
• Development of final plan (May to July 2026)

The Canadian Centre for Safer Communities (CCFSC) is a not-for-profit organization representing over 150 communities and approximately 50% of the national population. They bring together urban, rural, and Indigenous communities to foster community safety and wellbeing through training, research, and knowledge exchange. 

CCFSC serves as one of the consultants for this project, facilitating planning activities in collaboration with the Whitehorse community. This includes facilitating Advisory Committee meetings, supporting data collection and assessment, identifying key themes, actions, and recommendations, as well as drafting the plan. 

Leveraging their experience and expertise in the CSWB planning process, they will tailor their approaches to suit the specific needs and nuances of Whitehorse, guided by community input. Furthermore, CCFSC brings a national perspective, allowing them to share insights and lessons learned from their work on CSWB planning in various municipalities across the country.

The Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative (ACSPI), a program within Public Safety Canada, supports Indigenous communities in the development of Community Safety Plans which are specific to their unique circumstances. These plans identify community strengths, assets and safety and wellness goals in order for all community members to see themselves involved on a path leading toward a healthier, safer home and community life. In this uniquely grassroots approach, Public Safety Canada officials work with communities and continue to support them through the many stages of Community Safety Plan engagement, development and implementation. 

ACSPI is serving as a consultant on this project, bringing an Indigenous lens to the planning process. They will support the meaningful engagement of First Nations representatives throughout the process and ensure that both the planning process and its resulting actions are grounded in Indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing and doing. ACSPI will also work to align the Whitehorse CSWB Plan with ongoing community safety planning initiatives in surrounding First Nations communities across Yukon. This approach will help prevent duplication, strengthen collaboration, and build on existing strengths and efforts.

Most community safety and wellbeing plans attempt to address root causes and risk factors to prevent harm from occurring in the first place. Root causes refer to general family, community, and societal conditions that can result in some individuals being more likely to experience risk factors. They include things like poverty, lack of education, and unemployment. Risk factors are negative influences in the lives of individuals or communities which may increase the presence of harm, victimization, or fear of crime. They can occur at the individual, family/peer, community/school/organization, and/or societal levels.

Ideally, the community can expect the following impacts from CSWB plans: 

• Enhanced safety: By identifying the root causes of safety challenges, the CSWB Plan will help to prevent issues before they escalate, resulting in a safer environment for all community members. 
• Collaboration and partnership: The CSWB Plan will foster collaboration among different sectors. By working together, these sectors can pool their resources, expertise, and data to create a more coordinated and effective response to CSWB challenges. 
• Data-driven decision-making: The CSWB Plan will rely on data, evidence, and community wisdom to identify key challenges and allocate resources strategically and effectively. This approach ensures that actions are implemented where they are needed the most, maximizing their impact. 
• Community engagement and empowerment: The Plan will actively involve community members and empower them to have a say in shaping their community safety and wellbeing, leading to more inclusive and effective solutions. 
• Reduced strain on services: By addressing challenges upstream and increasing coordination, the CSWB Plan will reduce the strain on emergency services, hospitals, and social support systems. 
• Long-term sustainability: The CSWB Plan will not only address immediate issues but also create a framework for ongoing monitoring, evaluation and adjustments to services. This will ensure that the community’s safety and wellbeing remain a priority and continue to improve over the long-term.   

Each Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan (CSWB Plan) is unique and tailored to the specific community that created it.  The planning process for developing a CSWB Plan engages a wide range of stakeholders, governments and agencies to ensure the plan is responsive to the needs of the community.  As a result, the scope, approach and timeline for each plan is different.

Some examples of CSWB Plans in other Canadian municipalities are:

• City of Regina, Saskatchewan
• City of Kelowna, British Columbia
• City of Kenora, Ontario

Some examples of Community Safety Plans in other First Nations Communities in Canada are:

• St. Mary's First Nation
  
• Tsleil-Waututh Nation
• Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation