Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee

Minutes

Meeting #:

05

Date:

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Time:

4:30 P.m. - 7:30 P.m.

Location:

Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West, and by electronic participation

Present:

• Tom D'Amico (Chair), 
• Claire Kendall (Vice-Chair), 
• Monica Armstrong, 
• Trevor Arnason, 
• Brianna Dusome, 
• Salim Fakirani, 
• Clara Freire, 
• Meseret Haileyesus, 
• and Kevin McHale 

Absent:

• Eric Stubbs 

Present non-voting Members:

• Councillor David Hill 
• and Councillor Rawlson King 

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1.

Notices and meeting information for meeting participants and the public

Members of Committee and Council, City staff, media and the general public may join the meeting with this link:

Zoom webinar ID: 840 7882 8846

Those who require a telephone number to call into the Zoom meeting may contact the committee coordinator.

Notices and meeting information are attached to the agenda and minutes, including: availability of simultaneous interpretation and accessibility accommodations; personal information disclaimer for correspondents and public speakers; notices regarding minutes; and remote participation details.

Accessible formats and communication supports are available, upon request.

The deadline to register to speak by phone or email, or submit written comments or visual presentations is 2 pm on the day of the meeting. Note that Committee Members have expressed interest in receiving written submissions as early as possible, and at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting to allow time to review prior to the meeting.

City Hall is closed after 5 pm. Members of the public who wish to join the meeting in person after this time are asked to use the intercom at either of the main entrances of the main City Hall building (Laurier Avenue West or Lisgar Street entrances) to request access.

1.1

Opening Remarks and Recognizing Karen Green

At the outset of the meeting, the Chair read a statement to recognize Karen Green: 

“On Friday, January 10, 2025, the Community Safety and Well-being Advisory Committee learned, with great sadness, that one of our Members, Karen Green, unexpectedly passed away.

“Karen was a passionate and dedicated colleague and represented the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition on the Community Safety and Well-being Advisory Committee from 2022 until her passing. 

“During her tenure, she ensured Indigenous communities’ perspectives were heard and included. She had a deep commitment to community and the well-being of others.

“Her loss will be deeply felt in the Indigenous Communities and in the Ottawa community as a whole.”

Additionally, the Chair welcomed Dr. Trevor Arnason, Interim Medical Officer of Health, replacing Dr. Vera Etches, on the Committee.

2.

Declarations of Interest

No Declarations of Interest were filed.

3.

Confirmation of Minutes

3.1

CSWBAC Minutes 4 – December 10, 2024

• Carried

4.

Office of the City Clerk

4.1

Adoption of the Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee Procedure By-law

File No. ACS2025-OCC-CCS-0043 – City-wide

• Report recommendation(s)

  That, as set out in the 2022-2026 Mid-term Governance Review report (ACS2025-OCC-GEN-0001), approved by City Council on January 29, 2025, the Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee approve the replacement Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee Procedure By-law (Document 1).

  Carried

5.

Committee Items

5.1

Confirmation of the revised 2025 Meeting Schedule

• Recommendation

  That the Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee confirm the revised 2025 meeting schedule.

  Carried

6.

Community and Social Services Department

6.1

Overview of Community Safety and Well-Being Plan achieved milestones for 2024 and key milestones for 2025

Sawsan Al-Refaei, Manager, Strategic Projects, presented an overview of the item and answered questions from the Committee.  A copy of the slide presentation is filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

There were no written submissions on this item.

The following members of the public spoke before the Committee and provided comments on the item:

• Robin Browne (613/819 Black Hub)
• Jeffrey Bradley (speaking notes on file with the Office of the City Clerk)

Committee discussion on this item included the following topics:

• The Ottawa Police Services’ strategy and evaluation program as it relates to youths
• The Alternate Neighbourhood Crisis Response (ANCHOR) program and how partnerships work with 2-1-1, 9-1-1, paramedics and police, to respond to crises
• Resolving encampment response, including supporting individuals in housing and relocation

Following discussions, the Committee considered the item recommendation(s) as follows:

• Recommendation

  That the Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee receive the update and provide feedback as appropriate.

  Received

6.2

Community Safety and Well-being Plan Refresh update

Sarah Mullen, Program Manager, Social Development, presented an overview of the item and answered questions from the Committee.  A copy of the slide presentation is filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

Committee considered the following written submissions (originally submitted to its December 10, 2024 meeting), and a copy of each is filed with the Office of the City Clerk:

• Action Sandy Hill letter received December 10
• Sandy Hill Community Liaison Committee letter received December 10

The following members of the public spoke before the Committee and provided comments on the item:

• Calla Barnett (Action Sandy Hill)
• David Hajesz and Sheila Jewell (Sandy Hill Community Liaison Committee)

Committee discussion on this item included the following topics:

• Upcoming review of indicators, including population-, ward- and smaller neighbourhood-level indicators
• Combining Ottawa Police Services ward-level data with other social determinants data
• How indicators impact analysis for housing and effective use of shelters, including operation of 24/7 shelters 
• Including data about supports for persons with disabilities as part of the refresh

ACTIONS:

• CSSD staff undertook to consider providing an update on the original indicators as part of an upcoming update.
• CSSD staff undertook to share information about population-level indicators with Committee.

Following discussions, the Committee considered the item recommendation(s) as follows:

• Recommendation

  That the Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee receive the update and provide feedback as appropriate.

  Received

6.3

Presentation on Point-in-Time Count

The following City staff presented an overview of the item and answered questions from the Committee.  A copy of the slide presentation is filed with the Office of the City Clerk:

• Boun Inthavong, Program Manager, Housing Data, Research and Analytics
• Justine Joseph, Program Coordinator, Collaborative Planning and Projects
• Theresa Gordon, Program Coordinator, Partner and Stakeholder

The following representatives of the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition also addressed Committee and answered questions:

• Joan Riggs, OAC Facilitator
• Kate Carroll, OAC Research Coordinator
• Kyra Hagerty, OAC Research Assistant
• Heidi Lucas, OAC Research Assistant

There were no public submissions on this item.

Committee discussion on this item included the following topics:

• Creating dashboards to highlight inequities and see change over time 
• Adapting supports for transitioning out of foster care and the Aging Out Initiative
• Transitional housing for newcomers and refugees 
• Survey validation
• Collaborating with the federal government to refine Statistics Canada survey questions  

Following discussions, the Committee considered the item recommendation(s) as follows:

• Recommendation

  That the Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee receive the update and provide feedback as appropriate.

  Received

6.4

Presentation on CityStudio Ottawa

Alain Malette, Senior Director, Career Development and Experiential Learning (University of Ottawa) presented an overview of the item and answered questions from the Committee.

CityStudio submitted an information document on grants. A copy of the slide presentation and document are filed with the Office of the City Clerk.

There were no public submissions on this item.

Following discussions, the Committee considered the item recommendation(s) as follows:

• Recommendation

  That the Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee receive the update and provide feedback as appropriate.

  Received

7.

Notices of Motions (For Consideration at Subsequent Meeting)

There were no Notices of Motion.

8.

Inquiries

There were no Inquiries.

9.

Other Business

There was no other business.

10.

Adjournment

Next Meeting: Wednesday, June 18, 2025

The meeting adjourned at 6:49 pm.