The City of Kenora's Crime Prevention and Community Well-Being Advisory Committee has developed a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. The Committee collaborated with Christiane Sadler, a consultant specializing in crime prevention through social and community development. Their work created a plan to enhance safety and well-being that meets the needs of Kenora.
Community Safety and Well-Being Plan
On March 18, 2025, City Council officially approved the anticipated Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (CSWB Plan). This 10-year CSWB Plan is the result of a collaborative process, where the voices of our diverse community have come together to shape a framework for action and change.
Building on the incredible work already underway in our city, the CSWB Plan embodies a shared vision for everyone to live, grow, and play in harmony. Designed to deliver meaningful progress while laying the groundwork for sustainable improvements in quality of life, this CSWB Plan is a joint effort involving the City, community organizations, and residents. Its successful implementation depends on a continuous collective commitment, emphasizing that ensuring the safety and well-being of our community is a shared responsibility for all.
To achieve Kenora's vision as a place where everyone can live, grow, and play, the CSWB Plan includes seven goals, seven interrelated priority areas, 15 recommendations, and a total of 48 actions.
Download the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan
Download the Executive Summary
Alternate formats
Paper copies of the CSWB Plan and Executive Summary are available upon request. If you require an accessible format, please contact the City Clerk. We will provide you with a copy within two business days of your request.
Goals and priority areas
View the seven priority areas and goals of the CSWB Plan
Priority area one: collaboration and communication
Goal: Foster greater collaboration across the community enhancing engagement and maximizing resources.
Leverage the CSWB Plan to enhance collaboration across the service sectors and the community. Actions 1.1 and 1.2
Keep the community informed about the implementation of the CSWB Plan and provide opportunities for engagement along the way. Actions 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5
Details about Priority Area One’s action items can be found on page 57 to 61 of the CSWB Plan.
Priority area two: children, youth, and families
Goal: Reduce the number of children and youth who are at risk of harm to self or others.
Advocate whenever possible to make the safety and well-being of children and youth a priority. Actions 2.1 and 2.2
Pro-actively and collaboratively address the factors that put children and youth at risk. Actions 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, and 2.13
Details about Priority Area Two’s action items can be found on pages 62 to 70 of the CSWB Plan.
Priority area three: downtown and community spaces
Goal: To enhance safety and inclusivity in the downtown core—the heart of the community—as well as in surrounding neighbourhoods.
Adopt a proactive, integrated approach to addressing downtown challenges and enhancing public safety and security. Actions 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7
Make improvements to the downtown area an ongoing priority across departments of the City and across sectors. Actions 3.8 and 3.9
Continue to support victims of crime, the unhoused, and other marginalized populations. Action 3.10
Details about Priority Area Three’s action items can be found on pages 71 to 77 of the CSWB Plan.
Priority area four: belonging and engagement
Goal: To increase the percentage of residents in Kenora who feel welcome and a sense of belonging by 25% within five years
Mobilize the significant number of residents in Kenora who want to participate in actions that increase community safety and well-being. Actions 4.1 and 4.2
Take meaningful actions that foster a more inclusive and welcoming community. Actions 4.3, 4.4, and 4.5
Details about Priority Area Four’s action items can be found on pages 78 to 84 of the CSWB Plan.
Priority area five: housing along the continuum
Goal: Increase the housing stock across the housing continuum by 2030.
Foster and showcase a united effort in expanding access to housing ranging from shelters to market level option. Actions 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3
Attend to the immediate needs arising from homelessness. Actions 5.4 and 5.5
Details about Priority Area Five’s action items can be found on pages 85 to 88 of the CSWB Plan.
Priority area six: prevention of interpersonal violence
Goal: Reduce interpersonal violence in the community of Kenora by 25% by the year 2035.
Develop a clearer understanding of the extent and nature of interpersonal violence in Kenora. Actions 6.1 and 6.2
Increase efforts to raise awareness about the multiple facets of interpersonal violence and how they can be prevented. Actions 6.3 and 6.4
Details about Priority Area Six’s action items can be found on pages 89 to 92 of the CSWB Plan.
Priority area seven: mental health and problematic substance use (including alcohol)
Goal: Strengthen individual and community well-being in the areas of mental health and addictions.
Engage key stakeholders in establishing the connection between problematic substance abuse, the prevention of crime and victimization, fear of crime, and overall community well-being. Actions 7.1 and 7.2
Build upon, expand, and strengthen current efforts to improve mental health and addiction support, particularly at the intersection of community safety. Actions 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6
Details about Priority Area Seven’s action items can be found on pages 93 to 98 of the CSWB Plan.
Supporting documents
The supporting documentation referenced in the CSWB Plan is forthcoming and will be made available here.
Ways for you to get involved
The success of the CSWB Plan relies on the active participation of our community. We invite all Kenora residents to join us in shaping our future through the following opportunities:
- Subscribe to the City’s eNewsletter, The City Compass, to informed of Plan updates and community engagement opportunities.
- Consider joining the Crime Prevention and Community Well-Being Committee by filling out the Committee Application.
- Read and share the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan to raise awareness about how to get involved and to understand its recommendations and actions.
- Attend a CPCWB Advisory Committee meeting or review the meeting Minutes posted on the CPCWB Advisory Committee webpage.
Timeline updates
View the timeline and updates.
2025 |
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March 18: City Council approves 10-year CSWB Plan |
2024 |
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February: Launch of Community Safety and Well-Being Survey to be delivered online and with paper version. Christine Sadeler was in Kenora from May 8 to 10 to conduct stakeholder consultations and meet with the Crime Prevention and Community Well-Being (CPCWB) Advisory Committee. May 8: Christiane met with the Kenora detachment of the OPP. The consultation included leadership, supervisors, and frontline staff. May 9: The CPCWB Advisory Committee hosted consultation sessions for: Kenora Businesses - Thirteen businesses participated in a morning session hosted by CPCWB Advisory Committee business representative, Taras Manzie. A second virtual session on May 24 was organized by the CPCWB Advisory Committee and the City’s Economic Development Team to ensure the wider business community had a voice. City of Kenora staff - A session was held with the senior leadership team and City staff from relevant departments. Social services sector - Social service agencies and community organizations participated in an afternoon consultation session. May 10: The CPCWB Advisory Committee participated in a day-long workshop, during which qualitative data results from the Community Survey conducted in February 2024 were presented. The Committee identified preliminary themes for the plan. June 4 to 6: Indigenous sharing circle consultation conducted in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Safer Communities and Laurier University. July 18 to 24: The consultant returned for some more consultations. July 19: CPCWB Advisory Committee worked on the criteria for selecting priority actions that would be featured in the plan. Kenora women’s agencies -stakeholder session. July 23: Stakeholder Consultation session with patrons of the Kenora Fellowship Centre for stakeholder consultation
August: The analysis of stakeholder consultation data with virtual consultation sessions continued. September: Youth Photovoice contest launch. This contest was to ask youth what they loved about Kenora. Early September: School board conducted stakeholder session with students. September 27: The meeting opened with a presentation of the findings from the supporting documents The CPCWB Advisory Committee then went into a closed session for a day long workshop to help focus the priority actions. This included determining priority areas of focus for the plan. Also presented was an update on data collected:
Creation of Kenora Profile with close to 90 data sources reviewed October: Evaluation of short list of priority action. November 1: CPCWB session to further refine priority action list. November to December: Validation process with high level overview of plan with key stakeholders. |
2023 |
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September to October 2023: Introduction of the team and start of the process including understanding the scope of the plan. November: Start of quantitative data collection (publicly available data sets, local data requests) |
Development of the CSWB Plan
View the development for our CSWB Plan.
History of community safety planning in Kenora |
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The development of the CSWB Plan builds on a strong foundation of professional and volunteer community safety efforts in Kenora. In 2009, the transition from municipal policing to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), was used as an opportunity for the community to assess the state of community safety. This led to a public forum in 2010, where residents shared their experiences and concerns. Following this, a Community Mobilization Officer was appointed to develop a strategy and establish a task force to oversee its implementation. The plan focused on key issues with drugs, mental health, and homelessness. This initiative evolved into the Kenora Substance Abuse and Mental Health Task Force, which operated for the next few years and included work on updating the previous Integrated Drug Strategy of Kenora. However, the onset of COVID-19 in 2020 halted operations. It was not until late 2022 that City Council renewed its focus on community safety. By then municipalities were mandated to develop formal Community Safety and Well-Being Plans. |
Province of Ontario mandate to create CSWB plans |
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As of 2019, municipalities in Ontario have been mandated to prepare and adopt Community Safety and Well-being Plans. The Ontario Community Safety and Policing Act (section 251 A) mandates that the CSWB plans:
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Crime Prevention and Community Well-Being (CPCWB) Advisory Committee |
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Starting in the Fall of 2023 the City, through direction of Council, started the comprehensive process to develop a CSWB Plan. This included creating an advisory committee with members appointed by City Council, hiring a dedicated staff position, and engaging a consultant. For more information more about the CPCWB Advisory Committee, visit the CPCWB Advisory Committee webpage. |
Community Safety and Well-Being Plan project timeline
View the timeline and steps in developing the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.
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