Norwich turns down Safe and Well Oxford over concerns of ‘priority groups’ description

Luke Edwards, Post Contributor

Norwich is required to have a community safety and well-being plan, but it appears for the moment that plan will be different from its Oxford County neighbours.

Councillors voted against a staff recommendation to adopt the Safe and Well Plan developed by the county in consultation with local area municipalities, services groups and members of the public. It was unclear what would happen next, as CAO Matt Smith admitted before the vote he was unsure and would have to report back to council.

The plan is an update to an earlier plan that was endorsed in 2021 following provincial legislation that requires municipalities that provide police services to have such a plan. Reviews are required every four years.

While councillors seemed supportive of the majority of the plan, Coun. Karl Toews raised one issue, which was shared by fellow councillors Shawn Gear and Adrian Couwenberg. His problem was with sections of the plan that referred to “priority groups” who face added barriers. The report describes priority groups as “Indigenous peoples, racialized populations, newcomers, 2SLGBTIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, older adults (i.e., people who are 65+), and youth.”

“If certain groups are getting a priority status in our community safety and well-being plan, that means, in my mind, there’s an inescapable conclusion that the health and safety and wellbeing of some Oxford residents is more important, is prioritized, over the health and safety and wellbeing of other Oxford residents,” he said

Oxford County Warden Marcus Ryan defended the plan, and said seven of eight other municipalities had approved the draft plan as is. While no plan is perfect, he said extensive work and consultation had gone into crafting this one.

“This has been a long process,” he said.

Coun. Lynne DePlancke supported the plan and said it depends on how you interpret the word priority.

“To me priority means we need to deal with those people that need the help now,” she said.

For his part, Toews did seem to acknowledge there were groups more at risk, and suggested changing the phrasing to “groups of particular concern.” However, he also argued the focus should be on the problem, not the group the person belongs to.

Norwich CAO Matt Smith said no matter how it’s worded, there are some populations who are more at risk.

“It’s a proven fact there are some marginalized groups that are more at risk for some of those priority risk factors,” he said. “Getting tied up in the language and trying to make it perfect won’t serve us well.”

The plan itself doesn’t come with a ton of power, but is aimed at focusing both municipalities, the public and social groups to work together to address safety and well-being shortfalls. The Safe and Well Oxford Plan includes six areas of focus: mental health and well-being, housing for all, people and belonging, substance use and addiction, gender based violence, and affordability and economic stability.