(submitted photo/City of PA)

By paNOW Staff

Prince Albert unveils new Community Safety and Well-Being web page

Aug 21, 2024 | 3:09 PM

The City of Prince Albert hopes a new web page will help improve communication, public awareness and participation in the work being done to address issues like crime, substance abuse, mental health and homelessness.

The Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) web page features several initiatives underway and aims to be transparent about the work and progress being made.

“We are all frustrated by the problems our community has been experiencing. Many people don’t realize the breadth of work underway and think that the city has been ignoring these issues, which is untrue,” said Mayor Greg Dionne.

The CSWB team comes together with more than 20 organizations through a community solutions forum which is held online monthly and has participants including police, business owners, elected representatives, Indigenous organizations and some people working in education, housing and health. According to the CSWB website, there are currently 13 action tables working on solutions to specific issues that have been identified by participants. The work helps the team understand what the community needs so they can ask the federal and provincial governments for support.

The CSWB was a result of the city’s Homelessness Action Initiative that was launched in the fall of 2021. The project helped determine that social issues were driven by those experiencing ‘chronic’ risk which means a person is likely to make future decisions based on previous experiences like substance abuse or violence.

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In a press release the city said, “effectively responding to chronic risk requires breaking down silos in conversations and work. Through the community safety and wellbeing division, the city actively facilitates discussions, helps services align, identifies gaps, and coordinates with provincial and federal governments and Indigenous organizations.”

“We cannot do this work alone, but we can provide a leadership role,” said Anna Dinsdale, community safety and well-being manager. “There are so many agencies doing important work in Prince Albert. We believe that aligning these agencies and mobilizing everyone to common goals can have a meaningful impact on crime and social issues.”

In addition to the initiatives mentioned above, the mayor’s office has also written to several provincial ministries to request funding for a complex needs shelter – a safe, medically supervised place for people who are intoxicated, allowing them to stay for up to 24 hours.

“We have been told that Regina and Saskatoon received funding for complex needs shelters as a pilot. But Prince Albert doesn’t have time to wait for the findings – we need these services now. Our intention is not to ‘pass the buck’ to the province. The city has already been actively bringing partners together and building momentum for change. We are very happy to play a leading role as a partner in establishing a complex shelter if Prince Albert receives the funding,” Coun. Blake Edwards said in the news release.

The city is also working with the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation and YWCA to find a location for a permanent emergency shelter. And community investments have been made through grants to support agencies trying to help youth avoid gang involvement.

“If you care about these issues, whether you are an individual, agency or business and have not been involved to date, make sure you reach out and engage in the discussion. We need to hear from you. We can address these issues, but we must be in it together,” Dinsdale said.

Residents are being encouraged to join the Community Solutions Forum.

They can also help by the CSWB by reporting locations of discarded needles through the Needle Pick-Up Form or by registering outward-facing home cameras in the Safe Neighbourhood Camera registry.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com