The Town of New Glasgow joins two other municipalities receiving federal funding to set up public safety initiatives.
A release from the provincial government states it is developing a Community Safety and Well-Being Initiative that will guide collective efforts to build safer, healthier and more resilient communities, while also developing tools and resources to help municipalities build their own community safety and well-being plans, tailored to local needs and priorities.
Public Safety Canada is supporting this work with $550,000 from its Guns and Gangs Violence Action Fund.
The three pilot municipalities are the Town of New Glasgow, the Region of Queens Municipality and the Municipality of East Hants, in partnership with the Halifax Regional Municipality. The province stated a provincial advisory committee is being established to guide the development of the strategy and support the three municipalities throughout the process. The three municipalities were selected to participate through an expression of interest.
New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks stated community safety is a shared responsibility that requires police, health, housing, social services, community organizations, and residents to work together, adding the pilot will help New Glasgow strengthen those partnerships.
This initiative responds to a recommendation from the Mass Casualty Commission to move beyond reactive, siloed responses to crime and harm and toward co-ordinated efforts focused on prevention.
