The City of Estevan announced Wednesday that a Community Safety and Well-Being Pilot Project began in October.
The City said the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance is implementing the pilots in Estevan, Nipawin, Humboldt, and Outlook.
The project is aimed at bringing together stakeholders from the City, health/mental health, community/social services, education, children/youth services, not-for-profit organizations, seniors, and the police service.
The Estevan Community Wellness Committee's mission is to work with all sectors to create and enhance lasting community safety and well-being in the community.
The committee said they met from October to November to identify priority areas for their efforts and funding. The priority areas that were identified are substance abuse and addiction, mental wellness, education, employment, and victimization.
The next steps will be developed in the coming months.
The Estevan Community Safety and Well-Being planning process is supported by the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, Community Safety and Well-Being Branch. The City said the branch works with communities across Saskatchewan to provide a variety of supports around community safety and well-being planning and development.
The department contracted the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA) to implement the rural pilot, according to the release. In its role as the exclusive non-governmental organization dedicated to provincial community and economic development in Saskatchewan, SEDA empowers communities and organizations with the necessary skills, knowledge, resources, and programs to foster a sustainable future. SEDA actively pursues a mandate of accelerating generational prosperity and well-being. The most resilient economies are those that adopt a solutions-based approach and work to address complex issues using an inclusive lens that transcends sectors and systemic bias.
The official Estevan Community Safety and Well-Being Plan will be released in 2024.
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