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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-01-05SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 5, 2012 CITY OF KITCHENER The Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:00 p.m. Present:Mr. P. Doherty, Chair Councillors S. Davey and D. Glenn-Graham, Ms. K. Kwiatkowski, Ms. J. Metzger and Messrs. K. Euler, M. Garner and Supt. A. Darmon Staff:S. Adams, Director of Strategic Planning & Innovation S. Weare,StrategicInitiatives Associate L. Korabo, Committee Administrator H. Colman, MSW Intern ROUNDABOUTS 1. Ms. Colleen Cooper, Public Health Nurse, Region of Waterloo (ROW), who works on injury prevention programs, gave a Powerpoint presentation on the science behind roundabouts and their safe use by pedestrians. Ms. Cooper advised that there are currently 17 roundabouts in the Region which tally approximately 300,000 pedestrian crossings per year and vehicular speeds through roundabouts are effectively reduced and controlled making them a proven life-saving roadway safety strategy. Roundabouts are considered safe for pedestrians because they: • force drivers to look directly at pedestrian pathways whereas traffic signals do not; • only have to consider traffic moving in one direction at a time when crossing; • provide drivers with more time to judge and react to pedestrians because of slower speeds; and, • have fewer conflict points compared to a signalized intersection. The Region is running an educational campaign which stresses that pedestrians have the right-of-way at roundabouts. The campaign is targeting not only pedestrians but drivers as well. With the 2011 opening of a large roundabout at Homer Watson Boulevard / Blockline Road (St. Mary’s Secondary School), staff from the region attended onsite and provided hands-on training for pedestrians / students on how to safely navigate the roundabout. Students were told to step meaningfully to the curb and extend their arm to indicate their intention to cross and were also told of the importance of making eye contact with drivers as an essential step in the safe-crossing process. Similar training was also provided by city staff at a new roundabout located at Huron Road / Strasburg Road, adjacent to Huron Heights Secondary School. Mr. R. Schirm, Supervisor of Crossing Guards, and Mr. Ken Carmichael, Supervisor of Traffic and Parking, spoke on their experiences with the safety campaign and of the way students have adopted the suggested techniques. Mr. Schirm confirmed that two crossing guards have been installed at the Homer Watson / Blockline Road roundabout at the request of and cost to the Region of Waterloo. These crossing guards are being provided on a temporary basis until the Region completes its current safety review of the roundabout. The Committee was advised that the Region has several videos on its website demonstrating how to safely traverse roundabouts. Committee members asked several questions of clarification regarding the design and layout of roundabouts and the benefits and usage of safety markings by pedestrians and drivers. Members thanked the delegation for their information presentation. FESTIVAL OF NEIGHBOURHOODS – UPDATE 2. Ms. J. Ouellette, Facilitator of Volunteer Resources, thanked the Committee for its past support of the Festival of Neighbourhoods (FofN) through its sponsorship of the annual Newcomer Award. As background information, she advised that the winning ‘Newcomer’ neighbourhood receives a $250. grant towards a registered event in the subsequent year. Ms. Ouellette advised that the 2010 Newcomer Award winner did not register an event during the 2011 FofN season, therefore, the Committee’s $250. grant was not paid out. Ms. Ouellette requested that SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 5, 2012 - 2 - CITY OF KITCHENER FESTIVAL OF NEIGHBOURHOODS – UPDATE (CONT’D) 2. the Committee consider using this money in another fashion to support the Festival. Members proposed several uses for the funds and it was agreed Festival organizers should ultimately decide where the funds would be best utilized. Ms. Ouellette also requested that the Committee consider sponsoring the same award for 2012. On motion by Councillor D. Glenn-Graham, it was resolved: “That the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee sponsor the 2012 ‘Newcomer Award’ at the annual Festival of Neighbourhood’s Finale.” BILL C-10 – SAFE STREETS AND COMMUNITIES ACT 3. Ms. C. Sadeler, Executive Director, Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council (WRWRCPC), attended to speak to a position paper which the WRCPC has submitted to the Senate concerning Bill C-10 which was introduced in the June 2011 Speech from the Throne. The Federal Government has committed to move quickly to re-introduce comprehensive law-and- order legislation to combat crime and terrorism. Ms. Sadeler advised that the WRCPC regularly monitors legislation from other orders of government with regards to its impact on local communities and prevention attempting to gauge public opinion if the legislation is enacted. Based on a review of the proposed bill WRCPC has concerns with the scope of Bill C-10 as this comprehensive document includes nine pieces of legislation, two of which relate to terrorism. The WRCPC’s position paper comments only on seven pieces of legislation and requests that some elements be revisited as it is their opinion that the bill, as tabled, will too significantly change the current justice system away from prevention and rehabilitation as an essential element. Ms. Sadeler spoke of the positive transition the justice system has had over the past several years, moving toward crime prevention through social development as opposed to over relying on legislation and enforcement alone to keep crime levels down. She expressed concern that Bill C-10, by introducing mandatory minimum sentencing, will elevate incarceration rates at a significant cost. She spoke of collaborative processes that are in place in many municipalities who use methods such as community engagement to contribute to crime prevention. It is her opinion that Bill C-10 will reverse this positive trend and may regress citizens to over rely on formal justice measure to affect public safety. In closing, Ms. Sadeler asked for any comments related to the WRCPC’s position and Councillor D. Glenn-Graham suggested that the City of Kitchener, through the Safe & Healthy Community Advisory Committee, submit a letter supporting the WRCPC’s position on Bill C-10 as the Bill was quite lengthy and had already been thoroughly reviewed by the WRCPC. On motion by Councillor D. Glenn-Graham, it was resolved: “That a letter of support for the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council's position Safe Streets and Communities Act paper on the federal (Bill C-10) be sent to the Senate of Canada.” Supt. A. Darmon, Waterloo Regional Police Services, abstained from voting on this resolution. Due to time restraints, it was agreed that staff would prepare a report for consideration at the January 16, 2012 Council meeting rather than the Committee’s normal reporting procedure through the Community and Infrastructure Services Committee. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 5, 2012 - 3 - CITY OF KITCHENER SAFE NEIGHBOURHOOD STRATEGY 4. Ms. S. Weare circulated a draft vision for the Safe Neighbourhood Strategy for review and discussion by members. She asked for feedback on whether the proposed wording captured the spirit of the city’s role in neighbourhood safety and whether this wording is appropriate to use when approaching stakeholders to serve on the steering committee. The draft vision provides a preamble to introduce the strategy and lists five key areas of focus which emerged from the Committee’s brainstorming session in late 2010. Areas of focus are: • increase safety and usage of public places and spaces; • foster relationships between and within neighbourhoods; • nurture a sense of neighbourhood pride and belonging; • encourage community ownership and citizen engagement; and, • strengthen community partnerships. Members provided feedback regarding: including a statement to identify marginalized members of the community (mental health and/or addiction issues) and including the role the city can play; including specific examples to clarify statements within the preamble; wording changes related to use of ‘neighbourhood’ vs. ‘community’; and, adding the word ‘broader’ prior to the word ‘community’ in the fifth area of focus. Ms. Weare will incorporate the comments and suggestions into the final draft. She then advised that the next step is to pull together a steering committee to begin work on the strategy. Referring to a committee model as found in the ‘Key to Safer Municipalities’ toolkit, she led a roundtable discussion on sector representation and possible gaps to be filled. Members provided input and in some cases, put forward names of individuals to be approached. Ms. Weare thanked the Committee for their input and advised that she will bring a final draft of the Strategy to the February 2, 2012 meeting for approval. Following Committee / Council approval, staff will begin the process of contacting individuals / organizations regarding sitting on the Steering Committee. ADJOURNMENT 5. On motion, the meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. L. Korabo Committee Administrator