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SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
APRIL 2, 2015 CITY OF KITCHENER
The Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:05 p.m.
Present: Mr. A. Bieronski - Chair
Councillor S. Marsh, Ms. J. Nicholls, Ms. D. Christiaen, Ms. J. Metzger and Messrs. D.
McKlusky, C. Letizi, J. Pelich and W. Rahimi.
Staff: Mr. M. Hildebrand, Director of Community Programs and Services
Ms. D. Campbell, Manager, Community Resource Centres
Ms. L. Korabo, Committee Administrator
NEIGHBOURHOOD STRATEGY PROJECT TEAM – COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES
1.
Mr. M. May, Deputy CAO – Community Services, advised that City Council has unanimously
approved the Neighbourhood Strategy and was in attendance today to request the
appointment of two representatives of the Safe & Healthy Community Advisory Committee
(SHCAC) to sit on the Neighbourhood Strategy Project Team.
Mr. May reviewed the governance structure of the Strategy, reiterated the advisory role of the
SHCAC and noted that the work of the Project Team will come before the Committee on a
regular basis for feedback / input before being presented to Council. A combination of
management and front line staff will be asked to apply to fill positions on the Staff Advisory
Committee which will also receive regular presentations from the Project Team.
He noted the Chair of the SHCAC has been identified as a member of the Project Team as
well as one additional member. Mr. A. Bieronski confirmed his interest to sit as a member of
the Project Team.
Mr. May reviewed the expectations of participation stating that meetings will be held once per
month with some work required to be undertaken in between. He anticipated a high level of
involvement from all members as the Project Team will be responsible for developing the
project work as well as a citizens’ communications plan among other items. In response to a
question from the Committee regarding only one additional member sitting on the Project
Team, Mr. May advised he has developed three questions which can be put to any interested
Committee members allowing them to elaborate on their interest in the Project Team and
identify any strengths they may bring to the process. It is hoped the Project Team will be skills
based and will represent a broad diversity of city neighbourhoods.
As the first meeting of the Project Team will be held in May, it was suggested that Mr. May’s
three-question survey be provided electronically to all Committee members and those
interested in responding and demonstrating their interest will be asked to reply directly to Mr.
May.
2015-2016 WORKPLAN DEVELOPMENT
2.
Ms. J. Ouellette, Facilitator – Volunteer Resources, circulated a draft work plan for 2015-2016
showing the actions which are considered as ‘ongoing’ for the Committee (e.g. Inclusion /
Belonging Grant; Neighbourhood Matching Funds Grant; and participation on the
Neighbourhood Strategy).
Following the Committee brainstorming session at the March 2015 meeting, staff categorized
into five themes the areas of focus/priority identified by Committee members. A document
summarizing this information was circulated to facilitate discussion of possible action items
which could be investigated for each area of focus. The five areas of focus are:
Inclusion and Belonging with a focus on disengaged / isolated;
Belonging, Safety, Placemaking with a focus on physical space;
Community Participation with a focus on access;
Communication, Education and Awareness; and,
Connected Neighbourhoods / Relationships.
With a reminder to members of the advisory role of the Committee, a roundtable discussion
was held and action items relating directly to many of the identified areas were recorded.
SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
APRIL 2, 2015 - 9 - CITY OF KITCHENER
2015-2016 WORKPLAN DEVELOPMENT (CONT’D)
2.
Members were reminded that sub-committees could be formed to undertake investigation of
any actions being suggested or the Committee, as a whole, could discuss and review the
issues. If sub-committees are considered, a reminder was also provided around the maximum
of 4 Committee members to be appointed; however, additional members of the community
could be added to provide expertise, etc. Each sub-committee would be required to report
back to the full Committee for final consideration and decision, if required.
Councillor S. Marsh advised the Kitchener Youth Action Council (KYAC) and Compass
Kitchener are also focussing on the subject of youth outreach (identified under bullet #1 above)
and suggested having a joint subcommittee. Mr. M. Hildebrand cautioned about duplication of
work and offered an alternative suggestion of making note of the efforts of others and
indicating the Committee’s support for that work.
Following a fulsome discussion of all the areas of focus and the provision of several examples
of possible action items, Ms. Ouellette suggested staff compile all the information shared to
date and provide a listing of actions to members for prioritization. It was agreed this list of
actions would be circulated to the full committee in advance of the May 2015 meeting and
members will attend with their list of prioritized actions in order to finalize the 2015-2016 work
plan.
SAFETY AUDIT – IRON HORSE TRAIL
3.
Mr. J. Joseph, Multi-Use Pathways and Trails Project Manager, attended to provide an
overview of the Iron Horse Trail Improvement Strategy being developed. He noted the Iron
Horse Trail represents a significant part of the City’s heritage and connects downtown
Kitchener with uptown Waterloo, links Victoria Park with Waterloo Park and is an active
recreational and transportation corridor utilized by thousands of residents annually.
Referencing the listing of potential improvements and opportunities being considered and
previously circulated to members, Mr. Joseph advised of planned public consultations as well
as feedback stations to be located along the trail which will provide users with a timely option
to offer input on issues related to: signage; lighting; public art; public seating areas along the
trail, etc. Staff is also finalizing plans to host a facilitated workshop at the Victoria Park
Pavilion in early June, and an online survey to be launched during this same timeframe in
advance of a public meeting later in June to share feedback. The finalized Strategy and
recommendations will be presented to Council in September 2015.
As a means to understand the current context of the trail, the idea of a safety audit has been
raised. An audit of the trail will assist with addressing certain safety-related matters cited by
residents and trail users. Mr. Joseph advised he has already connected with both Waterloo
Regional Police and the Regional Crime Prevention Council for assistance in conducting a
safety audit. Mr. Joseph requested 1-2 members of the Safe & Healthy Community Advisory
Committee participate as stakeholders in the audit. He further noted a consultant will be
participating in the safety audit walk and will prepare a summary of identified concerns.
Finally, Mr. Joseph provided specific details concerning the facilitated workshop on June 8,
2015 and requested Committee members volunteer to facilitate a discussion about the audit
results and experience. The Committee agreed it would be preferable to have the same
th
members participate in the audit and facilitate at the June 8 workshop.
Mr. M. Hildebrand advised members that Mr. Joseph is hosting a Jane’s Walk (or Ride) along
the trail in May and noted the date coincides with a scheduled event called ‘Trek for Kids’.
This was identified as a possible good opportunity to survey trail users.
Ms. D. Christiaen and Mr. D. McKlusky volunteered to participate for the safety audit,
dependent upon timing being finalized.
It was suggested there may be other members interested in assisting but as several were
absent from today’s meeting, an opportunity for them to give consideration to this request
should be provided. It was agreed that Mr. Joseph would provide specific timing information
for both events to the Committee Administrator for circulation to the entire Committee.
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ADJOURNMENT
4.
On motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m.
L. Korabo
Committee Administrator