March 22, 1999

STRATEGIC POLICIES AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE:

I am enclosing for your information and any attention deemed necessary, Clause No.4 contained in Report No.5 of The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee, headed "Final Report of the Task Force on Community Safety", which was adopted, as amended, by the Council of the City of Toronto at its meeting held on March2, 3, and 4, 1999.

May I draw your attention, in particular, to Council's amendment to Recommendation No. (35) of the report (February, 1999) from the Task Force on Community Safety, entitled "Toronto. My City. A Safe City. A Community Safety Strategy for the City of Toronto.", to provide that five Members of Council representing all areas of the City, be appointed to such Task Force.

for City Clerk

J. A. Abrams/sb

Encl.

Clause sent to:Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services

Province of Ontario

Councillor Rob Davis, Co-Chair, Task Force on Community Safety

Councillor Brad Duguid, Co-Chair, Task Force on Community Safety

Chief Administrative Officer

Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee

Ms. Carolyn Whitzman, Coordinator, Task Force on Community Safety

Members, Task Force on Community Safety

All Interested Parties

CITY CLERK

Clause embodied in Report No. 5 of the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee, as adopted by the Council of the City of Toronto at its meeting held on March 2, 3 and 4, 1999.

4

Final Report of the Task Force on Community Safety

(City Council on March 2, 3 and 4, 1999, amended this Clause by:

(1)striking out Recommendation No. (1) of the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

"(1)the adoption of the recommendations contained in the report (February, 1999) from the Task Force on Community Safety, entitled "Toronto. My City. A Safe City. A Community Safety Strategy for the City of Toronto."; and further, that any recommendations embodied in such report which require funding beyond approved Departmental budget allocations, be the subject of further reporting to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee by the Chief Administrative Officer;"; and

(2)amending Recommendation No. (35) of the aforementioned report from the Task Force on Community Safety to provide that five Members of Council representing all areas of the City, be appointed to such Task Force.)

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee recommends:

(1)the adoption of the Recommendations contained in the report (February, 1999) from the Task Force on Community Safety, entitled "Toronto. My City. A Safe City. A Community Safety Strategy for the City of Toronto"; subject to those Recommendations contained therein which have financial implications being referred to the Chief Administrative Officer for report thereon to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee; and

(2)that City Council indicate in strong terms, to the Federal and Provincial Government, to take immediate measures to deal with the ongoing concerns respecting prostitution in the City of Toronto.

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee reports, for the information of Council, having conveyed its appreciation to the Members of the Task Force on Community Safety, and staff for their efforts in finalizing the aforementioned report.

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee submits the following communication (February8,1999) from the City Clerk:

Recommendation:

The Task Force on Community Safety on January 25, 1999, adopted its Final Report and requested that the report be forwarded to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee and to City Council for adoption of the recommendations.

Background:

The Task Force on Community Safety had before it a communication (January 14, 1999) from Ms.Carolyn Whitzman, Coordinator, enclosing the final draft of the Final Report of the Task Force on Community Safety.

The members of the Task Force unanimously adopted the Final Report.

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(Recommendations embodied in the report from the

Task Force on Community Safety, entitled

"Toronto My City A Safe City. A Community Safety

Strategy for the City of Toronto" dated February 1999.)

Recommendations:

The Task Force's recommendations were based on the following criteria:

Mandate:

(1)Is it appropriate that local government be responsible for this recommendation?

(2)Does the recommendation fit in with the Task Force on Community Safety's mandate?

(3)Does it reflect the views of Toronto citizens?

(4)Does it build on programs and policies that have worked in Toronto or elsewhere?

(5)Does it develop partnerships between the City of Toronto and other partners?

(6)Does it address the root causes of crime for most effective interventions?

Impact:

(1)Does the recommendation address the needs of those most vulnerable to crime, fear, and violence?

(2)Is the recommendation fair to all citizens? Does it "buy" safety for one group at the expense of another group?

(3)Can the impact of this recommendation be measured?

Resources:

(1)Does the recommendation build on existing resources?

(2)Is there no significant money or personnel shift in the short term?

(3)If a long term shift or addition to City resources is indicated, will the recommendation increase service to the public?

The Task Force has grouped its recommendations into five directions for action:

(A)Strengthening Neighbourhoods

(B)Investing in Children and Youth

(C)Policing and Justice

(D)Information and Coordination

(E)Making it Happen

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(A)Strengthening Neighbourhoods:

(1)A Safety Audit in Every Neighbourhood: Safety audits are an effective way for community groups to identify unsafe neighbourhoods and how they can be improved. A safety audit involves a small group of residents who take a walk through a neighbourhood, park or facility, identifying features which may contribute to crime or make them feel unsafe. More neighbourhoods need to know about safety audits, and the City of Toronto needs to ensure consistent and rapid responses to recommendations arising from safety audits. This should be accomplished by:

(a)training appropriate staff from City Planning, Police, Public Health, councillors' offices, Parks and Recreation, Licensing and Municipal Standards, Housing, and the TTC to help communities do safety audits;

(b)developing a staff lead from each ward who would coordinate and track responses to recommendations arising from audits;

(c)promoting safety audits, especially in high crime neighbourhoods;

(d)publishing a City of Toronto safety audit guide and putting it online so that councillors, community centres, libraries, and community agencies can access it;

(e)developing a computer program that tracks all safety audits conducted, and the status of recommendations; and

(f)developing a protocol which ensures that recommendations from safety audits are responded to on a high priority basis.

Lead:City Planning, working with the divisions named above and with appropriate community groups.

Impact:An increase in number of safety audits and decrease in response time to recommendations arising from safety audits, with a goal of all residential neighbourhoods to have conducted a community led safety audit by the end of 2001. There should be an independent evaluation at the end of 2001 as to the effectiveness of the program in decreasing fear and crime.

(2)Making Public Buildings and Spaces Safer: The City of Toronto should ensure that City-owned buildings and open spaces are models for the integration of safety in planning by:

(a)conducting safety audits, with service users, in city-owned libraries, housing, TTC, parks, recreation centres, and parking garages;

(b)ensuring that safety and design guidelines are used when renovating and constructing City buildings;

(c)ensuring that these spaces have adequate lighting, landscaping, and maintenance; and

(d)ensuring that major new developments, such as Yonge-Dundas Square, have safety as a priority criteria in design.

Lead:City Planning, with Libraries, Housing, Parks and Recreation, Parking Authority, TTC, Works and Emergency Services and Police.

Impact:All City-owned public space to be audited by 2001, with improvements to City-owned spaces as a result of safety audits.

(3)Putting Pedestrians First: The City of Toronto should investigate the following mechanisms for improving pedestrian safety, especially for seniors, children, and people with disabilities, by:

(a)examining best practice approaches to pedestrian safety issues, in conjunction with the Toronto Pedestrian Committee and Transportation Services;

(b)increasing the time for pedestrian crosswalks, especially in downtown areas;

(c)supporting initiatives that promote safety for pedestrians, including the Walking School Bus Program;

(d)working with Police and private charities to expand the number of Children's Safety Villages; and

(e)continuing to support the work of the Cycling Committee and the Bike Ambassadors in teaching bicyclists traffic safety.

Lead:Transportation Services, working with the Cycling and Pedestrian Committees.

Impact:Decrease in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities and injuries by the end of 2001, as a result of increased public education and improved planning. An increase in pedestrian traffic by children, seniors, and people with disabilities in neighbourhoods.

(4)Maintenance and Community Safety: The City of Toronto should encourage property owners and landlords to manage and maintain their buildings in a manner which promotes community safety by:

(a)providing training and materials to property owners, landlords, tenants and BIAs (business improvement areas), on maintenance issues;

(b)promoting safety audits to property owners, landlords and tenants in high-crime areas;

(c)implementing a "Porch Lights On" campaign that would encourage neighbourhood residents to leave their front lights on, which would increase the amount of lighting on streets without significant cost to homeowners; and

(d)enacting a bylaw ensuring that all unsolicited graffiti be removed from buildings upon discovery, failing which the City would be within its right to enter onto the property and remove the graffiti at the owners expense.

Lead:Buildings to work with Legal, Municipal Standards, Police, and community organizations representing landlords, tenants, residents, and BIAs.

Impact:Increase in maintenance standards across the City, especially in high-crime areas, leading to a decrease in property crime.

(5)Problem Properties: The City of Toronto should ensure a consistent approach to "problem properties" where drug dealing, after-hours clubs and other anti-social activities are taking place by a coordinated crackdown on these properties as they are identified, including the establishment of interdepartmental committees for every community council, similar to successful models in the former cities of York and Toronto.

Lead:Licensing and Municipal Standards to bring together Police, Public Health, Legal, Buildings, City Councillors, in consultation with community organizations such as BIAs.

Impact:Decrease in number of identified "problem properties", increase in response time to complaints by citizens and police, decrease in crimes related to these properties.

(6)By-Law Enforcement and Community Safety: The City of Toronto should enhance bylaw enforcement by:

(a)establishing a database on "problem properties" available to all relevant authorities for monitoring by-law compliance;

(b)improving training procedures for by-law inspectors;

(c)improving communications with the public regarding complaint tracking, assigning of files and follow-up measures;

(d)re-investing all fines, where possible and appropriate, collected from by-law infractions into the communities in which they were collected; and

(e)ensure public participation in the process by which licenses are granted to licensed establishments in close proximity to residential neighbourhoods.

Lead: Buildings, and Licensing and Municipal Standards, in consultation with community organizations, including BIAs.

Impact: Increase in by-law enforcement across the City, especially in high-crime areas, leading to a decrease in property crime.

(7)Promoting Neighbourhood Small Business: The City should continue to support and expand initiatives that work with small businesses to improve amenity and safety and provide local employment opportunities, such as Commercial Facade Improvement Programs, Festival and Special Events Programs, and Community Improvement Committees.

Lead:Economic Development

Impact:Decrease in vacancy rates and property crime rates in vulnerable commercial areas.

(8)Staff Support for Business Safety Initiatives: The City of Toronto should continue staff developmental support to initiatives such as TaxiWatch, Transit Community Watch, and Business Watch that organize employees to take responsibility for reporting potentially criminal acts, and should continue to organize crime prevention seminars for local businesses in partnership with Police.

Lead: Licensing (TaxiWatch), TTC (Transit Community Watch), Economic Development (Business Watch and crime prevention seminars) working with Police.

Impact:Expansion of these initiatives, in terms of number of businesses and individuals involved by the end of 2001. Individual evaluation of these initiatives, in terms of their impact in decreasing crime.

(9)Drug Abuse Committee: The Toronto Board of Health should appoint a committee to deal with the community impact of illicit drugs and other harmful substances. It should include citizen representatives from neighbourhoods that are most affected by the illicit drug trade. The Committee should advise the Board in the development of comprehensive and innovative policies and programs to mitigate the harm done to individuals, families and communities, and work with senior levels of government on curbing the illicit drug trade in Toronto. There should be sub-committees to address specific issues (e.g. street drug use, liquor licensing).

Lead:Board of Health and Public Health Department

Impact:Citizen input into decision-making on drug abuse policies for the new City. Increased programs and coordination of programs, leading to a continued decrease in drug abuse and crimes associated with the illicit drug trade.

(10)Drug Abuse Prevention Community Grants Program: The City of Toronto should expand the Drug Abuse Prevention Community Grants Program, with an appropriate level of funding to cover the entire City without jeopardizing existing programs. The Board of Health should continue the practice of appointing citizens, including representatives of communities of concern, to review these grants and hear appeals.

Lead:Grant Review Committee to set priorities. Public Health to administer program.

Impact:Increased number of communities providing effective substance abuse prevention programs. Need for evaluation of Drug Abuse Prevention Community Grants Program at the end of its first year of City-wide implementation.

(11)Coordination with Official Plan: The City of Toronto should ensure that community safety be a major focus in the City's new Official Plan by:

(a)making public safety a criterion for development proposals, as it is in Official Plans for many former municipalities;

(b)publishing "safer city" planning guidelines, based on the award-winning guidelines from the former Cities of Toronto and Scarborough; and

(c)providing training opportunities for planning staff, developers and architects, police and community groups, once the guidelines have been developed.

Lead:City Planning

Impact:Development and use of guidelines and provision of training, to lead to safer planning and design. Need for evaluation of use and effectiveness of safety guidelines after three years of implementation.

(12)Coordination with Affordable and Accessible Housing Initiatives: The Task Force recognizes that adequate and affordable housing is a prerequisite for a safe society, and that homeless people are particularly vulnerable to crime and violence. Policy, programs and services responding to the Mayor's Homelessness Action Task Force report should acknowledge the relationship between community safety and the homelessness crisis.

Lead: Homelessness Task Force and Housing.

(B)Investing in Children, Youth, and Families:

Youth As Leaders in Crime Prevention

(13)Coordination of Child and Youth Violence Prevention Across the City: The City of Toronto should assist in the coordination of school boards, community agencies, police, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Community and Social Services, the Ministry of the Solicitor General, City staff and other partners to promote comprehensive and coordinated prevention resources to children, youth, and families at risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of abuse and crime. These prevention resources should be aimed at children and their caregivers from pregnancy through the end of secondary school. The City should also take leadership by ensuring that all city-funded programs for children, youth and families (childcare centres, parent-child drop-in centres, community recreation centres, libraries) include anti-violence program elements. The City should ensure that information about these resources is available to all parents and caregivers, by assisting in the development of school board wide and City-wide information networks.

Furthermore, the City should assist in the development of a Case Management Referral Protocol between childcare centres, schools, police, courts, and community agencies, that allows better coordination of services to children who are offenders and/or victims of crime. This protocol would include when it is necessary and appropriate to inform Police when a crime has occurred or is suspected to have occurred.

Lead:Community and Neighbourhood Services to work with Children's Services, School Boards, Police, Public Health, senior levels of government, and appropriate community agencies to coordinate anti-violence resources and develop and publicize the protocol.

Impact:More prevention resources and better coordination of prevention resources aimed at children, youth and families, to lead to a decrease in youth crime and crimes against youth.

(14)Coordination of Substance Abuse Policies in Schools: Public Health should work with other community partners to assist in reviewing and revising current school substance abuse policies to include: education, prevention, early identification, support for users, and training and support for school, Public Health, and community agency staff.

Lead:Public Health to work with School Boards, Police, and appropriate agencies such as the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health.

Impact:Increased coordination and provision of substance abuse programs to lead to decreased substance abuse among young people.

(15)Improving Parenting Supports: The City of Toronto should assist in the coordination of supports to parents, and promote the expansion of parenting skills education to sites as varied as libraries, schools, and workplaces, with an emphasis on high-risk families.

Lead: Public Health to work with the same groups listed in recommendation 13 to develop a list of parenting supports, and identify priorities and gaps in service. Potential funding sources should also be identified for expansion of service.

Impact:Increase in number of parenting skills education and people reached by this education.

(16)Youth Mentoring: The City of Toronto should expand its "One on One" school-based mentoring program that involves City staff in developing supportive personal relationships with children. Other sources of funding should be solicited to expand this successful program into the private sector.

Lead:Public Health, working with all interested City staff, police, and the Toronto Rotary Club.

Impact:By the end of 1999, expansion in number of staff and children participating in the One-on-One Mentoring program. By the end of 2000, expansion of model into private sector.

(17)Provision of Quality Recreation to Children, Youth and Families at Risk: City Council should recognize the provision of high-quality accessible recreation for children, youth and families at risk of being victims and/or offenders as the top priority for programming at recreation centres. Parks and Recreation should work with community agencies, school boards, libraries, housing, police and the TTC, to develop an inventory of where pre-school, after school and evening programs for youth, late night drop in programs, recreation leagues and community recreation agencies are presently provided, along with a needs assessment of where these services are most needed, and an analysis of possible sources of funding, including professional sports organizations as part of the Youth Profile initiative of the Children and Youth Action Committee. Furthermore, Parks and Recreation should report to City Council on ways to improve access to programs for high risk youth, and that this strategy involve youth in identifying and evaluating programs.

Lead:Parks and Recreation, working with the partners mentioned above.

Impact:City-wide needs assessment to have an impact on 2000 budget priorities. Increase in number of programs and attendance at these programs from high-risk youth. There has been some interest from the Centre for Criminology at the University of Toronto in evaluating the effectiveness of these programs in preventing youth crime.

(18)Self-Defense Classes: City Council should recognize the importance of self-defence classes in providing necessary skills for those most at risk for violence, including children, women and girls, seniors, people with disabilities, gay and lesbian people, and high-risk youth, by maintaining and expanding the number and range of self-defence classes provided in community recreation centres. Self-defence courses should be appropriate for the specific group, taught by instructors with a demonstrated sensitivity to the safety issues of the specific group, and should be regularly evaluated by their appropriateness and effectiveness.

Lead:Parks and Recreation, working with appropriate community organizations.

Impact:Increase in the number and range of self-defence classes taught in recreation centres. Self-defence classes should be independently evaluated for effectiveness in preventing fear and crime.

(19)Youth Employment/ Job Skills and Community Safety: The City of Toronto should continue to support and expand youth employment initiatives that combine job readiness/ employment creation with community safety enhancement, such as the Graffiti Transformation, Drug Ambassador and Job Corps Programs.

Furthermore, the City of Toronto should investigate co-funding possibilities for expanded programs that would employ at-risk youth to provide activities, maintenance and other improvements to neighbourhood business areas, and other public places in high-crime areas.

Lead:Economic Development, Culture and Tourism working with Community and Neighbourhood Services, Public Health, Police, Mayor's Youth Employment Strategy, school boards, and appropriate community agencies.

Impact:Expansion in number of youth employed through these programs; external evaluation of effectiveness in providing longer-term employment is necessary.

(20)Coordination of Community Safety, Children's Rights, and Youth Employment: The City should forward these recommendations to the Children and Youth Action Committee, the Mayor's Youth Employment Strategy, and the Economic Development Strategy for inclusion in these respective strategies.

(C)Policing and Justice:

(21)Community Police Liaison Committees (CPLCs): CPLCs are one way that Toronto Police can involve citizens in problem-oriented policing. Toronto Police Services should ensure that CPLCs work effectively by:

(a)requiring CPLCs to develop annual goals, and evaluating CPLCs in terms of their success in meeting these goals;

(b)having as a goal that Divisional CPLCs should reflect the demographic diversity of their area, and providing outreach to marginalized groups such as linguistic and cultural minorities; and

(c)requiring CPLCs to focus on the improvement of high-crime areas as identified by police statistics

Lead:Toronto Police Services

Impact:Stimulate community interest and awareness of safety issues/crime concerns, and reduce crime in the areas targeted by the goals

(22)Promoting Community Justice Council Initiatives: The City of Toronto should assist in the development of a list of community justice initiatives, towards the goals of establishing a network of such initiatives across the new City, as well as publicizing and improving access to these initiatives. The City should also explore sources of funding for community justice councils, especially from senior levels of government.

Lead:Social Development to work the federal Ministry of Justice and the Ontario Solicitor General in bringing together Police, School Boards, and appropriate community agencies.

Impact:Increased coordination leading to increased number of cases diverted through community justice councils. Priority for independent evaluation of effectiveness in reducing re-offending.

(23)Expansion of Diversion and Community Service Programs, especially for young offenders: The City of Toronto should work with the Police, Crowns, senior levels of government, and community organizations to expand pre-charge diversion programs, life skills programs, and involvement with community service orders for offenders, including park maintenance and graffiti removal. Where needed, offenders in alternative justice programs should be linked to drug abuse prevention and other supports. The City should also explore sources of funding for diversion and community service order programs from senior levels of government.

Lead:Parks and Recreation, working with Police and provincial and federal governments.

Impact: Increased number of participants in programs. Evaluation of impact in terms of preventing re-offending.

(D)Information and coordination:

(24)A Central Information Point on Safety Concerns: The City of Toronto should develop a comprehensive database on crime prevention and community safety resources, accessible by internet and telephone. The database should include a continually updated inventory of who is doing what across the new City to promote community safety, including contact numbers, project summaries, evaluations and success stories. It is possible that this task should be contracted out to a community organization with relevant expertise and experience.

There should be as many access points as possible to this database. The City of Toronto should develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy which ensures that people can find out about this information from a variety of sources, such as Access Toronto, councillors' offices, police divisions, libraries, recreation centres, social service offices, fire halls, and public health offices.

The communications strategy should also include the possibility of a newsletter that would summarize new policies, programs, initiatives and "good ideas" related to community safety.

Lead:Social Development to bring together Libraries, Information and Communications, Police, and relevant community agencies. This group to report to Council with recommendations, including costs of this information resource, and a request for proposals.

Impact:Establishment of the internet database and a launch by the Mayor of the communications strategy to lead to wide use by individuals and organizations, decreased duplication of resources, improved accessibility of community safety information and an increase in community initiatives.

(25)Promoting Research and Evaluation: The City of Toronto should ensure that there is maximum "value added" to its community grants that work to prevent violence by providing a central location that has reports and other information on past and present City-funded projects, and best practices worldwide. This site could be accessed by the general public, by community organizations, and by researchers interested in developing programs in a similar manner to the Drug Abuse Prevention Centre.

In addition, the City should endeavor to evaluate the impact of several long-term projects to promote community safety, such as the Toronto Transit Commission's Moving Forward recommendations (1989), and an update of the 1988 users survey of High Park. These evaluations can be one product of increased partnerships with universities and other research organizations. The federal government has also expressed interest in funding evaluations of safety initiatives.

Lead:Social Development, within the ongoing work under the Social Development Atlas, to bring together partners to promote research and evaluation regarding community safety.

Impact:Resource Centre used by community organizations, and evaluations of TTC and High Park initiatives to lead to promotion of best practices

(26)Promoting and Awarding Excellence: The City of Toronto should promote the dissemination of good ideas between communities. There are many ways that this goal can be accomplished:

(a)City staff should continue to work with other community partners, such as business, agencies, and school boards, to provide showcases and other opportunities to share "what works";

(b)The City of Toronto should host an annual event that celebrates community safety success stories, with an awards component recognizing private and public sectors, community groups and agencies.;

(c)Community grants should continue to require that agencies receiving funding publicize their work; in addition, City staff can provide "peer learning" opportunities for grants recipients; and

(d)City staff can also promote "leadership training" for community leaders, which would include training in program evaluation and promoting best practices.

Lead: Special Events to bring together Housing, Social Development, Parks and Recreation, Public Health, Police, and Access and Equity to report to Council on a proposed showcase event for November 1999, The Mayor's Community Safety and Crime Prevention Awards, including possibilities for outside funding for this event.

(27)Community Safety Grants: The City of Toronto should expand the Breaking the Cycle of Violence Grants program, in order to provide funding for the entire City of Toronto without threatening the level of funding now available to vulnerable communities. City staff should coordinate with City grants and grants from other levels of government and charitable organizations, by convening a Funders' Roundtable for Toronto-area Safety Initiatives.

Lead:Grant Review Committee to set grants priorities for 1999. Social Development to bring together Housing, Public Health, Parks and Recreation, Access and Equity, Police, Ontario Solicitor General, National Crime Prevention Council, United Way, and other partners for the Funders' Roundtable.

Impacts:More funding for the prevention of crime and the promotion of community safety.

More coordination between funders leading to efficient use of limited funds.

Promoting community safety become one of the considerations for a successful grant application.

(28)Staff and Community Leaders Working for a Safer City: The City of Toronto should ensure that City staff who work with citizens on safety concerns, including parks and recreation workers, public health nurses, employees of city-owned housing and city planners, and community leaders themselves, are adequately supported in this vital work. City staff presently support, advise, and assist citizen advisory groups that promote safety directly and indirectly, such as ParkWatch programs, tenant security committees in city-owned housing and Police Community Liaison Committees. A list of all front line staff who provide these services should be developed. An appropriate "curriculum" should be developed, which includes facts, figures and resources on crime and safety issues; protective skills; identifying and dealing with family violence issues, including responding to suspected child abuse; working with particular vulnerable groups, including homeless and mentally ill persons; community organizing; and referral to other services, including ethnospecific and multicultural agencies. Seminars and peer training opportunities should be provided to both staff and community leaders.

Lead:Community and Neighbourhood Services and Human Resources to bring together staff from the Chief Administrator's Office, Public Health, Parks and Recreation, Libraries, Housing, Access and Equity, Police, and relevant community agencies. This group to report to Council with recommendations, including costs of this training (which, in many cases, can be peer-led, and has already been provided to many staff).

Impact:More coordination around safety concerns among staff who provide community development and community leadership. An identification of gaps in training, best practices from various divisions, and ways to integrate staff training on these issues. Some evaluation at the end of 3 years as to the impact on community safety.

(29)City Watch Program: Corporate Services, in conjunction with Toronto Police, should establish a City-wide "City Watch Program" program to assist front line staff in parks, streets, and driving vehicles in observing and reporting suspicious activities to police or to the appropriate authorities. As a first step, front line staff from Works and Emergency Services, Buildings; Housing; Licencing and Municipal Standards; Parks and Recreation and Fire would be identified.

The program could be modelled on TaxiWatch and a similar program run by Consumers Gas, and could eventually include private sector partnerships with courier, telephone, gas, cable, and delivery services. Other sources of funding should be solicited for this high profile program.

Lead:Corporate Services to bring together staff from the above departments, Police, Parking Authority, CUPE Locals 416 and 79, and appropriate community agencies.

Impact:Development of the City Watch Program to assist in the prevention of street crimes. All appropriate staff receive training and all City-owned vehicles identified as participating in the program by 2001. Thousands of more eyes and ears on our streets to promote a safer Toronto.

(30)Integrating Safety in Social Development: The City of Toronto should ensure that community and personal safety is integrated into the proposed social development plan, with an emphasis on vulnerable communities and neighbourhoods.

Lead:Social Development

Impact:Safety as a priority for social development goals, programs, services, and policies.

(31)Integrating Hate Crime Prevention and Community Safety: The City of Toronto should continue to support Access and Equity grants aimed at preventing hate crimes, and support coordination of hate crime prevention activity, as recommended by the Access and Equity Task Force.

Lead:Access and Equity.

Impact:A decrease in hate crime activity.

(D)Making It Happen: Implementation, Evaluation, and Monitoring

(32)Community Safety as a Corporate Priority: City Council should formally declare community safety to be a corporate priority, within a Healthy Communities Framework. City Council should direct the Chief Administrative Officer's's Office to ensure that safety is integrated as a priority in the City's Strategic Plan, which will determine where staff and monetary resources should be deployed.

Lead:Chief Administrative Officer's Office.

Impact:Safety included as a priority in Strategic Plan, to be completed by mid-1999.

(33)One Percent for Prevention: Federal and international reports have recommended that a greater percentage of the money spent on responding to crime (police, courts, and corrections) be applied to preventing crime, since one dollar in prevention can provide at least seven dollars in later savings. In accordance with this, City Council should have a goal of designating a sum equal to one percent of the money it spends on Police Services to expand crime prevention programs, with a focus on groups vulnerable to committing or being a victim of crime. The City of Toronto should further request that the Ontario and Federal government designate 1 percent of funding from courts and corrections in the City of Toronto to crime prevention in the City. If this recommendation is adopted, City Council should request a report from the Chief Administrative Officer's Office that summarizes departmental requests related to community safety promotion in the 1999 budget year.

Lead: Chief Administrative Officer's Office to coordinate a report for Budget Review Committee that summarizes departmental requests related to community safety promotion in the 1999 budget year.

Impact:Greater resources to prevention, leading to eventual cost savings for local and senior levels of government.

(34)Measuring Progress Towards a Safer City: The City of Toronto should release an annual report that will measure progress on the Community Safety Strategy, including evaluating City-run and -supported programs on the basis of participation by vulnerable groups (performance indicators), and measuring progress towards a safer city (outcome indicators). The annual report should be launched at the annual celebration of successful initiatives described in Recommendation No. (26).

Lead:Chief Administrative Officer's Office.

Impact:Accountability to City Council and to Toronto citizens.

(35)Council Accountability Structure: City Council should reconstitute the Task Force on Community Safety to monitor the implementation of Task Force recommendations, respond to crime prevention issues as they arise, and promote a coordinated approach among all partners in the crime prevention field. The Task Force would have a mandate for the next two years, until the end of 2000.

The Task Force would report through Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee, or equivalent successor committee. It would consist of four City Councillors from across the new City (one each from the North, West, South, and East districts), senior staff from:

Toronto District School Board;

Toronto Separate School Board; and

Toronto Police Service

and approximately 10 representatives of community organizations working on safety issues with vulnerable populations: children and youth, seniors, women, people with disabilities, linguistic and cultural minority populations. The Task Force would be co-chaired by two councillors on a rotating basis. The Task Force would be coordinated by the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services, who could also chair the Committee in the absence of the Chair.

This Committee would require the support of City Clerk's, as well as requiring a Coordinator and an Administrative Staff person to be provided from Community and Neighbourhood Services. There would need to be a report to City Council about staffing and resource allocations to this initiatives.

There would also be representation from senior staff in the following key divisions:

Chief Administrative Officer's Office;

Social Development;

Public Health;

Parks and Recreation; and

City Planning.

and representation from the following divisions as necessary:

Economic Development;

Housing;

Buildings;

Libraries;

Fire;

Access and Equity;

Human Resources;

Licensing and Municipal Standards; and

Works and Emergency Services.

Lead:Community and Neighbourhood Services.

Impact:A coordinated, comprehensive and community-based ongoing response to safety and crime prevention issues.

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Side notes embodied in the foregoing report:

Safety Audit Success Stories:

Safety Audits were developed by METRAC, a Toronto Community organization, in 1989. Since then, many Canadian cities, including Calgary, Ottawa, and Kitchener, have trained staff to assist communities in identifying safe and unsafe places, and have established protocols to respond to safety audit recommendations. In Toronto, Parkdale Community Watch has done 38 safety audits in their neighbourhood, with the cooperation of residents, police, councillors, and local businesses. Results of some of these initiatives include:

(i) lighting upgrades;

(ii) over 15 self-enclosed telephone booths were changes to open, walk-upstyle booths to discourage excessive use by drug dealers and prostitutes;

(iii) community members have easy access and better communication with police, and how, when, and what to report;

(iv)Parkdale Community Watch's safety hotline receives 200 calls per month from people who want to know how they can make their community safer or report suspicious activities;

(v) more people are participating in safety audits and in other community events such as school meetings and Christmas caroling;

(vi) overall perception of Parkdale is becoming more positive;

Boston's Comprehensive Communities Program:

The Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP) is Boston's citywide, proactive approach to improving quality of life and reducing crime and fear for the residents of Boston. It consists of Police, City staff, neighbourhood leaders and other stakeholders. There is an emphasis on coordinating services to at-risk youth within this plan. For instance, the Youth Services Providers Network consists of youth service organizations and police who have together developed a Case Management Referral System. When police deal with a young person, they contact a licensed clinical social workers based in their police divisions, to develop a strategy together with the police and the young person's family. The City, assisted by the federal government, has hired 50 Streetworkers, social workers who assist police in working with identified gang members.

The Alternatives to Incarceration Network includes the state Departments of Youth Services and Probation, the District Attorney's Office and non-profit agencies, along with the police. They work together to divert first-time and non-violent young offenders from prison to substance abuse counselling, job skills training and placement, community service programs, life skills counselling and violence prevention programs. City staff and schools have worked together to provide 41 community centres, a comprehensive violence prevention curriculum has been developed for ages 9 to 18, and school-to-work internships have been fostered.

Youth As Leaders in Crime Prevention

The "Youth as Resources" Program, funded by the US National Crime Prevention Council, helps develop leadership and job skills among youth. Youth are hired to participate in:

(i)local government boards and advisory groups;

(ii) community service or charitable activities; and

(iii) school violence prevention programs.

In Evansville, Indiana, youth renovated a half-acre site at Mesker Zoo into a landscaped knoll to be used by young children as a lunch and rest area. Youth developed the idea, wrote the grant proposal, presented it to the school board of trustees, and initiated a publicity campaign. Longitudal evaluations concluded that Youth as Resources programs positively influenced anti-delinquency attitudes, leadership traits and civic responsibility.

In 1995, the Toronto Police Service provided the following definition of Community Policing:

"Community Policing is a means of providing public service requiring local community partnerships which prioritize and solve problems to enhance safety, maintain order, prevent crime and enforce laws, thereby improving the quality of life in Toronto."

Judiciary in the Neighbourhood, City of Rotterdam

Begun in April 1997, the Judiciary in the Neighbourhood Program was set up to address juvenile crime, organized drug-related crime and the need for a more visible law enforcement presence in the Delfshaven district of Rotterdam. With the assistance of mediators provided by the program, victims and suspects of crime are given an opportunity to reach a civil agreement to settle damages. If the agreement is honoured there is no criminal prosecution. The program works in partnership with the local police, the borough council and the Child Welfare Council. The results to date have included dramatically reduced processing times for cases, with some even being resolved "on the spot", and an improved perception of safety in the district.

Information and Referral: Examples of What People Want to Know

The former City of Toronto's Safe City Committee received many calls from citizens needing appropriate information and referral on safety concerns. Since the number is still listed in the phone book as "safe city" and since the "safe city line" was advertised in posters during 1996, calls continue to come into the Chief Administrative Office from across the new City. A sampling of calls for the week of November 16-20, 1998, by issue, ward, how call referred to office, and information/referral given.

-Nov. 16: Graffiti (High Park): Previous member of Safe City Committee. Wanted contact person for Graffiti Transformation Project.

-Nov. 18: Street Light Out (Davenport): Phone book. Caller referred to Public Works

-Nov. 18: Small Business (East Toronto): Phone book. Caller wanted to be connected to local Neighbourhood Watch initiatives. Referred to 55 Division, Police Service.

-Nov. 18: East York Safety Council (East York): Referred by local councillor Case Ootes. Wanted info on organizational issues related to membership and who to report to.

-Nov. 19: Pedestrian safety, especially from bicyclists (Etobicoke-Lakeshore): Concern referred by local councillor Irene Jones. Concern referred to Cycling Committee and to Pedestrian Committee in Department of Public Works and the Environment

-Nov. 19: Problem property: trash and nuisance (Scarborough-Agincourt): Phone book. Caller referred to local councillors and Licensing.

-Nov. 19: St. James Town Safety Work Group (Don River): Previous contact. Wanted names of organizations that could do displays at upcoming safety fair. Caller referred to appropriate organizations.

-Nov. 19: School Safety (Kingsway-Humber): Conference brochure. Caller wanting to know about impact of education cuts on safety programs. Referred to contact in Toronto District School Board.

-Nov. 20: Self Defence (North York Centre): Referred by agency. Blind person wanting information on self-defence courses. Referred to Parks and Recreation.

Safer City programs work

The current UK government has launched a five year safer city program as part of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. There is now a statutory requirement for all municipalities to develop and implement crime and violence reduction strategies. Co-funding is available from the national government for municipalities that adopt a strategy which sets clear targets and performance indicators, and which is:

-partnership based

-root cause focussed; and

-evidence led.

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is one example of a successful Safer Cities Program. Since its Corporate Community Safety Strategy was adopted in 1991, services developed include:

-Support for community services, including MEND: the neighbourhood dispute mediation service, victim support services, shelters for battered women, "women's safe transport" (anon-profit taxi service for women and girls), the rape crisis centre, and "keep safe" (anon-profit service that provides free locks to low-income homes) has been increased;

-A Domestic Violence Task Force has developed a co-ordinated strategy which links police officers with housing, welfare, and public health services provided by the municipality;

-A comprehensive list of public education materials, including stickers, posters and pamphlets on "protecting yourself", "protecting your home", responding after a crime, and municipal community safety services have been produced;

-A high profile campaign to get more visible minorities into police and justice of the peace positions has been launched;

-A youth crime prevention strategy has incorporated pre-school programs, quality summer activities for young people, curriculum materials, and diversion programs for first-time offenders;

-a "pensioners' safety project" has targeted home and personal safety for older people, including peer-led protective skills courses;

-free self-defence classes have been provided; and

-safety audits have been carried out in all public housing estates and many other neighbourhoods, and community safety is a factor in building design.

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee also submits the following communication (February19,1999) from the City Clerk:

The Etobicoke Community Council at its meeting held on February 17, 1999, referred the attached 1998 Annual Report of Crime S.C.O.P.E., to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for its meeting on February 23, 1999, for consideration with Agenda Item No. 2, entitled :Final Report of the Task Force on Community Safety."

Ms. C. Micallef, Chair, Crime S.C.O.P.E., appeared before the Etobicoke Community Council in connection with the foregoing matter.

(A copy of the report '1998 Annual Report of Crime S.C.O.P.E.', referred to the foregoing communication was forwarded to all Members of Council with the February 23, 1999, agenda of the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee, and a copy thereof is also on file in the office of the City Clerk.)

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The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee reports, for the information of Council, having also had before it, during the consideration of the foregoing matter, a communication (February22, 1999) from Mr. H. Daryl Currie advising that he had just received the notice of the meeting and that he would not be able to attend due to a prior appointment; and requesting that he be advised of the decision on this issue.

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Councillor Rob Davis and Councillor Brad Duguid, Co-Chairs, Task Force on Community Safety, made a presentation to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee respecting the Final Report of the Task Force on Community Safety.

The following persons appeared before the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee in connection with the foregoing matter:

-Mr. Jeff Zajac CMA, Chair, City of Etobicoke Safety Council; and

-Mr. Ross Vaughan, Chair, Police Issues Committee, Crime S.C.O.P.E. Etobicoke.