My Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council Survey Response
Berry Vrbanovic
1. In Waterloo Region, the municipal and regional governments share a role in effective crime prevention. Which of the following areas of responsibility do you feel play a key role in building a safer community? Candidates asked to select all that applied from a list of 14 choices.
Urban Planning
Recreation
By-laws & Permits
Public Health
Parks & Natural Spaces
Police Services
Social Housing
Social Benefits Provisions
Child Care
Social Planning
Public Transportation
Infrastructure/ Public Works
Community Development
Arts, Culture and Library Services
2. Considering municipal responsibilities, how would you prioritize your municipal spending in order to have a direct impact on crime prevention? Please rank the following Regional responsibilities from 1 = lowest priority to 9 = highest priority.
1 - By-laws & Permits
2 – Social Planning
3 – Infrastructure/Public Works
4 – Social Housing
5 – Urban Planning
6 – Arts, Culture & Library Services
7 – Parks & Natural Spaces
8 – Recreation
9 – Community Development
3. Communities across Canada, including Waterloo Region, have long standing active and vibrant municipal based crime prevention initiatives. How would you integrate smart approaches to crime prevention in your municipality?
Waterloo Region is well-known across the country in its approach to crime prevention through the existence of the crime prevention council which brings all the various players to the table to look at common solutions for common problems which can only be achieved when all are working together. IN fact the WRCPC is one of a few fully functioning councils of its type across the country. It is essential for municipalities to consider policy development in the context of the healthy community model, ensuring there is always a balance between the social, cultural, economic and environmental. This has become an integral piece of the City of Kitchener's Strategic planning model and I would be an advocate for maintaining that. The City has also gone the next step by also having a citizen's advisory committee on Safe & Healthy communities which I have had the privilege of chairing and vice-chairing in the past, and I believe it is important for citizens to be actively engaged in this important work at the city level as well.
4. As the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, how can we support you to further the role of crime prevention in your municipality?
I believe the WRCPC can continue to be a resource to the local Councils and Councillors with best practice information that it can share with municipal planning, bylaw, and other departments so that we are not each reinventing the wheel in our own communities and in fact on certain issues are developing a common approach across the region, so we simply don't move problems from one part of the region to another part as can often happen if issue are not dealt with holistically. I also believe the Council needs at times to be more direct in its advocacy role in relation to issues across the region, especially if they are not being fairly and equitably resourced by all municipalities within the region. Political considerations have not always allowed for this to happen, and I think this is another role that should be considered as the possible advantages likely outweigh any disadvantages.
1. In Waterloo Region, the municipal and regional governments share a role in effective crime prevention. Which of the following areas of responsibility do you feel play a key role in building a safer community? Candidates asked to select all that applied from a list of 14 choices.
Urban Planning
Recreation
By-laws & Permits
Public Health
Parks & Natural Spaces
Police Services
Social Housing
Social Benefits Provisions
Child Care
Social Planning
Public Transportation
Infrastructure/ Public Works
Community Development
Arts, Culture and Library Services
2. Considering municipal responsibilities, how would you prioritize your municipal spending in order to have a direct impact on crime prevention? Please rank the following Regional responsibilities from 1 = lowest priority to 9 = highest priority.
1 - By-laws & Permits
2 – Social Planning
3 – Infrastructure/Public Works
4 – Social Housing
5 – Urban Planning
6 – Arts, Culture & Library Services
7 – Parks & Natural Spaces
8 – Recreation
9 – Community Development
3. Communities across Canada, including Waterloo Region, have long standing active and vibrant municipal based crime prevention initiatives. How would you integrate smart approaches to crime prevention in your municipality?
Waterloo Region is well-known across the country in its approach to crime prevention through the existence of the crime prevention council which brings all the various players to the table to look at common solutions for common problems which can only be achieved when all are working together. IN fact the WRCPC is one of a few fully functioning councils of its type across the country. It is essential for municipalities to consider policy development in the context of the healthy community model, ensuring there is always a balance between the social, cultural, economic and environmental. This has become an integral piece of the City of Kitchener's Strategic planning model and I would be an advocate for maintaining that. The City has also gone the next step by also having a citizen's advisory committee on Safe & Healthy communities which I have had the privilege of chairing and vice-chairing in the past, and I believe it is important for citizens to be actively engaged in this important work at the city level as well.
4. As the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, how can we support you to further the role of crime prevention in your municipality?
I believe the WRCPC can continue to be a resource to the local Councils and Councillors with best practice information that it can share with municipal planning, bylaw, and other departments so that we are not each reinventing the wheel in our own communities and in fact on certain issues are developing a common approach across the region, so we simply don't move problems from one part of the region to another part as can often happen if issue are not dealt with holistically. I also believe the Council needs at times to be more direct in its advocacy role in relation to issues across the region, especially if they are not being fairly and equitably resourced by all municipalities within the region. Political considerations have not always allowed for this to happen, and I think this is another role that should be considered as the possible advantages likely outweigh any disadvantages.