A county-wide community safety and well-being study has identified mental health, addictions and housing as the top concerns in Simcoe.
Conducted by Geographical Municipal Coordinating Committees (GMCC), the survey sought input from CAOs, the county, community service well-being coordinators and police chiefs. Data used in the project was taken from various sources, such as the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, the county paramedic services, the school board and the Canadian Index of Wellbeing.
Numbers shared in a report, which is on Tay Township's Wednesday committee meeting agenda, show that Southern Georgian Bay has a higher rate of heavy drinking than the rest of the province. Another concerning statistic for Southern Georgian Bay was around the rates of intentional self-harm injuries and poisonings, leading to a higher rate of emergency-room visits in 2018 compared to the rest of Ontario. The rate for SGB was around 250 per 100,000 residents and 150 for the province.
The report will also outline next steps in the community safety and well-being framework.
Continuing with the community safety theme, a Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment representative will also give council an overview of the crime stats for the third quarter of this year.
From July to September this year, there were 11 assault cases, compared to eight last year during the same time period. Another slight rise was noticed in the cases of fraud, which went up to seven in the third quarter of 2020 from five in 2019. Other categories have seen a slight decline, such as theft under $5,000, which has gone down to 15 from July to September this year, compared to 35 last year.
Similarly, there's been a steady decline in numbers around Highway Traffic Act and Liquor Licence Act charges. The report shows that total charges laid in July were 643, but went down to 534 in August and further to 240 in September. It was a similar story for the traffic charges related to the Big Four -- speeding, seatbelts, impaired, and distracted driving -- that went from 403 in July to 320 in August to 173 in September.
Council members will also receive a presentation from consultants who will update them on the township's new official plan. Some of the key areas that will be discussed during the plan include mapping "greenlands" and natural heritage systems, accessory dwellings in agricultural and rural areas, and servicing in all settlements of the township.
The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. and will be held via video conferencing that can be accessed by the public online. Residents can also listen to the meeting via telephone by dialling (705) 999-0385 and entering meeting ID 896 1876 8108.
