City Council Special Meeting Wrap-Up: April 15, 2025

A special meeting of City Council was held on April 15, following a call from Mayor Lefebvre back in February to hear directly from the Community Safety and Well-Being Panel members on efforts to tackle some of the most urgent social challenges facing our community.

The special meeting’s agenda was dedicated to receiving updates from the Advisory Panel on the current state of local services and programming, including how community agencies have adapted over the past five years to changing community needs. The meeting provided a comprehensive overview of many of the resources available and the collaborative efforts underway across the community to support residents.

The updated Community Safety and Well-Being Plan will be presented to City Council for consideration in June 2025.

Community Safety and Well-Being Panel
All municipalities in Ontario are required to develop and regularly revise a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. These Plans must be informed by a multi-sector Advisory Panel of key leaders from police services, health and mental health agencies, Indigenous organizations, children and youth services, education, and social and community support organizations.

Overview of key discussions and decisions from the Special City Council Meeting
Throughout the meeting, major themes and related calls to action were repeated across presentations. Some of the key highlights from the meeting include:

• The need to develop and empower Indigenous-led wraparound health services, cultural programming and education opportunities
• A call for greater investment in upstream programs that address root causes of social and health inequity, with the aim of reducing and preventing negative individual and population health outcomes
• A discussion of the increasing number of residents experiencing complex mental health challenges and dual diagnoses, which is straining some systems as they attempt to keep up with more resource-intensive and involved treatment plans
• A call for action-oriented commitment of all residents – settlers, newcomers, and First Peoples – to work on a path of Truth and Reconciliation as a cornerstone of all community well-being and belonging initiatives
• The desire to develop a Safe Centre service co-location model to better support survivors and witnesses of Gender-Based and Intimate Partner Violence
• Funding for additional supportive programs to build resilience within families and individuals during challenging times
• A growing need to support residents in accessing affordable and supportive housing, including transitional housing for those experiencing chronic homelessness, as well as dedicated facilities for youth facing housing insecurity
• An urgent need for youth-specific substance use and addiction programs
• The success of restorative justice approaches as a way to redirect youth from recurring involvement with policing and justice systems
• The demonstrated need for additional funding and action from the provincial and federal governments to address housing shortages and opioid misuse

The presenters also pointed out community successes, such as the ongoing collaboration and the dedication of those who are working in these sectors to improve the quality of life of all residents. They reiterated the fundamental importance of working together on an action-oriented Community Safety and Well-being Plan as a means to achieving better quality of life.

Community Safety and Well-Being Panel
Marc Gauthier, Co-chair of the Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Panel, provided an overview of the legislative responsibilities of municipalities and police services in the development of CSWB Plans, and shared key updates from the Panel’s work over the past four years.

Public Health Sudbury & Districts (PHSD)
Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Acting Medical Officer of Health and CEO; Kathy Dokis, Director of Indigenous Public Health; and Stacey Gilbeau, Director of Health Promotion and Vaccine Preventable Diseases, focused on PHSD’s mission to address social determinants of health through upstream interventions and protective factors. They emphasized that social inclusion is a key element of mental wellness and shared efforts to reduce health inequities by supporting Indigenous self-determination and leading cultural safety training sessions.

Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS)
Chief Sarah Cunningham and Deputy Chief Natalie Hiltz highlighted that community safety and well-being is a shared responsibility. They described partnerships with Health Sciences North clinical and social workers to respond to non-criminal 911 calls and outlined how GSPS’s updated organizational structure supports broader community development. A proposed Safe Centre model would respond to the rise in Gender-based and Intimate Partner Violence through collaborative efforts.

N’Swakamok Indigenous Friendship Centre
Kelly-Lee Assinewe, Assistant Director and Director of the N’Swakamok Alternative Secondary School, provided an update on the Centre’s growth from a gathering place for urban Indigenous residents to a provider of diverse programs. These include justice and court navigation, homelessness supports, cultural and language programming, healthy families and positive Indigenous masculine identities, and alternative education.

Canadian Mental Health Association – Sudbury/Manitoulin
Patty MacDonald, CEO, and Stephanie Lefebvre, Director of Programs and Planning, spoke about CMHA’s efforts to coordinate mental health services so that “every door is the right door” for access. They also operate the Off the Street Emergency Shelter, which supported 512 individuals over the past year, with an average stay of 5.5 nights.

Ontario Health Team – Sudbury Espanola Manitoulin Elliot Lake
Sue LeBeau, Executive Director, identified three priority populations in their current strategic plan: unattached patients (not rostered to primary care), individuals with mental health and substance use challenges, and adults aged 65+ at risk for hospitalization or long-term care.

Children’s Aid Society – Sudbury/Manitoulin
Elaina Groves, CEO, shared updates on the expansion of 24/7 mandated services, including extended care for consenting youth aged 16–17 and supports for youth aged 18–23 transitioning out of care.

Health Sciences North (HSN)
David McNeil, President and CEO, and Natalie Aubin, Regional Vice-President of Cancer Care and Vice-President of Social Accountability, shared data showing a 135 per cent increase in emergency room visits over the last five years from unhoused individuals. They also noted that accidental overdoses are now the leading cause of death among residents under age 49—nearly twice the provincial average—with a sharp rise among those under 18. Positive results from the Lotus program were shared, along with plans for additional beds through the Lorraine Street project.

Compass/Boussole/Akii-Izhinoogan
Mark Fraser, CEO, outlined child and youth mental health services, including those at the Youth Mental Health Hub. Since the closure of the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth (SACY, many clients are also seeking support for basic needs like food and shelter. The 6-bed residential youth mental health project, Step Up Step Down, is expected to open next year and serve the entire Northeastern Ontario region.

Sudbury District Restorative Justice 
Jackie Balleny, Executive Director, outlined the restorative justice, reparation, mediation, and resilience training programs for youth involved with, or diverted from, the justice system. The presentation also proposed a vision for a Community Safety and Well-being Plan that is based on investments in upstream programming, strong partnerships, and demonstrating hope and optimism.  

City of Greater Sudbury 
Tyler Campbell, Director of Children and Social Services, provided an overview of the City’s investments in homelessness and housing services. The City has committed approximately $50 million to initiatives that support vulnerable residents including funding for homelessness prevention, emergency shelters, supportive and transitional housing, and community outreach services. These investments reflect the City’s ongoing efforts to address the complex and interconnected challenges of housing stability, mental health, and community well-being.  

For more details on these presentations and other items from this week’s meetings, visit greatersudbury.ca/meetings-agendas-and-minutes.

Further information about the Community Safety and Well-Being Panel can be found here: greatersudbury.ca/community-safety-and-well-being-advisory-panel.

Details about upcoming public consultations can be found here: overtoyou.greatersudbury.ca/cswb.