ESTEVAN - An Estevan Community Wellness Committee has been formed to address safety and well-being in the city.
A pilot project for Estevan has been underway since October. The Estevan Community Wellness Project brings together stakeholders from the municipality, health and mental health, community and social services, education, children and youth services, not-for-profit organizations, seniors, and the Estevan Police Service.
It is the mission of the Estevan Community Wellness Committee to work collaboratively across all sectors to create and enhance community safety and well-being in the city. The vision is the community will sustain safety and well-being for all generations.
In October and November, the committee has met extensively to identify priority areas to focus its combined efforts and funding to improve the quality of life in the community. There have been four priority areas identified: substance abuse and addiction, mental wellness, education and employment, and victimization.
Over the next several months, combined courses of action and initiatives will be developed to improve the community’s safety and well-being.
The Estevan Community Safety and Well-Being (ECSWB) planning process is being supported by the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, Community Safety and Well-Being Branch. The branch works with communities across Saskatchewan to provide a variety of supports around community safety and well-being planning and development.
Estevan is one of four rural communities being supported as part of a rural CSWB planning pilot. The other three are Nipawin, Humboldt and Outlook.
According to the committee, the department contracted the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance (SEDA) to implement the rural pilot. In its role as the exclusive non-governmental organization dedicated to provincial community and economic development in Saskatchewan, SEDA empowers communities and organizations with the necessary skills, knowledge, resources and programs to foster a sustainable future.
SEDA actively pursues a mandate of accelerating generational prosperity and well-being. The most resilient economies are those that adopt a solutions-based approach and work to address complex issues using an inclusive lens that transcends sectors and systemic bias.
The official Estevan Community Safety and Well-Being Plan will be released in 2024.
