This week at Peel Region Council, staff presented an update on the strategic focus of the Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan. Beginning in 2026, Peel Region and partners will be prioritizing supports and interventions for children and youth, with a special focus on those in middle childhood, ages 7 to 14.
“Municipalities are facing real pressures, driven in part by rapid growth and increasing demand for services,” said Nancy Polsinelli, Commissioner of Health Services. “In Peel, we’re not doing this alone. We work across sectors with community partners to focus on children and youth, investing earlier to support better long-term outcomes. This approach will help young people thrive while reducing system pressures and building a more resilient community as we continue to grow.”
In Peel, 1 in 3 residents is under 25 years old. During middle childhood, a time of significant emotional and social change, families also experience a gap in available services. At the same time, access to safe, stable, and affordable housing is a key foundation for children and youth to succeed. Together, these pressures can affect a child’s well-being and long-term outcomes.
In a delegation to Council, Mary Beth Moellenkamp, chief executive officer of Peel Children’s Aid Society, said early intervention is critical to making a difference in the lives of children and youth, and she appreciates being in a region that supports community partners in this work.
“It is part of the fabric of Peel,” she said.
As co‑leads of the CSWB Plan, Peel Region and Peel Regional Police are working with community and system partners to advance early, coordinated action for children and youth. This will help reduce reliance on services such as policing, justice involvement, and emergency care.
“Policing alone cannot address the complex challenges facing our communities”, said Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah. “Through Peel’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, partners across sectors are working together to support children and youth earlier, before challenges escalate into crisis. These proactive and collaborative efforts are essential to fostering stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities.”
In the CSWB Plan, there are 5 goals identified to transform outcomes for children and youth in Peel.
- Strong relationships and belonging
- Healthy body, mind and spirit
- Safe, inclusive places to grow
- Equitable access to opportunities and stability
- Youth voice, agency and leadership
Some of this work has already begun in collaboration with Peel’s community partners. It responds to the current needs of children and youth while also helping to prevent complex challenges in the future.
These actions include:
- Piloting the use of schools and community spaces as hubs to expand safe, accessible community spaces.
- Launching a youth-led Creative Confidence Challenge Fund.
- Strengthening early mental health care pathways for children.
- Supporting youth housing stability and homelessness prevention.
- Advancing research on youth and poverty.
Peel Region is also developing a Social Return on Investment model to measure how early action creates positive impact. It will also inform future projects and investments for children and youth.
Building on 5 years of progress
The CSWB plan is mandated under Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019, requiring municipalities to take a more integrated and preventive approach to community safety. Peel Region Council directed the development of the original plan in 2020 and endorsed its update in June 2025, reinforcing a continued commitment to early interventions, community partnerships, and healthy communities.
Since its launch, the CSWB Plan reflects a shift away from fragmented, reactive responses toward coordinated prevention and risk reduction. By establishing partnerships with more than 75 organizations across multiple sectors and creating a System Leadership Table to encourage collaborative decision-making, Peel Region and partners have been able to advance work in key areas:
- Mental health and addictions
- Family violence
- Youth violence prevention
- International students
This work and these partnerships have empowered community agencies to respond to the emerging needs of a growing and diverse population.
Looking ahead
As Peel prepares to welcome up to one million additional residents in the coming decades, investing in prevention today is key to maintaining safe, healthy and livable communities.
“Council’s direction is clear; we need to get ahead of demand,” said Polsinelli. “By investing early and working together, we are reducing future pressures on our systems and delivering on Peel’s vision of a Community for Life, where people are living, thriving and leading, supported by strong, sustainable communities now and for generations to come.”
