MINUTES — PUBLIC — Gatineau, Healthy City Commission — 2nd meeting — March 14, 2024 — 9:01 a.m. to 11:56 a.m.

The mild winter likely contributed to the smooth operation of the warming center and the accommodation at Motel Montcalm. The spaces are being used wisely. No overflow occurred; the opening of additional spaces was not necessary. The contingency plan was not deployed. However, the situation remains concerning. Many first-time episodes of homelessness are noted.

The organization of the Summit on Homelessness and Social Development scheduled for April 17 and 18, 2024, is progressing well. Four meetings of the working committee have taken place. Holding this event will allow for the development and proposal of a concerted action plan. Registration is underway. People wishing to register for the Summit can contact the chair directly.

Regarding the relocation of people camping at the aréna Robert-Guertin site, eight internal and external projects are planned starting in the spring of 2024. A permanent shelter and transitional housing will be built. The start of these projects will be staggered over the next two years. The demolition of the arena will take place in the short term, around the beginning of June. The Habitations de l’Outaouais métropolitain buildings on rue Carillon will be demolished afterward. An interdepartmental steering committee on homelessness has been set up to facilitate the implementation of the relocation process for people experiencing homelessness in connection with these various projects. Three potential sites belonging to the Ville de Gatineau are being evaluated to accommodate the people currently occupying the aréna Robert-Guertin site. An information meeting with them is scheduled for the week of March 25.

The document Faits saillants du rapport d’impact 2023 du service 211 à Gatineau et stratégie de mobilisation du milieu is presented. Members received the document before the meeting. The objectives of the presentation are to:

1. Present the highlights of the 211 service impact report in Gatineau, produced by the Centre de Référence du Grand Montréal (CRGM);
2. Inform members of the mobilization strategy for community partners.

Launched in August 2023, the 211 service is offered free of charge to people residing in Gatineau in partnership with the Centre de Référence du Grand Montréal (CRGM) as the service provider. The CRGM also produced the 2023 impact report for the City. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ville de Gatineau, Centraide Outaouais, and the Centre de Référence du Grand Montréal until December 31, 2026, to offer this service. Complementary to the 311 and 811 lines, the 211 service allows requesters to be directed to local socio-community services based on expressed needs. The online directory contains nearly 8,000 resources. This service collects data anonymously to learn more about the challenges and issues expressed by users. A redesign of their website is underway. A team of researchers from the CRGM continues to develop interfaces and update data and community resources.

Statistics – August 1 to December 2023

• 441 communications (phone calls and online chat);
• 608 needs expressed;
• 860 references given;
• 236 organizations referred;
• 47% of users were women; 46% men; 6% groups or families; 1% other;
• Communication languages used: 88% French; 12% English;
• 63% of users were over 50 years old; 16% were over 70 years old.

The data collected indicates a monthly increase in requests. Examples are presented regarding the database and drilling possibilities to obtain more details. Regarding the communication and partner mobilization strategy, two information sessions are planned for May 23; one in person and the other virtual. This strategy aims to allow various community partners to become well-acquainted with the 211 service (familiarization and appropriation of tools and the service). The meeting will allow for hearing and understanding the needs of the community, updating partner contact information, and explaining the processes for updating information in the database used by the CRGM. The goal is for community partners to act as ambassadors by promoting its use to citizens. An invitation to these sessions will be shared with Commission members and community partners in April.

Summary of comments, questions, or answers formulated following the presentation regarding, among other things:

• Suggestions are noted regarding partners to approach to relay information about the 211 service: school service centers (including adult education); Centre Islamique de l’Outaouais, the AFIO, and other newcomer reception organizations; the AdoGatineau website; and MP offices.
• The objective of the information sessions is to equip and familiarize community partners so they become ambassadors to direct people to 211. These sessions will also allow for a look at elements to improve. The sessions are intended for organizations and community partners. It would be interesting to look at the feasibility of this type of session for the general public.
• It is suggested to align the 811, 311, and 211 teams to promote services reciprocally. During the wait time at 811, a message could, for example, direct people needing support from organizations to 211.
• It seems that little data is available regarding the quality of the referral and community support received following a call. A follow-up could be done with the CRGM to see if data in this sense is or will be collected.
• It is possible to drill into the data directory to a certain degree. Sometimes, additional drilling steps could have been useful to go deeper into data extractions. It is mentioned that the use of the social database will be addressed during the May 23 information sessions.
• The Centre de Référence du Grand Montréal is advised that adding Gatineau under the home page would be relevant to better guide people, organizations, and partners during their online search. A reminder will be made to them on May 23. Jeneviève Caron leaves the meeting at 10:00 a.m. The quorum is maintained.
• The chat is not automated; it is carried out by real people.
• A translation service is available. 211 has a telephone interpreter service that allows responding in more than 200 languages. This service is free and accessible in just a few minutes. Steve Moran leaves the meeting at 10:05 a.m. The quorum is maintained.
• The 211 service is too often associated with seniors, while they represent only 16% of people using it. It is suggested that communication efforts be deployed to broaden the spectrum of people targeted by this service. Communication efforts in 2024 will take place with the general public, but particularly with seniors and people with disabilities.

Break from 10:09 a.m. to 10:27 a.m. Steve Moran joins the meeting again at 10:27 a.m.

The document Ensemble au meilleur de nous-mêmes — Plan d’action en violence conjugale is presented. Members received the document before the meeting. The objective of the presentation is to inform members about the organization of services offered by the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG), the process that led to the drafting of the domestic violence action plan, the components of this action plan, and the importance of consultation.

The action plan has been in effect since 2023. It will end in 2026. The issue of domestic violence is handled by a set of services and people working within the SPVG: the gendarmerie (165 police officers); the intervention and support team (accompanying victims of domestic violence in the judicial process); investigation services (more complex and serious files); and research, development, and organizational strategy.

The approach used for the development of the action plan was the 360° approach; four consultations bringing together about fifteen external partners, including shelters, as well as partners from cultural, sexual, and social diversity. The plan includes twelve axes, seventeen objectives, and seventy-three actions. Ten partners contribute to an advisory committee set up to monitor the implementation of the plan and advise on the evaluation of these. The implementation of the plan is driven by a culture of performance, that is, a search for the most optimal way to do things. The research community is also solicited to advance practices. During the coming year, advisory committees bringing together victims of violence are planned, with the goal of collecting their knowledge, experiences, and suggestions to improve practices. Citizen consultations (experiential questionnaires and discussion groups) are also planned.

Summary of comments, questions, or answers formulated following the presentation regarding, among other things:

• We congratulate the openness to diversity, to the particularities of domestic violence among same-sex people or immigrant people. The faculty of the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) has specialized resources in domestic violence that could be interesting for this project and the advisory committee. Support can be offered through master's internships. The UQO also offers continuing education services. Pilot projects can be evaluated through master's projects in social work.
• We ask what the impact of the action plan is on citizens. The impact is felt in the collaboration during interventions. The plan has an impact on the health of the population in general by offering more adequate services to victims and perpetrators of domestic violence.
• We salute the work done, the complementarity of the missions, and the bringing together of the values of the various partners involved in the action plan. The plan relies on an approach where work cannot be done alone, where a continuum is ensured by taking into consideration the fields of action of each of the partners involved.
• We ask if the criminalization of coercive control could constitute a step forward to counter and prevent domestic violence. Talking about it is in itself a step forward. The police only intervene when there is an offense. It will be necessary to see how this notion is defined as well as other indicators of domestic violence to move a file forward. This could facilitate referrals.

The document Plan d’action — Fonds pour bâtir des communautés plus sécuritaires is presented. Members received the document before the meeting. The objective of the presentation is to report on the progress of projects related to the Building Safer Communities Fund (FBCS). A financial agreement concluded between the federal government and the ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec allows for supporting the actions of the ten largest cities in Quebec to counter violence related to firearms and gangs. An amount of 2.5 million was granted to the Ville de Gatineau. The responsibility for the project lies with the Service des loisirs, des sports et du développement communautaire (SLSDC) and the SPVG.

The development of Gatineau's action plan focuses on the prevention of crime and violence among youth aged 7 to 35. Its components are:

SPVG:

• Produce a portrait of urban security issues
• Develop an innovative community policing model
• Develop a service trajectory for high-risk clientele

SLSDC:

• Develop and implement a collaborative strategy for crime and violence prevention among youth aged 7 to 35

To date, a portrait of urban security issues has been produced based on the sixteen police sectors. This portrait allows for a good understanding of the reality of the chosen sectors and for prioritizing the actions and strategies to be deployed. Work has also been done by the SPVG to develop an innovative community policing model. A first pilot project will take place in 2024. A service trajectory is in development for referring people who have committed an offense and who present several risk and vulnerability factors. The goal is to modify the path of these people before the risk factors leading to criminality crystallize. For its part, the SLSDC is working to develop and implement a collaborative strategy for crime and violence prevention among youth aged 7 to 35. The ministère de la Sécurité publique asks to develop actions that will specifically target groups of people at risk of experiencing or committing violence. In this perspective, the strategy developed includes two components: tailored (long-term intervention including collaboration and mobilization of organizations and citizens) and ad hoc (targeted response to an emerging and short-term situation that requires less deployment). The implementation of a first tailored action plan for police sector 12 will begin this spring. Two other tailored plans will then be developed.

Nathalie St-Amour leaves the meeting at 11:28 a.m. The quorum is maintained.

Summary of comments, questions, or answers formulated following the presentation regarding, among other things:

• We ask if, from the perspective of creating a hub on criminality, a think tank will be set up to reflect on the changes to be made to the Quebec law regarding the confidentiality of personal information. Does a law that protects so much have more advantages than disadvantages? It is noted that the idea is interesting since the sharing of information constitutes the "nerve of the war." However, this sharing is not easy in the current context. The Ministry is looking at how changes can be made to the Loi sur l’accès des documents des organismes publics et sur la protection des renseignements personnels.
• Regarding the age group chosen, it is mentioned that criminality starts younger and younger. From the age of 12, young people are responsible for their criminal acts. It is therefore desired to start prevention from the age of 7.