People in Fort St. John will be better served by a collaborative approach to complex social challenges that brings together a diverse range of front-line workers to deliver faster access to services for individuals at risk of harm or victimization.

Safe Community Situation Tables gather front-line workers from the public safety, health and social-service sectors to identify high-risk individuals and rapidly connect them to services and supports they need, before they experience a negative or traumatic event.

“Every person in every community wants to feel safe. The incidents of violence and vandalism that have emerged in recent years in B.C. communities, particularly in the northeast, are very concerning,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “That’s why we are working with the community of Fort St. John to implement a Safe Community Situation Table that will strengthen the ability to respond to challenges they are facing, better protecting people, while swiftly connecting them to essential services.”

Communities in northern British Columbia have been experiencing an uptick in violence, and Fort St. John will be one of 36 communities in B.C. with Safe Community Situation Tables operating throughout the province. Members of the Fort St. John table are expected to complete their training and onboarding in the coming months. The partners will meet on a weekly basis to address issues pertaining to their community, such as mental health and addictions, homelessness, poverty, violent repeat offending and survival crime.  

Safe Community Situation Tables provide a structured, collaborative approach to managing complex and urgent circumstances by bringing together key groups and using systematic processes to mitigate risk and develop action plans to respond more effectively to the needs of each individual. Furthermore, aggregate data analysis helps policy-makers assess gaps and risks in their communities.

The tables are considered an effective way to improve community safety and well-being by enabling community front-line workers to:

• proactively identify risks through real-time information sharing;
• reduce long-term demand on emergency and police resources;
• leverage and co-ordinate existing community assets and relationships between health supports, victim services, and culturally safe support and services;
• plan and deliver collaborative interventions before an incident occurs; and
• reduce increased risk in people’s lives.

“I am grateful for the Province’s generous support of the Fort St. John situation table, which will enable us to bolster our community’s efforts in addressing complex social issues and providing timely assistance to those in need,” said Lila Hansen, mayor of Fort St. John. “Together, we continue to build a stronger, more resilient community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”

The Province is supporting Fort St. John with a $75,000 grant to assist with implementation. Since 2018, more than $3 million has been provided to B.C. regions and communities to facilitate local Safe Community Situation Tables, Indigenous intervention circles and other related initiatives. There are 44 funded situation tables and intervention circles in B.C. Thirty-six of these are operational and the other eight are being implemented.

Safe Community Situation Tables are advancing the Safer Communities Action Plan’s goal of creating safe, healthy communities for everyone. The tables build on the programs, services and initiatives the Province has undertaken or implemented to strengthen enforcement to break the cycle of violence and crime, and to strengthen services to keep communities safe and healthy.

Learn More:

For more information about situation tables, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/policing-in-bc/collaborative-public-safety-program/situation-tables

For more information about ways the Province is making communities safer for everyone, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/safer-communities