Canmore Creates Cross-Agency Public Safety Group

Canmore has created a new Public Safety Working Group that brings town staff, police, schools, transit and community groups to the same table to talk about local safety concerns.

The group held its first meeting in January. Early topics included bike, e-bike and e-scooter safety, along with concerns at bus stops. The town did not spell out which bus stops were discussed or what the concerns involved.

Nicky Pacas, a communications advisor for the Town of Canmore, said the Protective Services Department formed the group “to discuss safety concerns, build relationships between partners and the community, and to develop practical solutions for the community.”

Pacas said the goal is to get the right organizations in one room so they can agree on next steps, instead of tackling the same problem separately. She said the working group talks about safety issues that partners see in their day-to-day work and issues reported by the public. 

Pacas said the group includes representatives from town departments and community organizations. She said it will look at community safety concerns from different points of view, then work together on shared solutions.

The town’s update lists these participating town departments: Protective Services, Municipal Enforcement, Community Social Development, Economic Development, Facilities and Recreation. The update also lists these external partners: Canadian Rockies Public Schools, Canmore RCMP, Downtown Canmore BIA, the Homelessness Society of the Bow Valley, Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy and ROAM Transit.

Pacas said the working group also includes Fire-Rescue, Canmore Pride and the YWCA, along with town staff from Economic Development, Arts and Culture.

She said many of the same safety issues affect most of the groups in the room. In the past, she said, some groups worked on problems like bike and e-bike safety on their own or in small groups. She said the working group is meant to reduce overlap, so groups do not repeat the same work and can move faster on shared fixes.

Residents looking for help or trying to report a concern can find contact options on the Town of Canmore’s Public Safety pages, including its Who to Call guide.