As one of ten communities in Canada selected to participate in Project UPSTREAM, The City of Colwood is bringing community service providers and youth together to clearly define the factors that make our community a safe place to live, and strategies to keep it that way.
Project UPSTREAM is an initiative funded by Public Safety Canada and led by the Canadian Centre for Safer Communities (CCFSC), and Colwood is proud to be among cities from across the country doing this work, including Halifax, Edmonton, Regina, Timmins, Laval and others.
Colwood’s goal is to continue to support a community of caring and connected neighbours despite the complex societal challenges today’s cities face due to political differences, cultural and identity-based tension, and global conflict.
Boosting the capacity of communities to assess and address the factors that contribute to polarization is essential to mitigating the risk of violence. Too often, communities are forced to respond to these issues only after a crisis has occurred.
Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi: “This is an incredible opportunity to benefit from the expertise of national partners to pull together Colwood-specific data that helps to clearly define what makes our community safe, where there may be risks, and how to implement strategies to address risk before harm takes place,” said Kobayashi.
Through UPSTREAM, the City aims to amplify community voices in shaping a Colwood approach to supporting safety, starting with a series of focus groups to hear directly from local health providers, police officers, mental health workers, counsellors, teachers, students and many others.
Colwood staff are working with research experts assigned through the CCFSC to compile comprehensive data about Colwood and facilitate ten focus groups between December and February 2026. The data and focus group findings are expected to be presented to Colwood Council this spring.
Colwood’s continued focus on community
“Strengthening community” is first on the list of Colwood Council’s strategic priorities, and project UPSTREAM can be added to the initiatives the City has implemented that demonstrate this commitment:
- Connecting residents with a family doctor through the establishment of the Colwood Clinic
- Supporting the health and safety of youth through a Youth Engagement Coordinator
- Fostering volunteerism and community groups with a Volunteer Coordinator
- Active support of arts and culture with the establishment of the Goldfinch Arts Centre and and an ongoing program of community events.
- Investing in infrastructure that promotes active transportation and safe routes to school
- Planning for expansion of our police building to support community safety into the future
- Parks and recreation plans that encourage people to be outdoors, active and connected
- Council endorsement of the City’s participation in Project UPSTREAM on August 25, 2025
Participating in Project UPSTREAM will strengthen Colwood’s understanding of how initiatives like these support safety and ways we can continue to involve our community in keeping residents healthy, connected, and safe.
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Media contact
Sandra Russell, Communications Manager
srussell@colwood.ca
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