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Community Social Safety Initiative (CSSI)

The Community Social Safety Initiatives (CSSI) is a multi-faceted program that seeks to ensure citizens feel safe and engaged; citizens are protected; and citizens’ well-being is supported. The City is working with community partners and other levels of government to gather their input, identify service gaps and opportunities to improve service levels where needed. Programs and/or initiative developed under the CSSI will encourage public engagement in positive activities and interactions, volunteer opportunities and will increase the vibrancy of our community. The CSSI will ultimately execute the LEAD plan to deliver on Council’s vision.

LEAD Maple Ridge

Your Maple Ridge Council has deployed an integrated plan to ensure citizens are able to live their best lives today and into the future. The plan is called ‘LEAD Maple Ridge.’ LEAD is an acronym for Listen, Engage, Assess and Deliver. The short video below provides an introduction to the LEAD plan.

Manager of Community Social Safety Initiative

It was recognized early on that a champion was required for successful implementation of the Community Social Safety Initiative and to manage the team of Community Safety Officers. Chad Cowles, was hired as the Manager of Community Social Safety Initiative in February 2020. This role is key to ensuring the City is creating a lasting legacy of community safety initiative that include the learnings and advice from City staff and two expert consultants.

Community Safety Officers (CSOs)

A top priority of Council’s Strategic Plan is Community Safety. A strong commitment to this priority is the delivery of a suite of Community Social Safety Initiative (CSSI) . One of these initiative was the creation of a team of Community Safety Officers (CSOs) within Bylaw Services, who provide a swift and effective response to some of the City’s most challenging social problems. CSOs focus on homelessness, drug addiction and mental illness and provide a proactive citywide service, with a particular focus on the town centre. CSOs redefine how the Bylaw Department engages with the vulnerable sector while supporting citizens and the business community. 

Should you have an inquiry related to community social safety, please send our team an email.

Community Conversation

We will identify and prioritize problems that need to be addressed in our community.

  • Community Partners meetings to engage community experts to gather information and establish priorities for the LEAD Maple Ridge Plan.
  • Maple Ridge Council implemented a Business Walk Program that included a survey. The results of that survey were presented to Council on Tuesday, November 26, 2019. The media release for that project can be found here. The link to the Council report and data can be found here.

Safety and Security


Mayor and Council made a commitment to deal with the community safety concerns they heard on the campaign trail. We will evaluate how we can deploy police, bylaws and security resources to ensure that all citizens feel safe and are confident in their daily interactions.
A number of initiative have been implemented to date and include:

  • Increased enforcement coordination and additional security patrols in the Town Centre to ensure the safety of citizens who are enjoying community events, shopping and park amenities.
  • Enhanced early morning cleanups of public areas to better support safe experiences for citizens using our business community. An enhanced and integrated communications system for security, volunteer and City staff to ensure prompt deployment of resources to address any concerns that arise in the downtown core.
  • Installed thirteen new laneway lights in the Town Centre as part of the Light Alleyways program.
  • Increased focus on delivering free community events in and around Memorial Peace Park to provide fun family activities well into the evening. There was a positive uptake last summer and the result is that people feel a strong sense of safety and community pride. This program will continue into the summer of 2020.
  • Council adopted the Nuisance and Safer Streets Bylaws.

Health and Social Services

We have engaged experts who deliver health and social services in our community to create strong connections and provide collaboration to achieve the best outcomes for all citizens. We will examine how we can advocate and support people dealing with substance misuse to connect them with the pathways to recovery.

  • There are a number of agencies working in the community to address homelessness. Each agency has created a list of "FAQs" to provide information on the work their agency is doing in Maple Ridge to address the impacts of homelessness. Visit Addressing Homelessness in Maple Ridge for more information.

Social Housing


We are addressing the need for affordable housing for youth, young families, seniors, people with disabilities and those struggling with housing instability.

  • The City of Maple Ridge Social Housing Plan was established in 2019 and defines a number of Council priorities related to the provision of supportive and affordable housing opportunities in our community.
  • These priorities include the development of a "Made in Maple Ridge" demonstration model of a permanent supportive housing facility, expanding the affordable housing opportunities for Maple Ridge seniors and families, endorsing a social services mapping exercise to inform other potential housing services needed in Maple Ridge and the development of a regulatory approach for supportive recovery homes in residential settings in Maple Ridge.

Resources

Maple Ridge Council has delivered a number of action items as part of the Community Social Safety Initiative.

CSSI Updates 

Related Bylaws

Find the most commonly requested City bylaws and regulations here. 

Open Government Portal

The Open Government Portal provides access to information that matters to residents of Maple Ridge and is a one-stop data shop that is home to data sets, documents and applications designed to inform and engage. 

Open Government Portal