I’m proud to highlight West Nipissing’s involvement in the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) Small Cities Initiative and in the development of the Small Cities Playbook for Action.
Over the past two years, I had the opportunity to work alongside municipal leaders, public health professionals, service providers, Indigenous representatives, and people with lived experience from across Canada. This provided valuable insight into how communities are responding to shared challenges and helped inform new approaches that can be brought back to West Nipissing. It also led to an opportunity to speak at CCSA’s national Issues of Substanceconference this past November, where I joined a panel of municipal and community leaders from across the country to share perspectives from our communities.
A special thank you to Lynn Perreault, Program Manager of the Alliance Centre, who joined me at the Municipal Leaders Table in Lethbridge, Alberta, helping bring the voice of West Nipissing’s frontline service providers to this important national conversation.
Small communities like ours are not immune to the impacts of the substance use crisis. The effects are felt across families, schools, workplaces and neighbourhoods, often while municipalities are working with limited resources and increasing pressures. West Nipissing’s participation helped ensure those realities were reflected in the final framework. The Small Cities Playbook for Action recognizes that there is no single solution and provides practical, evidence-based tools that communities can adapt to their local needs.
I am grateful that West Nipissing had the opportunity to be part of this initiative and contribute in a meaningful way.
Kathleen Rochon
Mayor, Municipality of West Nipissing