Community & Urban Safety Monitoring (CUSM) Project
The Community & Urban Safety Monitoring (CUSM) Project is a national, 2.5-year initiative designed to strengthen data‑driven, multi‑sector approaches to crime prevention and community safety across Canada. Funded through Public Safety Canada’s Crime Prevention Action Fund, the project focuses on developing, testing, and sharing practical tools in monitoring and evaluation that support evidence‑informed, locally grounded community safety work, with attention to Black and Indigenous youth and other equity‑deserving populations.
The CUSM project was inspired by the Urban Safety Monitor (USM), an internationally validated community safety measurement and monitoring framework. The USM helps communities track meaningful indicators, adapt measures to local realities, and use data to inform collaborative decision‑making. The CUSM sought to adapt this tool specifically for Canadian contexts (see Box 1).
Box 1
About the Urban Safety Monitor (USM) Framework
Following the adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations in 2015, there have been growing efforts towards scaling up safety monitoring to track key indicators that support many of these goals (e.g., gender equality (SDG 5), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), and reductions in violence (SDG 16)). In 2021, UN‑Habitat, EFUS, Fixed Africa, and partners developed the Urban Safety Monitor (USM) to help communities around the world track safety outcomes using comparable, locally adaptable indicators. The USM brings together systematic measurement and local multisector approaches by supporting adaptation of indicators to local contexts, demonstrating the impact of safety work, and enabling peer learning across communities.
The CUSM Project aims to:
- Pilot and Study the USM: Pilot and study the implementation of the global Urban Safety Monitor (USM) in 10 diverse communities across Canada. This involved tailored supports and coaching to assess potential risks and benefits about which indicators could follow a standardized framework versus which could be adapted to be locally meaningful.
- Strengthen Multi‑Sector Capacity: Strengthen capacity for monitoring and evaluation in multi‑sector, community‑driven crime prevention and safety initiatives.
- Build a National Community of Practice: Build a national network with shared goals and interests for exploring the successes, challenges, and lessons learned for monitoring, evaluation, and evidence‑based decision‑making across CSWB work.
- Advance Indigenous & Equity‑Informed Measurement: Build relationships with Indigenous partners to foster understanding of Indigenous and equity‑informed perspectives within community safety measurement.
- Develop Practical Tools & Training: Support the development of useful, accessible tools, training, and knowledge products for a diverse group of local practitioners across different contexts.
Key Components of the Project
1. Indigenous‑Led Review (Years 1-3)
Literature Review
Early in the project, a review of literature on Indigenous‑led perspectives and CSWB resources was conducted to inform a framework that: (1) reflects diverse worldviews, (2) mitigates colonial bias and avoids reproduction of harm, (3) embeds safeguards for Indigenous data, stories, and knowledge, and (4) strengthens cultural relevance and relational accountability.
This review was undertaken by Jazlyn O’Bonsawin (CCFSC) with supervisors Ann Marie Beals and Livia Dittmer (Wilfrid Laurier University). See Jazlyn’s positionality note below.
Sharing Circle and Interview Engagements
Building on the literature review, CCFSC and partners gathered insights from Indigenous community members to support adaptation of the USM to Canadian contexts. Engagements were grounded in existing relationships (often alongside CSWB planning) and were co‑designed with local partners to reflect community preferences, timelines, and cultural expectations. Engagement approaches and protocols were approved by the Ethics Board at Wilfred Laurier University.
Facilitation used broad, open‑ended questions about safety and community needs, allowing participants to guide the discussion in directions that felt most important to them.
Insights from these engagements informed the adaptation of the USM and supported development of an Indigenous definition of safety, grounded in the medicine wheel’s four dimensions: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well‑being.
More about Sharing Circles
Scale and locations
- 10 sharing circles
- 5 individual interviews
- Locations: Winnipeg (MB), Kenora (ON), Campbell River (BC), Halifax and Truro (NS), Whitehorse (YT)
Participants
Representation included:
- First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples
- Urban and rural residents
- People with lived and living experience
- Service providers and professionals
- Elders and residential school survivors
- People living in the far North
Sessions and cultural protocols
- Co‑designed with community partners, based on local preferences
- Often opened with a smudge and the offering of tobacco ties (where appropriate)
- Oral or written consent options were offered
- Honoraria were provided to recognize time, knowledge, and contributions
List of guiding questions from facilitations:
- How would you define safety?
- In your community, what makes you feel unsafe?
- In your community, what makes you feel safe?
- What changes would help you feel safer?
2. Advisory Group (Years 1‑3)
An advisory group, including representatives from academia, NGOs, and subject‑matter experts, provided:
- Guidance on adapting the USM, and associated tools, training, and evaluation
- Guidance on layering in the relevant components and considerations from the United Nations’ Human Security Framework
- Feedback on emerging findings
- Support for knowledge exchange
- Insights on community safety, equity, and multisector collaboration
Advisory Group Members included:
- Alexandra Abello Colak (Research Fellow) – London School of Economics and Political Science (UK)
- Amy Siciliano (Public Safety Advisor) – Halifax Regional Municipality
- Angela Vallely (Senior Policy Advisor) – Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative – Public Safety Canada
- Ann Champoux (Executive Director) – International Centre for the Prevention of Crime
- Ann Marie Beals (Assistant Professor) – Wilfrid Laurier University
- Anna Rau (Executive Director) – German-European Forum on Urban Security
- Asma Kaouech (Program Manager) – European Forum on Urban Security
- Brooke Wharton (A/Executive Director) – Cities Revitalisation and Place, Cities and Active Transport (Australia)
- Emma de Villiers / Barbara Holtman – Fixed (South Africa)
- Humera Khan (President and Co-Founder) – Muflehun
- Irvin Waller (Emeritus Professor) – University of Ottawa
- Johannes (Joop) De Haan (Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer) – UNODC
- John Anzola Morales (Office Advisor) – Coexistence and Justice of Bogotá, Secretariat of Security (Colombia)
- Macarena Rau Vargas (President) – International CPTED Association
- Nomusa Shembe (Senior Manager) – eThekweni Municipality (South Africa)
- Rachel Locke (Director) – Violence, Inequality and Power Lab & Peace in Our Cities (US)
- Santiago Uribe (Executive Director) – Coporación Oficina de Resiliencia de Medellín (Colombia)
- Shamoy Hajare (Programme Management Officer) – Human Rights & Social Inclusion Unit, Global Knowledge and Advocacy Division (GKAD), UN-Habitat
3. Knowledge Exchange (Years 1‑3)
- Webinars, meetings, and practitioner exchanges
- Articles and practice briefs
- A pilot‑site community of practice
- Events at national conferences, including the CCFSC annual conference
- Two national trainings for practitioners (one in French, one in English)
4. Toolkit Development (Years 2-3)
A practical toolkit to support Canadian practitioners, including:
- Orientation to the Canadian-adapted USM tool
- How to adapt indicators to various local and Indigenous contexts
- How to collect data respectfully, meaningfully and in culturally appropriate ways
- Training guidance and tools
- Recommendations for ongoing communications and reporting
5. Pilot Testing (Years 2‑3)
Ten communities across Canada pilot the USM with support from CCFSC and project partners. Activities include:
- A virtual community of practice
- Local implementation of monitoring and evaluation practices
- Site visits and mentorship
- Adaptations based on local feedback
- Sharing promising approaches across pilots
6. Evaluation (Years 1‑3)
- An evaluation framework and tools
- Ongoing developmental evaluation throughout pilot testing
- A final evaluation report summarizing findings, challenges, and recommendations
CCFSC CUSM Project Staff Positionalities
Jazlyn O’Bonsawin (2026): I am from a mixed background of Portuguese, Irish, and Indigenous. My Indigeneity comes from my maternal grandfather who was taught from a young age that being Indigenous is something to be ashamed of and as such, he was always careful to hide this part of himself. Due to this internalized shame, I was never told much about my family’s Indigenous roots. I knew I was Indigenous, but I did not really understand what that meant. As I got older, I became more curious about this side of myself and wanted to learn more. For the past seven years, I have been working to reconnect with my Indigeneity and learn more about what it means to be Indigenous and how to walk with that in a good way. For the past three years, I have been learning and growing through my work with the CCFSC CUSM project. I am very grateful for all I have learned, but I recognize that the process of reconnection and learning is never over, and I still have much to learn.
Jess McKeown (2026): I am a straight, cisgender, able-bodied, agnostic settler woman of white, European (primarily Irish) heritage. I have lived on several unceded territories and treaty lands, and I now reside on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. As a settler working across contexts throughout what is now called Canada, on lands that form part of the area many Indigenous Peoples refer to as Turtle Island, I am accountable for understanding the ongoing impacts of colonialism and for recognizing how my many privileges shape my perspectives. I strive to unlearn dominant assumptions, make space for diverse ways of knowing, and approach my work with humility, reflection, and openness to feedback. My identities and experiences influence how I build relationships and how I engage in the CUSM project. I aim to contribute in ways that are transparent, respectful, and grounded in equity.
Melanie Bania (2026): I am a straight, cisgender, able-bodied, agnostic settler woman from a mixed background of Polish and French-Canadian heritage. I grew up in rural Northern Ontario (Kapuskasing) and now reside on the traditional, unceded homelands of the Algonquin Anishinaabe, inhabited by the Algonquin people for millennia. I am committed to understanding the ongoing impacts of colonialism and accountable for recognizing how my privileges shape my perspectives. My approach relies on genuine and intentional engagement, authentic relationship-building, and showing up with curiosity, respect and humility.
Stacey Colliver (2026): I am a straight, cisgender, able-bodied, agnostic settler woman from a background of white, European heritage. I grew up in Stratford, Ontario and still reside there, on the lands of the Neutral (Attawandaron), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. I am committed to understanding the ongoing impacts of colonialism and to continually reflecting on how these structures shape the contexts in which we work. I strive to remain accountable in recognizing how my own privileges and social position influence the perspectives I bring to research. Through my work, I seek to better understand the lived realities and experiences of people within the communities we partner with, and to ensure that these perspectives meaningfully inform the work we do. I aim to carry this commitment into all aspects of my practice, both in my role at CCFSC, as well as in my academic work, by approaching research with a desire to learn from community knowledge and expertise.
Acknowledgements
The CUSM Project and this Toolkit were made possible through the collective contributions of many people and organizations. We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who shared their time, knowledge, and experience throughout this 2.5‑year initiative.
Indigenous Partners & Contributors
We respectfully acknowledge the Indigenous community members, Elders, knowledge keepers, youth, and service providers who participated in sharing circles, interviews, and community‑led engagements. Their insights guided the development of an Indigenous definition of safety and grounded the adaptation of indicators in relational, cultural, and community contexts.
Pilot Sites & Community Partners
Thank you to the ten pilot communities and their partners who implemented the adapted USM, offered feedback, and shared local innovations. Their participation ensured the Toolkit reflects diverse community realities across Canada.
Advisory Group
We gratefully recognize the academic, practitioner, and international experts who provided guidance on indicator adaptation, multisector collaboration, and knowledge exchange throughout the project.
International Partners
We also acknowledge global contributors who shared expertise on urban safety measurement and supported alignment with international learning while adapting the USM for Canadian contexts.
Funders & Supporters
The project was supported by Public Safety Canada’s Crime Prevention Action Fund, along with partner organizations that provided time, insights, and capacity throughout the project cycle.
CCFSC Team & Capacity
As a small nonprofit without core funding or a dedicated communications team, CCFSC relied on collaborative effort to produce this Toolkit. Minor inconsistencies may appear; we welcome feedback and will make reasonable updates as capacity allows.
Land Acknowledgement
This work was shaped on many Indigenous homelands. Members of our team live and work on the territories of the Algonquin Anishinaabe (Ottawa), Kanien’kehá:ka (Montréal), Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil‑Waututh (Vancouver), and the Mississauga, Anishinaabew, and Attiwonderonk (Mitchell). Pilot sites and advisors contributed from regions across what is now known as Canada and internationally. We honour the original caretakers of these lands and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of colonization.