West Nipissing’s mayor says she’s grateful the municipality had the opportunity to be part of, and contribute, to the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction Small Cities Initiative.
That also includes 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,” says Mayor Kathleen Thorn Rochon. “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.”
She says small communities 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,” says Thorne Rochon. “West Nipissing’s participation helped ensure those realities were reflected in the final framework.”
She adds 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.
