Across Canada and beyond, communities are piloting new approaches to safety that move beyond patrols and punishment. These models test alternatives, measure outcomes, and spark conversations about what works better than the status quo. But pilots only matter if they scale — and if they stay accountable to the communities they’re meant to serve.
Examples of Promising Models
Crisis response teams: Pairing mental health professionals with police — or replacing police entirely in certain calls.
Violence interrupters: Community members mediating conflicts before they escalate.
Restorative justice programs: Bringing offenders and victims together to repair harm.
Housing + health pilots: Combining shelter with wraparound supports, reducing 911 calls.
Youth engagement hubs: Spaces mixing recreation, mentorship, and prevention.
Canadian Context
Toronto & Ottawa: Piloting non-police crisis response teams, with early evidence of fewer escalations.
Medicine Hat: “Housing First” approach drastically reduced chronic homelessness.
Winnipeg: Indigenous-led justice programs grounded in cultural traditions.
Smaller municipalities: Testing community safety officer hybrids for rural areas.
The Challenges
Short-term funding: Pilots often collapse once the initial grant runs out.
Evaluation gaps: Success measured in anecdotes, not standardized metrics.
Scaling resistance: Police and political institutions reluctant to cede resources or control.
Equity blind spots: Some pilots fail to include marginalized voices in design.
The Opportunities
Evidence base: Collect and share results to move beyond pilot status.
Cross-sector learning: Health, housing, and education sectors can inform safety design.
Community ownership: Pilots designed with residents, not just imposed on them.
Policy leverage: Use pilot successes to push systemic funding and legislation.
The Bigger Picture
Pilot projects show that another kind of safety is possible. They challenge assumptions, surface innovations, and prove that enforcement isn’t the only tool. But unless they move beyond “pilot mode,” they risk becoming experiments that never transform the system.
The Question
If we already know what works in pilots, then the real challenge isn’t innovation — it’s political will. Which leaves us to ask: how do we turn promising models into permanent pillars of community safety?
Pilot Projects and Promising Models: What’s Actually Working?
Experimentation in Safety
Across Canada and beyond, communities are piloting new approaches to safety that move beyond patrols and punishment. These models test alternatives, measure outcomes, and spark conversations about what works better than the status quo. But pilots only matter if they scale — and if they stay accountable to the communities they’re meant to serve.
Examples of Promising Models
Canadian Context
The Challenges
The Opportunities
The Bigger Picture
Pilot projects show that another kind of safety is possible. They challenge assumptions, surface innovations, and prove that enforcement isn’t the only tool. But unless they move beyond “pilot mode,” they risk becoming experiments that never transform the system.
The Question
If we already know what works in pilots, then the real challenge isn’t innovation — it’s political will. Which leaves us to ask:
how do we turn promising models into permanent pillars of community safety?