PRRDs existing vision good place to start RGS planning
Regional District seeking input from residents
A regional growth strategy (RGS) is a regional visioning document that looks at where the region wants to go together, explained John Ingram, principal and senior planner with EcoPlan International, which has been engaged to assist the Peace River Regional District with the creation of its RGS.
“It’s kind of like a business plan,” added Ashley Murphey, PRRD’s general manager of development services.
EPI representatives, Ingram along with Anne-Marie Whittaker, senior planner and designer, presented an overview of the project to the PRRD board at the November 16 regular meeting.
The RGS is intended to assist with long-term growth in the Peace, and to support coordinated region-wide planning between the PRRD and its member municipalities, over the next 20 years. As regional growth strategies are enabled by the provincial Local Government Act, certain items like employment projections, actions for key areas such as housing, transportation, services, parks, economic development and climate adaptation and resilience are required to be built into the framework of the RGS.
“It’s up to each region to determine what goes in it,” said Whittaker.
While the process for preparing an RGS is largely left up to each region, once it’s adopted, all subsequent regional district bylaws should be consistent with the RGS. In addition, member municipalities will be required to update their Official Community Plans (OCPs) within two years of the adoption of the RGS to include a regional context statement, said Ingram.
The regional context statement sets out the relationship between the RGS and the OCP.
Director Darryl Krakowka, mayor of Tumbler Ridge asked how this would work, as municipalities update their OCPs every five years, and that some are going through the process right now.
Murphey replied that a regional context can be added to the OCPs as an amendment, rather than creating a whole new plan around the RGS.
Hudson’s Hope mayor, Director Travous Quibell wondered if the regional context statement is something municipalities could incorporate into their OCPs ahead of time.
Ingram suggested that municipalities wait until the RGS is completed and presented to the board, but in the meantime member municipalities could include a general statement, speaking to the RGS.
Area E Director Dan Rose was also concerned that the RGS would be yet another plan that gets drawn up and not used. “We have a lot of plans from the past,” he said. “A sea can full.”
Murphey assured Rose that this plan will be used. As part of the RGS, the Regional District is required to establish a monitoring program following its adoption; prepare an annual report once every five years at least; and consider whether the strategy should be reviewed and updated.
“The goal, from my perspective, will focus where we’re going. What the actual plan looks like is yet to be determined,” said Murphey. “It’s absolutely our intent to improve the planning process.”
Determining what goes in the RGS is largely based on feedback and input from residents of the Regional District and the member municipalities. To that end, the PRRD has already begun communicating with area residents and seeking their input. Last week, residents received postcards in the mail asking for feedback by visiting Have Your Say which is a space provided by the PRRD where residents can find information about the active consultations in the Regional District. It also provides opportunity to share ideas and ask questions.
For each phase of the project, there will be engagement, with the aim to build understanding and engage interest, said Whittaker.
“We have a communication strategy and a framework, based on strengthening relationships,” said Ingram. They plan to work closely with member municipalities, and although the RGS doesn’t apply to reserve lands, Ingram said they will ask the First Nations in the Regional District if they are interested in participating in the engagements.
As part of the engagement process, a steering committee was formed, made up of planning staff from the Regional District and member municipalities, representatives from provincial agencies and ministries such as the Agricultural Land Commission, Northern Health and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. They will meet at least five times during the estimated two-year duration of the project, with the first meeting scheduled for November 27.
The steering committee’s purpose is to provide input at key milestones; support communication between the project team, PRRD communities and the public; share project communications; provide input on engagement and communications; support the development of the regional vision, principles, and policy areas; and help review the draft of the RGS.
The Regional District’s existing vision is a great vision, said Ingram, and he would like to take it to the committee to see if they think it’s a good place to start the planning.
“It was created by people who know the area well, it’s short, and it speaks to important areas that the RGS will also speak to,” said Ingram. “It looks to the future.”
In addition to the Have Your Say website, EPI is planning flyers that can be found at public libraries, an FAQ which is on the PRRD website, along with a press release to local media, as well as putting information out through social media.
Ingram mentioned getting feedback from producer groups, but Director Leonard Hiebert said that not all producers in the region are members of such groups. This has proved to be a problem in the past when attempting to communicate with rural residents.
“We will be piggybacking on regional events to get the information out,” said Ingram. “We’ll hold open houses in late spring in each of the member municipalities and at community halls.”
To learn more about the Regional Growth Strategy and give your input, visit the PRRD’s Have Your Say webpage.