THE SHORT VERSION: A strategic plan lays out Council’s vision and goals for its term. Four strategic focus areas I think our next Council should consider adopting are: Connecting Our Community, Working as a Region, Citizen Service, and Growing For the Future
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THE SHORT VERSION: Big Shiny Projects (BSPs) are expensive projects which get a lot of attention and are exciting to consider. Past examples include Revolution Place and The Eastlink Centre. A current example is the Bear Creek Outdoor Pool. BSPs have a place in our City, and future Councils should consider undertaking them. However, right now is not the time to start a BSP. Our very next Council needs to focus on two projects that are big but not shiny and exciting. Those are: 1) fixing the bypass (which will cost a lot of money) and 2) regional agreements (which will take a lot of time and attention- read more about them here). When it comes to recreation and community enhancement, our next Council should be looking at smaller projects, especially those that have volunteer support.
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THE SHORT VERSION: The province is giving the City and County two years to decide how to get better at working together. These negotiations will get complicated, but they are important. Our Council needs to do a good job representing the City. At the same time, negotiations need to be collaborative rather than oppositional. We need people at the negotiating table who are consensus builders. Our focus also needs to be on growing regional opportunities, not just “getting our fair share.” If elected, I think I will be an important voice in this conversation.I'd love to hear your thoughts on City-County partnerships.
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