The word “sustainability” has become a popular buzzword, but it’s an important part of community planning.
The evolution of a sustainable community, not only environmentally, but economically, socially and culturally, is critical to Quesnel’s long-term prosperity and vitality.
To see this happen, Quesnel needs to develop a comprehensive, community-wide sustainability vision and plan. A new initiative, ourQuesnel: Sustainability in Action, has been launched to guide that process.
ourQuesnel will create an essential planning process and policy document that will guide the long-term planning decisions and practices of local government and participating partner organizations moving forward.
It will deliver a vision, support the City’s strategic planning process, and lead to the development of a successful and sustainable future for the community five, 10, 20 years from now and beyond.
Citizens and partner organizations are being asked to get involved in the process. Most immediately, they are invited to provide input regarding the priorities Quesnel should address looking to the future. This is being done via an online survey running April 10 – 21. Links to that survey and additional information about the process, can be found at www.ourquesnel.com
“Creating a shared vision for the future success and sustainability of the community will have long-term benefits,” Mayor Mary Sjostrom said.
“It will also allow us to enjoy short-term benefits, such as developing a community-wide framework for decision making and a common language for local discussion and dialogue. Achieving a shared vision will only be possible with community-wide commitment, so we hope people will get involved.”
“Quesnel has opportunities and faces challenges, but in those challenges, additional opportunities are found,” Coun. Ed Coleman, the ourQuesnel Sustainability Task Force chair said.
“ourQuesnel will be the lens and filter for all our decisions and for how we do business in the future. Council and staff will be actively engaged and we encourage our community to get involved as well.”
Led by the City of Quesnel and the Whistler Centre for Sustainability, ourQuesnel will work towards that target between now and the end of the year through a streamlined process, informed by an advisory team made up of citizens, Council, staff and partner organizations.
The City of Quesnel and partner organizations will be able to use the ourQuesnel process to guide decisions and activities at all levels and across all functions.
The Whistler Centre for Sustainability is a non-profit organization that provides sustainability planning and implementation advisory services to local governments in B.C. and across Canada. To learn more about the Centre’s work, visit www.whistlercentre.ca.
–submitted by
City Hall staff
