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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/10/2015 (Special - Strategic Plan) Special General Purpose and Administration Committee Agenda Date: March 10, 2015 Time: 9:00 AM Place: Courtice Community Complex Hall A 2950 Courtice Road If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Municipal Clerk at 905-623-3379 ext. 2102. 1. Meeting Called to Order 2. Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest 3. Presentations Bill Winegard and Dr. Brynn Winegard, Winegard & Company, Facilitation of the Strategic Planning Workshop 4. Adjournment Corporation of The Municipality of Clarington 40 Temperance Street, Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3A6 905-623-3379 r Clarington 2015-2018 Strategic Plan March 10, 2015 th Bill Winegard: Bill Winegard: winegard@rogers.comwinegard@rogers.com Brynn Winegard: Brynn Winegard: brynnwinegard@winegardcompany.combrynnwinegard@winegardcompany.com Agenda Introductions Background Information •February 2015 public survey •February 2015 “Just One Thing” question •The 2015 Strategic Planning context •studies and reports •Asset Management Plan •The “Sustainable Clarington” Committee report •The “Legacy interviews” Agenda Six Priority themes emerge •Do we agree on them? Statements of Importance •Your ideas under each theme •How to get it done? Meaning and Measures Exercise •What do the ideas mean exactly? •How do we measure them? Legacy priorities •Let others hear what you hope to achieve as member of Council A framework for setting priorities Applying the framework to your ideas Next steps Background Information February 2015 Public Survey •Invitation mailed to 3000 Clarington households, selected at random (every 10th residential occupied property on assessment roll) •Survey on-line; paper copies available by calling Municipality •Listing of 25 potential community issues/priorities (developed by consultant with input from CAO’s office) •Respondents asked to rate importance of (1-5) and satisfaction with (1-5) •257 responses •Results accurate to 6% 19 times out of 20 Background Information: Survey Survey:Highest Importance Providing good value for the tax dollar Maintaining the condition of local roads Supporting local agricultural businesses Supporting small businesses Retaining and expanding businesses Survey:Highest Importance Subject to margin of error… Policies to protect the natural environment Improving traffic flow Maintaining the small-town attraction of Clarington Within margin of error… Encouraging waste reduction Improving the visual appearance of the community Expediting well-planned development Survey:Lowest Importance Promote public awareness of our heritage Promote public awareness of our arts and culture activities •Subject to margin of error Promote Clarington as a tourist destination Facilitate participation in/effectiveness of community orgs Survey:Satisfaction Survey:Highest Satisfaction Encouraging waste reduction Recreation facilities to keep pace with our growth Maintaining the small-town attraction of Clarington Improving the visual appearance of the community Maintaining the condition of local roads (!) Encouraging active lifestyles Promoting awareness of our arts and culture activities BUT NOT EVEN WITHIIN MARGIN OF ERROR Retaining and expanding businesses Expediting well-planned development Improving traffic flow Timely 2-way communication on community services and priorities Survey:LowestSatisfaction Improving traffic flow Maintaining the condition of local roads Developing waterfront parks Providing value for the tax dollar Managing growth to maintain small-town character Expanding the network of parks and trails Expediting well-planned development BUT NOT EVEN WITHIN THE MARGIN OF ERROR Encouraging active lifestyles Promoting Clarington as a tourist destination Enhancing the vitality of downtowns Satisfaction/Importance Matrix Satisfaction High Low Don't Know (4+5 =30% +)Medium(1+2 = 20% +)(DK=20% +) Natural environment Natural env High Agriculture Tax value Agriculture Importance (4+5 =70% Small-town Small business Local roads Small business +)attractionRetain businessTraffic flow Retain business 2 way communicationWell-planned Active life Customer service Waterfront Waste reduce Waste reduce Communication Parks + trails Energy reduce Rec facilities Energy reduction Well-planned Customer service MediumVisual Downtowns small town ch2 way commun Low Community orgs Culture (1+2 = Heritage Heritage 20%+)Culture TourismCommunity orgs Survey Results, Importance/Satisfaction: Areas to Focus Survey:“Don’t Know” Responses Respondents feel they know about tangibles…tax bill, roads, traffic, rec facilities, the visual appearance of Clarington Substantial “don’t know” answers to everything else Particularly matters related to •Local businesses and agriculture •Community organizations, heritage, arts and culture •Local environment and waterfront •Communication by the Municipality Characteristic of a sizable “commute-oriented”population? DOES THIS SUGGEST THAT IT SHOULD ALSO BE A PRIORITY TO MAKE RESIDENTS MORE AWARE OF THE CLARINGTON COMMUNITY AND WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER? ‘Just One Thing’ Responses Clarington’s 2015 Strategic Planning Context Existing studies: •Sustainable Clarington Committee report -2013 •Asset Management Plan (roads and bridges) -2014 •Transportation Master plan -2014 •Official Plan Review studies -2013/14 •Fire Services Master Plan -2014 •Community Improvement Plans -2008 •Development Charges Study 2010 Upcoming: •Development Charges Study update •Asset Management Plan update •Greenbelt / Oak Ridges Moraine/ “Places to Grow” Plan Review Requests: •From tourism group •From arts and cultural groups Asset Management Actions Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee September, 2014 The ‘Legacy’ Interviews What each member of Council hopes to leave your community •Thank you for valuable time you took to talk to Curry about what you hope to achieve during the invaluable time you commit to serving your community as a member of its municipal Council ‘Legacy’ Question Nearing End of Day •We will ask each of you please to summarize the achievements that you hope to leave behind after your municipal career •Curry’s summary will be available to take with you ECONOMIC LEGACIES Increased business investment and job creation in Clarington; Innovative sectors reaching new markets Hoped-for achievements to get us there: •Strengthened intergovernmental ties; Provincial investment •Partnerships and common focus among all local sectors/organizations •All-out community focus on attracting investment/jobs •OP and zoning update … flexible docs, ready for business, clear processes •Ever-improving quality of life: business comes to good places to live •Reduced barriers to investment, learned from customers + other municipalities •Post-secondary institution •Infrastructure –fibre optic, 401 interchanges, GO train, good roads •Small business advisory service COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT LEGACIES A caring Clarington community with residents strongly engaged in improving the quality of life Hoped-for achievements to get us there: •More affordable housing built for seniors •New events that unite all of Clarington •Sustainability committee recommendations on citizen engagement implemented –communication, volunteer recruitment, governance training •More theatre space retrofitted into heritage buildings •Recreation facilities in south Bowmanville ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACIES Stewardship and appreciation of Clarington’s natural environment and outdoor amenities Hoped-for achievements to get us there: •Public awareness of Clarington’s unique natural features •Sustainable Clarington committee’s recommendations implemented as they pertain to environment and outdoor amenities •Trail links and enhancements •Enhancement of existing parks GOVERNANCE LEGACIES A municipality that makes decisions with prudence and foresight and that delivers good value for the tax dollar collected Hoped-for achievements to get us there •Infrastructure (roads, rec, fire) that has kept up to the demands of growth and facilitated investment •Consistent communication with/ high reputation among residents •Customer-sensitive service delivery •Partnerships and prominence with other orders of government •A reputation for relating financial decisions to their impact on private households •Transparent review and explanation of spending decisions •Succession planning with respect to municipal staff •Collaborations with Region and school board in decisions about acquisition/disposal of land/facilities Emerging Priority Themes for Clarington 2015-2018 Emerging Priority Themes for Clarington (6) Value for Tax Dollars •Ensuring you provide—and demonstrating that you provide – excellent value for the tax dollars you collect Condition of Roads, Traffic Flow •Maintaining the condition of local roads and improving the flow of traffic Investment for the creation of jobs, local business •Facilitating new investment and the creation of new jobs by local business, including agriculture Emergent Priority Themes for Clarington (6) Managing Growth, Small Town Feel •Managing growth to maintain a ‘small town’ character that residents appreciate Environment & Outdoors •Respecting the environment and facilitating residents’ access to and activities in the outdoors Residents Awareness of Clarington Community •Making Clarington residents more aware of their community Strategic Planning: Statements of Importance Statements of Importance Write Ideas •One Idea Per Post-It Note •*Write Very Clearly*! Clearly •Ideas, thoughts, priorities, goals •Consider specific initiatives that could be achieved by 2018 under each Be Specific of the 6 themes •Have beginning and end; are measurable/demonstrable •Use action verbs Quantity •At least 2 statements of importance per theme •Sliding scale of direct Municipal control Language •e.g. ‘conduct’, ‘undertake’, ‘co-fund’, ‘require’, ‘facilitate’, ‘support’, ‘encourage’, ‘advocate for’, etc. Statements of Importance: Paste to Wall, Reading Time Paste all your Quietly, read ALL notes to the OTHER POST-IT respective themesNOTES Statements of Importance: Discussion, Grouping Now feel free to If you see move around, statements that discuss, compare are alike, GROUP post-it notesTHEM TOGETHER Strategic Planning: Adding to Statements What, if anything, is missing from this wall? Are there any elephants in the room? What are people not posting? New ideas emerging in your mind? Results of Exercise Strategic Priorities Outlined •With some supporting tactics All Statements Captured •Allows qualitative data and contextual understanding for strategic planning to follow Thank you •For contributions to statements of importance wall Strategic Planning: Meaning and Measures Strategic Planning: Meaning and Measures Based on the (6) strategic priority themes and the tactics you have just developed… Clarify what the tactics mean where necessary •Mostly focusing on clusters within theme, not individual ideas Brainstorm measures for each… How are initiatives measurable/demonstrable? ‘Legacy’ Statements Strategic Planning: Legacy Statements Pretend it is now 2018. After 4 years in office, you are telling your family what you are most proud of having achieved What do you want to be able to say happened in your 4 years of office? What’s the *one thing* you care about most? A Framework for Setting Priorities Determining Strategic Planning Priorities •High •High Importance, Importance, Low FeasibilityHigh Feasibility Prioritization Green Light Exercise Importance Prioritization Red Light Exercise •Low •Low Importance, Importance, Low High FeasibilityFeasibility Feasibility Priority Discussion Framework Importance 5 4 Effectivenes s Business Legal Public to Case 3 ROI Community Require Safety/ Accomplish (Efficiency Priority/ mentHealthGoals/ Support invest Realize /Liability ment) 2 Vision 1 Priority Discussion Framework Feasibility 5 4 Human 3 Cost Technical/ Allies/ Cost(s) Juris- Environ - Funds diction Human Influence 2 mental Available Resources 1 Strategic Planning Priorities: Another View I M P O R T A N C E F E A S I B I L I T Y Applying This Framework to Priorities/Ideas Outlined Applying Framework to Ideas Think about (6) strategic priority themes Think about clusters under each •Think some extent to the about ideas within the clusters Assign Ideas to Importance/Feasibility Quadrants •High Importance, High Feasibility –Green Light •Low I, Low F –Red Light •High I, Low F—Prioritization Required •Low I, High F—Prioritization Required Determining Strategic Planning Priorities •High •High Importance, Importance, Low FeasibilityHigh Feasibility Prioritization Green Light Required Importance Prioritization Red Light Required •Low •Low Importance, Importance, Low High FeasibilityFeasibility Feasibility Next Steps Next Steps Today’s output written up by Brynn and Bill, circulated to participants •Staff opportunity to investigate and provide advice to Council about various aspects of Feasibility, such as •Municipal authority and capability •Resource implications, potential revenue sources, etc. •Timing; contingent events •Potential partners, opportunities, obstacles Further Council meeting provides opportunity to review, revise, refine what we have said today •Change priorities? •Refine how to go about it? •Phasing? Next Steps Revised Draft produced by staff, incorporating Council`s revisions Staff develop and recommend a detailed action plan for Council`s consideration •Description of proposed detailed actions to implement Council`s direction •Revised 10-year capital forecast •Workplan for further studies, individual projects, etc. •Communication and consultation implications, etc. Council review of proposed detailed action plan Council adoption of strategic plan with detailed action plan Strategic plan implemented through budgets, department workplans, individual project plans, etc. Thank You & Farewell! Bill Winegard: Winegard@rogers.com Brynn Winegard: BrynnWinegard@WinegardCompany.com Results of interviews with Municipality of Clarington Council members on legacy questions I What is the purpose of this report? This report provides a summary of the results of interviews by Curry Clifford, the Municipality's Corporate Initiatives Officer with Clarington councillors in February and March 2015. The interviews were held in order to gather information useful for the Council's March 10th special meeting being held to determine strategic priorities for their term of office. This is one of several inputs from the community for this strategic planning workshop. Others have been prepared under separate cover. How was this information gathered? These were largely one-on one interviews of about one hour in duration. Councillors were sent the following questions in advance: 1. What do you wish to tell your grandchildren /descendants that you had a hand in accomplishing back when you were on council during the 2015-2018 term? You may wish to consider this in terms of: a. Municipal or community project and/or b. A process or new way of doing things that you helped get introduced and/or c. An attitudinal shift within the Municipality or the community in paying attention to an issue(s) that wasn't getting effective attention or looking at an issue(s) differently. In describing the legacy, please specify what success would look like. 2. Why is achieving this outcome important? 3. How will we get to this outcome? What were the results? Councillors shared their care and commitment to bettering the community from several dimensions. For purposes of strategic planning, these can be grouped into common and conventional categories of legacies sought in terms of results in the following areas: 1. Economic 2. Social 3. Environmental 4. Governance. Details of legacies for these four areas are summarized in three pages attached. 1 1. Economic: Councillors are wanting to leave as a legacy a prosperous economy for Clarington's current and future generations. This looks like: - more jobs in Clarington - strong local investment - innovation and market growth across a very diverse range of businesses. Council members spoke to this from the perspective of how to make this happen both in terms of process type of actions and specific projects. Specific process type suggestions included: (1) tightening the relationship with Queen's Park and building support for and community understanding that key decisions are required by the Province on provincial infrastructure (e.g., GO train extension, 401 interchanges) and key policies (e.g., the role of nuclear in provincial energy supply; farmland protection) to realize economic opportunities in Clarington. (2) taking a partnership "we're all in this together" approach (council, municipal staff, residents, businesses, community organizations). Specific actions suggested here included: - repeating the successful approach of the municipal staff working closely with a councillor and the CBOT to facilitate an investment - leaving oneself open to learning from customers, e.g., mystery shoppers, exit interviews with departing businesses, inviting comment on areas for improvement - disclosing to investors up front the full range of requirements they will have to meet - creating, as the City of Hamilton has done, an organizational priority on economic development and adjusting decision-making processes to reflect this - bringing tourism operators together with agriculture producers, non-tourist businesses benefiting from and affecting tourism, cycling groups and trail providers. (3) Understanding that the overall quality of life that a municipality can offer is a key element in attracting and retaining business investment, reflecting the Sustaibility Committee's "It's All Connected" theme and its suggested outcome for the community of"An Attractive Business Environment". A good quality of life in practical terms means, councillors suggested: it's easy to move around; there is a good trail system; there is access to good GO service. (4) Completing the OP and updating the zoning by-law - identified as critical to generating economic success and a key legacy for this term of office - the municipal government itself should not make it difficult (expensive and time consuming) for those who want to invest in the community with proposals that realize the Municipality's own goals. (5) Addressing barriers for Clarington businesses to expand is key to economic growth including questioning whether development charges for industrial development should be charged at all. Specific project type suggestions included: 1. Significantly improving the 401 interchanges at Liberty St and Waverly Rd. 2. Providing a business advisory service (through the CBOT) to small businesses 3. Bringing a fibre optic network to the community, enabling existing businesses and attracting new ones, (e.g., those needing to get complex digital drawings to potential customers) 4. Locating a liquid natural gas station close to the entrance to the 407 at 35/115 may be esp. helpful for goods movement 5. Attracting a college or university to locate in the municipality- a known strategy used by other similar sized communities to revitalize their economy, Brantford being a strong example. 2 i 2. Social: Councillors wish to leave a legacy of Clarington as a caring community where there is strong engagement by residents in bettering life in Clarington. Specific suggestions here included: 1. Create a tangible means of connecting the whole of Clarington so everybody feels they are part of the same great community called Clarington. Perhaps a cross country cycling event, it was suggested, that can connect the whole of the community would be one means to achieve this important social result. 2. Address the needs of the spectrum of society by, as an example, building community support for new types of development, especially recognizing the need for seniors to have affordable housing in Clarington so that they may stay in the community. 3. Pick up on the suggestions of the Sustainability Committee about how to enhance community engagement, e.g., promoting volunteerism, providing training, recognition and communications. It was noted that community engagement, interestingly, was the first of nine outcomes that Committee said Clarington should seek to achieve to drive sustainability. 4. Help establish dedicated theatre space perhaps by re-using/repurposing existing space that could also serve to potentially preserve Clarington's heritage in the process 5. Address the need for a south Bowmanville recreation centre and the need to join it up with COAA services. 3. Environmental: Councillors want to ensure that they leave a legacy of good stewardship of the community's natural environment. Specific suggestions here included: 1. Recognizing that the outstanding natural features is a key element that defines Clarington. Some noted that the Mayor built a vivid story about Clarington around this in his inaugural address. 2. Implement the work of the Sustainability Committee especially given the extent of community consultation by that Committee, the strength of its recommendations. (It developed its recommendations with the same time horizon as the strategic plan and suggested the strategic plan and the OP and Transportation Master Plan as the key means to implement its recommendations.) 3. Linking the trails and improving them — not all at once, but with a clear plan and timetable - was suggested as a clear legacy result. As was noted above, it was suggested the trails are important part of the quality of life that Clarington offers. 4. Building out the existing parks. 3 4. Governance: Councillors wish to leave a legacy of prudent governance where residents are delivered good value for their tax dollar. What this legacy looks like was articulated as: 1. Foresight: the Municipality is characterized by: a. attention to the infrastructure necessary to service and create a climate for significant growth - whether for recreation, roads or fire services b. ensuring strong succession planning is in place esp. given the risks that can arise to good customer service if this is missing c. continuous awareness of the key pending decisions affecting Clarington and drivers of those decisions and work with others to shape those, e.g., the updating every 4 years now of Long Term Energy Plan and what it will mean for the Darlington investment; the pending update of the Greenbelt and its effect on the farm economy d. strong understanding of the Municipality's overall financial impact on resident's personal financial circumstances and the cumulative effect of consistent tax increases. 2. Assertive Maturity: to recognize that Clarington needs to shape its own destiny by: a. getting its own message out b. presenting itself positively and with a clear plan in partnering with other orders of government and others by, as noted above, (1) tightening the relationship with Queen's Park and (2) taking a partnership "we're all in this together" approach c. getting well known in investment circles d. ensuring its policy development processes provide options and clear analysis and involve councillors early on so that they are shaping rather than responding to policy proposals. 3. The perspective that the Municipality is in the service business: Strong attention needs to be paid to managing relationships with customers using modern business practices, listening closely to what matters to customers and going beyond basic customer service training to overall approaches to service delivery and decision-making. 4. An action orientation: Reflecting the Sustainability Committee's finding that the Municipality is on the right track and the key matter is for it to make decisions about standards, funding and timing and involve affected parties to move its plans to action. 5. The perspective that there is One Taxpayer: All publicly paid for assets should be considered as such and, as an example, the Municipality's recreation needs, in some instances, may be best met through use of a school's facilities and grounds or if Clarington has surplus space, investigate if the Regional government can use it. 6. Bring an evaluative lense to managing money and services: Look carefully at how the Municipality spends money, what outcomes are achieved for the positions employed, review how services are delivered, bring greater transparency to spending. 7. Distinguishing between equality and equity in making decisions about service levels: Recognize that Clarington is a large, diverse community and service levels in one area may not be suitable in another- treating all equally may in fact be inequitable. I I 4 I I. I I It's All Connected: Actions to Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee September, 2014 SOCIAL An Engaged Community Self-Sufficient Neighbourhoods Accessible and Integrated Trails Sustainability ECONOMIC r An Attractive Business `- ENVIRONMENT Environment Green,Efficient People Strong,Sustainable Friendly Transportation Agricultural System Natural Green Space Unique,Vibrant Downtowns Healthy,Accessible Waterfronts It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee-Sept, 2014 _I Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide, as requested by the Clarington Municipal Council, advice to Council and Clarington community organizations on actions that will foster a community-wide culture of sustainability in Clarington. This advice comes from the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee. The Committee was appointed by Council in the Spring of 2013 after a public call for residents to volunteer to serve on the Committee. Mayor Adrian Foster and Councillor Ron Hooper were appointed by Council as ex-officio members. The Committee comes from a range of backgrounds, including agriculture, environmental advocacy, horticulture, nuclear science, education, public service and business and includes a youth representative. The names of the Committee members are shown at the end of this executive summary. This is the second report from the Committee. The first, submitted last Fall, recommended priorities among the 58 suggestions for community action as set out in the 2010 Green Community Strategy. That report also described the current actions to implement these priorities and suggested further steps to best implement these. This report concerns fostering a community-wide culture of sustainability in Clarington and recommends actions to move the community on this journey. The front cover of this report illustrates what the Committee suggests this culture could look like. And the title of the report, It's All Connected, reflects what was heard in the community and the consensus of the Committee. The Committee had a dialogue with some 40 people in the course of its work, including 28 people representing 22 different community organizations, 11 Clarington staff representing five departments and 4 Region of Durham staff representing three departments. (See Appendix 4 for details.) A great deal was learned about our community in the process and the Committee worked to develop recommendations that fit the Clarington context. The Committee heard throughout its term that our residents care deeply about our community. It was emphasized that the key enabler to translate their care to action is communications, Our residents indicated that they strongly want this improved. The Committee has emphasized this throughout the report and its recommendations. Approaching its task, the Committee needed to be mindful of what the key vehicles are to achieve action in sustainability. Understanding who has authority to do what between the Municipality, the Region of Durham and the Province and how they relate to one another is also important.. The Committee sought to shape its recommendations to work with what is currently underway. It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the.Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee -Sept,2014 2 In brief, the Committee concluded that that the existing efforts are commendable and the key challenge is to determine how to optimize these efforts. There are four recommendations on actions to foster a community-wide culture of sustainability. Two are aimed at actions that the Municipality of Clarington working with Clarington community organizations should jointly pursue and two are aimed at actions that just the Municipality should pursue. Specifically, it is recommended: That the Municipality of Clarington and Clarington community organizations 1.A: Strive to achieve and widely communicate the following nine outcomes for our community by 2019: i. An Engaged Community- a community where residents and businesses are deeply involved in contributing to the quality of life of the parts or the whole of Clarington through volunteering, participating in community events and helping their neighbours ii. Self-Sufficient Neighbourhoods-a community where the key services and activities of interest to residents are easily accessible without the use of an automobile and there are a range of housing choices available that enables residents to stay in their community of'choice whatever their stage in life or financial circumstances iii. Green, Efficient People Friendly Transportation-a community where the cost to the physical environment and in people's health and time for travelling is minimized and travel is safe and ideally much of it is in the form of active transportation iv. Accessible and Integrated Trails-a community where it is easy to move from one part of the community to another by foot or bicycle -especially from commercial to residential areas, from commercial areas to the waterfront and from one trail to another, visitors are attracted and the natural environment is conserved and appreciated v. Natural Green Space-a community where resilient, abundant and widely enjoyed biodiverse areas are promoted and protected vi. Healthy, Accessible Waterfronts.-a community where the waterfront is easily accessed and enjoyed by residents and visitors for its biodiversity, clean water, air and land vii. Unique, Vibrant Downtowns-a community where strong local businesses work together and with the Municipality to: attract residents and visitors, provide a distinctive local flavor, enhance the sense of community and provide work and living opportunities for residents viii. An Attractive Business Environment-a community where existing and prospective investors experience the community as offering: an attractive quality of life, friendly to youth, a welcoming approach, effective collaboration within and across local governments, key infrastructure, a trained and qualified workforce, and is a place that people drive to rather than a place that people drive through ix. Strong, Sustainable Agricultural System-a community where the residents are well educated about the economic and environmental importance of local agriculture, agricultural land is actively protected, best practices in agriculture are supported, there is a favourable business climate for farm business and there is support for community gardens and the local food movement. It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee-Sept,2014 3 1. B. Make a commitment to give priority to these outcomes recognizing that success on these outcomes has a strong likelihood of being greeted with community support; regularly and independently survey residents and community organizations to ensure that any changes in community priorities are well understood. 1.C. When assessing their potential initiatives, give greater priority to those initiatives that seek to advance more than one of these outcomes. 2. Work together to build stronger community engagement by: i. leveraging technology to effectively communicate to residents about the range of community organizations in Clarington and their events and activities ii. actively promoting volunteerism, including helping Clarington residents interested in volunteering to be matched with organizations needing volunteers through such services as United Way's volunteer registry iii. assessing the needs for training in leadership, governance, volunteer retention and recruitment for community organizations and jointly developing means to address these needs iv. supporting the Youth Leading Youth community initiative and pursuing the "Youth Friendly" community designation and enabling the community's youth to contribute to the community's zest and future v. establishing a recognition program that recognizes people, businesses and organizations that are championing these nine sustainable community outcomes. That the Municipality of Clarington: 3.A. Address and implement in the Official Plan (OP) and the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) the nine outcomes for a sustainable Clarington that the Committee has set out in 1A and, in completing these plans, also consider the input received by this Committee as shown in Appendix 5 and 6. 3.B. Move these plans set out in Recommendation 3A to action by: i. investigating, and where suitable, adopting the standards for measuring success on these outcomes as set by an independent third party, such as the: - "Bike Friendly" community designation - "Walk Friendly Ontario" designation - "Age Friendly" dimensions for cities and communities set by the World Health Organization - "Communities in Bloom" designation It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee-Sept, 2014 !r and where measureable standards are not yet in place, develop them and encourage others who set goals for our community to do so, including the Conservation Authorities that provide a vital role in protecting and promoting Clarington's natural environment ii. considering as other municipalities have done, establishing a Trails Committee or Trails Council that can bring all of the different users/interests - anglers, cyclists, hikers, naturalists, residents, tourism advocates —together to plan, communicate, educate and potentially assist in maintaining the trails iii. holding meetings with community organizations, the Durham Regional government, the Ontario government and other affected agencies, boards and commissions about the best means to advance these outcomes iv. setting out a clear financial plan that identifies the cost to realize the Committee's outcomes as reflected in the OP and the TMP, the financing sources and what can reasonably be expected to be accomplished by 2019, paying particular attention to whether a re-allocation of funding is required to address the public goods nature of trails, green spaces and the waterfront v. incorporating the results of (i) to (iv) above in the Municipality's 2015-2018 strategic planning vi. effectively communicating to all affected parties the intended approach and timing to realizing the Committee's outcomes and the progress in implementing these outcomes. 4. Establish a permanent, ongoing advisory committee to advise Council and the community on Clarington's sustainability journey. Thank you The Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee thanks the many residents, businesses, community organizations and Clarington Municipal and Durham Regional staff who gave us their time, energy and expertise in order for us to provide this advice. Thanks as well to Clarington Municipal Council for this opportunity to contribute to our community's sustainability. It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee -Sept, 2014 Part 2: Finding an Approach That Fits the Context In the course of the last 17 months the Committee learned a lot about sustainability. And the Committee learned a lot about the culture of our community. This context is important. As internationally recognized management thinker Peter Drucker said, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast". So as the Committee formulated its strategy, it was very mindful of the culture within which its suggestions would be considered and sought to find a strategy that works within the culture so that it will take hold and it itself will be sustainable. There are many attributes of Clarington's culture. Below are the ones that the Committee believes that all who wish to create success in our community will find especially relevant. Our (recent) history and geography: Clarington is now 40 years old. It was formed as one of eight lower-tier municipalities when the Region of Durham, the "upper-tier" was created. Clarington was formed through amalgamating four municipalities: the Township of Clarke and the Township of Darlington and the Town of Bowmanville and the Village of Newcastle. (The Police Village of Orono was not a separate municipality, but rather part of Clarke Township.) It is bounded by Lake Ontario on the south and the Oak Ridges Moraine on the north - with many river and creeks connecting these - and the Municipality of Port Hope on the east and the City of Oshawa on the west. With an area that is 611.3 square kilometers (231 square miles), it is one of the largest municipalities geographically in the GTA. Clarington's geography has significant implications for how services are delivered, their cost, the diversity of sustainability goals, the nature and scope of the natural lands available for residents and visitors to enjoy and even the scale of municipal lands to manage - over 600 hectares (1,000 acres). Our people: While a significant majority of our 90,000 population live in one of the four urban areas of Courtice, Bowmanville, Newcastle and Orono, more than 18,000 residents make their home in one of the dozen smaller settlements in Clarington. There are about 400 farms in Clarington so some call a farm home and there are numerous other rural residents. By the time the outcomes that the Committee set out are to be realized (2019), Clarington will be home to over 100,000 people. By 2031 its population is projected to be over 140,000 (Courtice 36,600; Bowmanville 64,200; Newcastle 19,300 and the balance 20,300.) See Appendix 2 for more details. And of course our population will be older. More than 34,000 of us will be over the age of 55 vs. about 20,000 today. Seniors finding quality, affordable housing is already a significant challenge and will It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee -Sept, 2014 8 become even greater as our population ages. Even stronger interest can be anticipated in trails, green spaces and the waterfront over more traditional municipal recreational needs. Clarington will have major urban populations with different needs than today. Sustaining all of what makes our community attractive to residents, businesses and visitors including our ability to adapt to changing needs and realize our promising future, requires careful planning and action now. The Committee needed to shape its suggested outcomes and actions to reflect that. Our economy: Clarington's economy provides some 20,000 jobs. Our diverse economy, as the Clarington Board of Trade notes, includes particular strengths in energy, agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, life science, tourism, aggregate and construction: • Darlington Nuclear Generating Station which supplies approximately 20% of Ontario's electricity needs is Clarington's largest employer with 2,200 people and is embarking on a refurbishment of the existing four reactors. Whether two new reactors will be built is subject to future provincial government decision about how best to respond to any future gap between electricity demand and supply. • Several manufacturing firms in the supply chain to nuclear have chosen to locate in Clarington in the last 18 months as Clarington develops as an energy hub. A diversity of other manufacturers have retained their operations and some have expanded, many employing highly skilled staff and applying sophisticated technologies to create products that serve a wide range of markets —from health care to auto to aerospace to construction. A range of professional services, including engineering, accounting and facility management, have in turn expanded their operations in Clarington. • Clarington has some of the most productive award-winning farmland in Ontario, producing a wide variety of grains, seeds, dairy, beef, poultry and eggs and is home to Ontario's largest apple producer. It hosts several pick-your-own and farm retail operations where residents and visitors can enjoy fresh produce from apple cider to honey to beef to blueberries to raspberries to pumpkins. • These have become tourist attractions and in fact about a dozen of these type of operators have joined forces to create a "destination" to be known as "Country Path" in the Tyrone- Enniskillen- Hampton area. This adds to the draw of our historic downtowns, our budding arts community, antique shopping and savoury home baking. • And this is in addition to the already sizeable tourism asset in Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) whose owners have made considerable investments in creating a new viewing facility and have attracted the internationally recognized NASCAR level events. And CTMP for the third summer hosted the growing Boots and Hearts music festival. It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee-Sept, 2014 9 • The significant natural features of Clarington, including Lake Ontario, the Oak Ridges Moraine, the Ganaraska and Long Sault Forests, peaceful river valleys and considerable conservation lands are emerging as tourism draws for anglers, cyclists, hikers and people who just enjoy nature. In the words of Chris Winter of Canada Conserves who met with the Committee last Fall, "Clarington should strive to become the place that people drive to rather than the place that people drive through." We're well on our way to that and suggest the community look forward to the Tourism Plan to help further this goal. Clarington's economy is growing although it still depends on the economy of the adjacent communities for employment. As at 2011, 70% of our residents in the workforce had employment outside Clarington — 29% went to Oshawa, about 16% to Toronto, 13% to Whitby and about 13% to various other locations. On the other hand, just less than one-half of the approximately 20,000 jobs in Clarington are held by Clarington residents with 28% coming in from areas outside Durham Region, 14% from Oshawa and 9% from other Durham Region locations. (See employment tables at Appendix 3.) In formulating its recommendations the Committee needed to be very mindful of the nature and the potential of Clarington's economy. The Committee quickly saw the importance to our community's sustainability of creating a very positive business environment for investment and job creation. It is crucial to: retaining or repatriating our young talent; managing transportation demands; making time available for residents to volunteer (rather than commute) including volunteer work to preserve our natural environment; generating shopping in and support for our downtowns; producing revenues to finance municipal services. Our municipal governments: The responsibility of representing, planning for and providing services to our residents is divided between two orders of municipal government: • The Municipality of Clarington has exclusive responsibility for: protection of people and property through fire protection, animal control, property standards, building inspection, school crossing guards,.controlling nuisances; local transportation, including building and maintaining local roads and related aspects that make them operational including, bridges, traffic control, street lighting, as well as active transportation — sidewalks, cycling paths, walking trails; parks, recreation facilities, and sports fields; conducting local elections and a host of other local functions. • The Regional government has exclusive responsibility for matters that cut across the region, including policing, paramedics, public health, social services, long- term care, social housing, waste disposal, transit, arterial roads and sewer and water (other than storm water). It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee-Sept,2014 I 10 • The two municipal governments share responsibility in the areas of: economic development, tourism and land-use planning. Clarington has a very positive relationship between business and the municipal government which is not always found in other municipalities. Clarington contracts out the delivery of the economic development service to the Clarington Board of Trade. Clarington and the Region directly deliver the balance of these services. The Clarington Official Plan must conform to the Durham Region Official Plan and each need to conform to a range of provincial plans, e.g., Places to Grow Plan, Greenbelt Plan, Provincial Policy Statements (a host of planning requirements to encourage sustainable development). And there are many other standards set by the province including, as examples: density targets, the boundaries of provincially significant wetlands, energy efficiency standards in new construction. • Each of these municipal governments governing Clarington have advanced sustainability through a range of different programs and policies, primarily through land-use and transportation planning: n The Municipality has adopted sustainability policies in its current OP, is currently reviewing its OP and in the course of this review has issued Discussion Papers and held public meetings on several themes relevant to the Committee's work, including: Population and Employment Projections; The Countryside; Natural Heritage; Parks, Open Spaces and Trails; Employment Lands; Intensification; Growth Management. o It has established "Priority Green Clarington", a project aimed at setting a new standard for residential development that prioritizes sustainability and encourages "green homes" and "green neighbourhood" design and construction practices o In 2013, Clarington, began developing its first stand-alone Transportation Master Plan which includes significant components dealing with "active transportation" and for the first time established bicycle lanes and Durham Region adopted a Regional Cycling Plan. • Clarington is also using a number of other means to advance sustainability -from establishing community gardens to instituting an Adopt-A-Park program, to energy efficiency measures in municipal buildings. • The Region of Durham, in addition to this focus on sustainability through land- use and transportation planning, has a separate initiative focused on climate change. The Durham Region Roundtable on Climate Change has a suite of some 18 projects in what is called a Local Action Plan. Approaching its task, the Committee needed to be mindful of: what the key vehicles are to achieve action in sustainability; who has authority to do what between these three orders of government and how they relate to one another; what is currently being done or underway. Then the Committee needed to determine what could reasonably be achieved within this complex context within the time frame of the 2019 planning period that the Committee set. It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee-Sept, 2014 11 Our residents' views on sustainability: The views of our community about sustainability were also critical in understanding the culture of our community. While the Committee didn't have the advantage of direct opinion polling of our residents on sustainability matters - and the Committee would suggest that be done in the future - it did have a number of other useful indicators: • The Municipality conducted a Customer Service Survey as the Committee was starting its work in Spring 2013. Four key natural environment matters ranked in the top 10 of 33 services in importance by our residents. Namely.- • public parks: 91% • preservation of natural environment.- 90% • beaches/waterfront: 88% • trails and paths: 86%. • This finding was reinforced by polling done for the Priority Green Project that found that there is a very high level of importance attached to walkability — 91% rank it as important in the design of neighborhoods. • There are a number of other community led initiatives planned or underway as the Committee was meeting that were strong signals of the community interest in community sustainability, including: • spring pick-up days organized by both the Bowmanville Rotary Club and by the Safe Communities Committee, engaging many young people • construction of a fish ladder on Bowmanville Creek through considerable initiative of Valleys 2000 and the Bowmanville Anglers working with the Municipality • recognition by CLOCA of the Friends of Farewell and Black Creek for their work restoring these creek areas • strong community take-up to the Trees for Rural Roads program • awards to a number of community businesses for their innovation • expansion of the Clarington Older Adult Association's service offerings both types and locations - and the decision by the Municipality to develop an Older Adult Strategy to determine how best to address this growth • the development of a partnership amongst community organizations and the Municipality to create a Youth Leading Youth strategy • creation of studies by the Clarington Tourism Marketing Board of the economic impact of tourism in Clarington and the development of a Tourism Plan. These were all strong signals to the Committee that community sustainability is a priority in Clarington. It meant that if the Committee focused on encouraging community engagement and on what residents were saying about what the local priorities should be (and watching their actions as much as their words), then it would find a direction that would have community support. It's All Connected:Actions to Foster a Community-Wide Culture of Sustainability in Clarington Final Report of the Sustainable Clarington Community Advisory Committee-Sept, 2014 IMPORTANCE WON Providing good value for tax dollars 0 9/o m s.. .. M.. . i. Ensuring ime) two-way communication on community services... o - g Y Y Y 28/ ._. _.. . 30% i Kim _mo Facilitating participation in and effectiveness of community... , =y 30% 28% x Promoting public awareness of our arts and cultural activities 33% 22% s ry� o o Promoting public awareness of our heritage 19°% 31% 19% ? Tim Continuingto emphasize municipal customerservice 8% 31% 28% MMA - a Enhancing the Municipality's communication with the public 9% 28% 31% Encouraging active lifestyles 11% 024% 29% 5 Managing growth to maintain our"small-town"character 71 8% 23%.., 26% s s 4 Enhancing/enforcing policies to protect our natural environment *14 20% 33% rt ' -- Encouraging waste reduction o 20% 30% 1111111110,11 110. �i Reducing Municipal Energy Consumption 3% 9M, 23% 30% ;E.. .- . � 1, Expanding recreation facilities to keep pace with our growth 53; 29% 30% - - --- - - Maintaining the condition of local roads (p gg 30% } Developing waterfront parks � 20% 24% MI Expanding the network of parks and trails z 9% 24% 26% }: a" RE ia Improving traffic flow i8% 24% OUR - -z -- - 111111 N Improving the visual appearance of the community 1 21% 35% Expediting well-planned development 31% Maintaining the"small-town"attraction of Clarington 6% 18% 26/ _ Supporting local agricultural businesses 3% 12% 33% - W_ �. u, ..,, u, a u, U. Promoting Clarington as a tourism destination s 13% 32% 27% .... '. _. Enhancing the vitality and redevelopment of downtowns y 5% 26%° 32% r Supporting small businesses ° 12% 31% - �. Retaining and Expanding businesses % 16% 309/a 1 m 2 3 r 4 M5 q Don't Know I SATISFACTION Providing good value for tax dollars - EM1111 M _ 36% 23% • Ensuring timely two-way communication on community services and priorities I r O M'rsef`l¢i-• . '45.. 5% Z 35% Hai Y� �ti ii 16% Re r • alm1 . Facilitating participation in and effectiveness of community organizations °' i" ,._ ` _3 = -= 20% � "" _.r,� , Promoting public awareness of our arts and cultural activities i '• ;i % 23% ME Promoting public awareness of our heritage 22% imam.W- 11-1 Continuing to emphasize municipal customer service :;�� 1% 3�% BY 20% � � Enhancing the Municipality's communication with the public 5° 22% Encouraging active lifestyles 1 V, 17;1. '/ 24% _ Managing growth to maintain our"small town"character 6% s "-" _ % q/ 1.9/ % NINE Bit /enforcing policies to protect our natural environment 6% _ "> %6% 21% M goEnhancing -' Encouraging waste reduction 5% 26;, ffl 29% F Reducing Municipal Energy Consumption 5% 10/ -: 5% 12% Expanding recreation facilities to keep pace with our growth 4io 14 30% " ate 29% Maintaining the condition of local roads 30% 25°° Developing waterfront parks ° � _ Expanding the network of parks and trails � �- ° ° Improving traffic flow p g � ( ` �" � �ri�!-,�� �a.�rt���a�^st- � •. �µ 3�/° 5 15° Improving the visual a pp earance of the comr nunity • � � a��x' 41/ 26% 5 .. > a Expediting well-planned development 34% � D Maintaining the"small town"attraction of Clarington u � ° 35% ° 29% Supporting local agricultural businesses = � 21% Promoting Clarington as a tourism destination 39°f° A _ � .`. 21% - as .� Enhancing he vitality and redevelopment of downtowns g Y P 4 .. . ° — � a� i 40/ ° ��� 24% ....: � �T h Supporting small businesses NO 33% 19% �.. Retaining and Expanding businessesL _ __ _ 37°l° � � � 17% 25i° 1 2 - 3 4 115 Don't Know Cla ri ngton 2015-2018 Strategic plan NEXT STEPS — 1 • Today's output written up by Brynn and Bill, circulated to participants • Staff opportunity to investigate and provide advice to Council about various aspects of Feasibility, such as • Municipal authority and capability • Resource implications, potential revenue sources, etc. • Timing; contingent events • Potential partners, opportunities, obstacles • Further Council meeting provides opportunity to review, revise, refine what we have said today • Change priorities? • Refine how to go about it? • Phasing? Cla ri ngton -2015-2018 Strategic plan NEXT STEPS - 2 • Revised Draft produced by staff, incorporating Council's revisions • Staff develop and recommend a detailed action plan for Council's consideration • Description of proposed detailed actions to implement Council's direction • Revised 10-year capital forecast • Workplan for further studies, individual projects, etc. • Communication and consultation implications, etc. • Council review of proposed detailed action plan • Council adoption of strategic plan with detailed action plan • Strategic plan implemented through budgets, department workplans, individual project plans, etc.