Owen Sound Committee - Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Meeting Transcript — June 18, 2025

00:00:10 Speaker 02: We'll start at this is on Sound Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee.

00:00:13 Speaker 02: It is June 18th, 2025, nine a.m.

00:00:16 Speaker 02: I call the meeting to order.

00:00:19 Speaker 02: Calling for additional business, if there's anything to be added to the agenda that isn't there.

00:00:24 Speaker 02: Seeing no hands going up.

00:00:26 Speaker 02: Declarations of interest.

00:00:28 Speaker 02: If anyone has any interest in any of the issues being discussed today?

00:00:31 Speaker 02: Seeing no hands going up, and of course you can recognize it as the meeting goes on if it pops up.

00:00:38 Speaker 02: We have minutes from the Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee from April 30th, 2025, which is our last meeting.

00:00:46 Speaker 02: Any discussion changes?

00:00:48 Speaker 02: Nothing in there.

00:00:49 Speaker 02: We have a motion to confirm them.

00:00:52 Speaker 02: Councillor Koepke is moving them.

00:00:55 Speaker 02: Any further discussion?

00:00:56 Speaker 02: Seeing none.

00:00:57 Speaker 02: Call the question.

00:00:58 Speaker 02: All in favour?

00:01:00 Speaker 02: That's carried.

00:01:01 Speaker 02: Number five.

00:01:02 Speaker 02: We have no deputations.

00:01:04 Speaker 02: At number six, public forum.

00:01:07 Speaker 02: Don't see anyone going to the microphone quickly.

00:01:11 Speaker 02: Number seven.

00:01:11 Speaker 02: No correspondence.

00:01:12 Speaker 02: Number eight.

00:01:14 Speaker 02: A is really why we're here, and it's the report from Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Operational Effectiveness with regard to Vision 2050 implementation plans.

00:01:25 Speaker 02: Over to you, Michelle.

00:01:25 Speaker 02: Thank you, Mayor Boddy.

00:01:30 Speaker 03: I'm exceptionally pleased to bring forward Report CM Twenty-Five-02-0, which is Vision Two Thousand and Fifty and the initial implementation plan.

00:01:39 Speaker 03: For anybody watching, and for those in the room who don't know who I am at this point, Michelle Palmer, Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Operational Effectiveness,

00:01:47 Speaker 03: and this has been one of the initiatives that I've been leading over the past year.

00:01:51 Speaker 03: I chose this picture purposefully because, to me, it talks about looks like... doesn't talk about it; looks like the start of a journey, and that's really what this is.

00:01:59 Speaker 03: This is a starting point for us on a long-term plan.

00:02:05 Speaker 03: So, why a strategic plan?

00:02:07 Speaker 03: This question often comes up, and I really want to say strategic planning helps an organisation understand the priorities and focus energy and resources.

00:02:16 Speaker 03: It ensures that everyone shares a collective long-term view of goals, and assesses and adjusts as we progress.

00:02:23 Speaker 03: The organisation's direction in response to changing environments, but why is it so crucial?

00:02:28 Speaker 03: Over the past few years, our municipal landscape, in terms of both challenges and opportunities, has changed dramatically.

00:02:35 Speaker 03: Futureland Sound Vision 2050 is responding to this.

00:02:39 Speaker 03: Vision 2050 builds on the important work that informed the previous strategic plan refresh in 2021, and planning for the future helps us make good decisions today.

00:02:48 Speaker 03: More than ever, right now is a time of great change on many fronts.

00:02:52 Speaker 03: The economy, climate, culture, and public safety, to name just a few.

00:02:57 Speaker 03: A strategic plan gives us a roadmap to help us navigate challenges and reveal opportunities.

00:03:02 Speaker 03: It helps us to be proactive rather than reactive to what is happening.

00:03:07 Speaker 03: This strategic plan reflects the priorities of the community and what we want Owen Sound to be a generation from now.

00:03:13 Speaker 03: This helps ensure that our budgets and work plans are all moving forward to achieve our goals.

00:03:21 Speaker 03: So a little bit of how we got here.

00:03:23 Speaker 03: Identified within the service review completed in 2023 was the issue of finding a balance between the issue of the day and pursuing a longer-term vision for the city.

00:03:33 Speaker 03: The resulting action was to investigate the notion of striking a committee that could lend to the importance and governance of the strategic plan.

00:03:40 Speaker 03: The timing aligned well as we prepared to move forward with the creation of Vision 2050.

00:03:45 Speaker 03: Four members of council and four public members were appointed to this committee, and I pointed to this committee,

00:03:49 Speaker 03: and I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for giving of your most precious resource, your time and energy, to champion the development of this vision.

00:03:58 Speaker 03: At the initial committee meetings, there was discussion on how we ensure that the engagement would be inclusive of all members of our community.

00:04:05 Speaker 03: Staff connected with Jay Pitter Place, making a renowned leader in city building initiatives and transformative public engagement, to validate the proposed engagement plan.

00:04:14 Speaker 03: And through those discussions, it became apparent that while the proposed engagement plan was adequate, there was an opportunity to utilise this initiative to mobilize the community in a way that had not been previously done.

00:04:26 Speaker 03: Through creative and inclusive engagement, we build capacity in the community and the municipality.

00:04:31 Speaker 03: We leverage our previous strategic planning work.

00:04:34 Speaker 03: We spur collabouration, and we create greater clarity for everyone involved.

00:04:39 Speaker 03: In March 2024, J. Peter Place Making was retained, and a comprehensive engagement plan was developed.

00:04:46 Speaker 03: In the summer of 2024, we launched the phase "Tell Us Your Vision," during which a community survey was undertaken with an emphasis on reaching community members who are typically underrepresented.

00:04:56 Speaker 03: In addition to the survey, there were in-person and virtual consultations with community stakeholders and representatives from the business community.

00:05:04 Speaker 03: This engagement phase confirmed strong alignment with the previous strategic plan priorities, but also provided additional definition criteria and two new strategic pillars.

00:05:15 Speaker 03: In late fall, 2024, visioning sessions were held for each of the priorities, which utilised a co-facilitator approach, and were grounded in a collective understanding based on briefs which were developed for each priority.

00:05:26 Speaker 03: Also in this phase were two community engagement workshops: one focused for municipal staff, where not only staff from the City of Owen Sound attended, but also our neighbouring municipalities, and one session for community stakeholders,

00:05:40 Speaker 03: where we talked through a definition of holistic and comprehensive community engagement, community engagement principles, followed by examples of community engagement barriers and tangible ways to address them.

00:05:52 Speaker 03: Throughout this initiative, it has truly been an iterative process that incorporated learnings as we progressed, listening and reaffirming, and adjusting course as needed.

00:06:02 Speaker 03: Originally, the 2050 vision was planned to be presented to committee in March, but early in 2025,

00:06:07 Speaker 03: it became apparent that the timeline needed to be extended by approximately eight weeks due to numerous out-of-scope additional engagements that the consultant was undertaking,

00:06:16 Speaker 03: as well as a review of existing municipal and broader institutional plans, so that the actions identified and prioritized by the community are directly aligned with current and planned initiatives.

00:06:27 Speaker 03: This will further ensure that the work is achievable.

00:06:30 Speaker 03: The City received the 2050 vision in May and has been working over the past few weeks to develop an initial implementation plan, which is being presented today with the 2050 vision.

00:06:43 Speaker 03: The principles that ground the 2050 vision are aligned with the City's values of caring, creativity, integrity, and sustainability.

00:06:51 Speaker 03: Caring is ingrained in our commitment to accessibility and community care, ensuring all citizens have equitable access to services, embodying compassion and support.

00:07:00 Speaker 03: Creativity is the driving force behind resilience, inspiring innovative solutions to future challenges and embodying the courage to think outside the box.

00:07:09 Speaker 03: Integrity is vital in trust building and collabouration, fostering transparency and accountability through honest and open governance.

00:07:17 Speaker 03: Meanwhile, sustainability ensures that our actions are responsible and forward-thinking, aligned with accountability and transparency to safeguard for future generations.

00:07:31 Speaker 03: What sets this plan apart is that, in addition to the significant community engagement that was undertaken to refine the priorities, the 2050 vision document includes a definition for each priority,

00:07:41 Speaker 03: a statement of what Owen Sound will be in 2050, how the priority links back to what was heard in the community engagement, and includes actions, immediate, midterm, and long term.

00:07:51 Speaker 03: It also includes existing plans and potential collabourators.

00:07:56 Speaker 03: My apologies related to each priority.

00:07:59 Speaker 03: This alignment in connection to existing municipal plans, to strategic plans, actions as well, and the clarity on how actions and existing plans could be prioritized or updated to better align with the community priorities,

00:08:12 Speaker 03: ensures that 2050 vision will not be a document that gathers dust, but rather is clear enough to advance the goals, while also being flexible enough to respond as we proceed through the actions,

00:08:23 Speaker 03: and go through a cycle of trying, learning, and making adjustments.

00:08:32 Speaker 03: Prosperous City: The definition of a prosperous city is supporting initiatives that increase competitive economic advantages for current and new businesses and their employees,

00:08:43 Speaker 03: also addressing other aspects of prosperity such as contributing to a good quality of life for all and recognizing the experience of elders, the potential of youth, and collective community knowledge and previous local resources.

00:08:57 Speaker 03: Green and Resilient City: Defined as strengthening the city's environmental, social, and economic ability to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.

00:09:07 Speaker 03: It also talks about leveraging the city's natural resources and infrastructure to support healthy lifestyles.

00:09:15 Speaker 03: Celebrating and Embracing Culture: Defined as uplifting all aspects of the city's local culture, including Indigenous peoples' cultural histories and practices, the cultural histories and practices of all residents, and formal institutional arts and culture expressions.

00:09:34 Speaker 03: Also contributing to creating an inclusive, welcoming, and prosperous culture that creates the conditions for harmonious demographic and economic growth.

00:09:44 Speaker 03: City Building: Defined as enhancing urban development, planning, and place-making processes to create places and spaces that contribute to complete communities for existing residents, future residents, and tourists.

00:10:00 Speaker 03: A City That Moves: Defined as facilitating sustainable transportation options and creating community connectivity.

00:10:23 Speaker 03: Also, this entails ensuring that everyone experiences dignity and accessibility while travelling and recognizing that movement throughout a city is not simply about moving people from point A to point B;

00:10:33 Speaker 03: it's also ensuring that everyone is able to access things they need, including community connection and opportunities.

00:10:48 Speaker 03: Safe Cities: Defined as contributing to inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility in our community, and participating in initiatives focused on a range of long-term systemic safety solutions that respond to current and future residents.

00:11:09 Speaker 03: Fostering Mutually Beneficial and Respectful Relationships: Defined as establishing, reconciling, and continually nurturing relationships that result in mutual benefit, trust, and a shared understanding.

00:11:29 Speaker 03: I talked earlier about how the 2050 Vision is a roadmap.

00:11:33 Speaker 03: It's not a prescribed step-by-step guide of how we will achieve things.

00:11:37 Speaker 03: In thinking about how this sets our vision for what the city will be in the next 25 years, the strategic plan is an affirmation.

00:11:44 Speaker 03: It's about reaffirming our commitment to the community and evokes pride, passion, and a sense of belonging.

00:11:49 Speaker 03: It's also about adding clarity—clarity about what matters most, how we will work, and who we will work with to meet our goals and objectives as a city.

00:11:58 Speaker 03: This is a journey that we are at the start of, and having a roadmap for this journey that guides us ensures we have a collective vision on where we are heading,

00:12:05 Speaker 03: so that we can work together efficiently towards the shared future state.

00:12:14 Speaker 03: This plan includes a mix of specific initial actions, many of which are focused on education, engagement, and communication; stretch actions; and actions that will be determined as we move through those initial actions,

00:12:28 Speaker 03: as we continue to be responsive to the daily realities and continue to learn as we trial various approaches.

00:12:35 Speaker 03: The strategic leadership team has reviewed the immediate actions to determine if they could be accommodated within the approved 2025 work plans, or whether they would be incorporated into work plans for 2026 and 2027, respectively.

00:12:48 Speaker 03: Each immediate action was also assigned a lead within city staff to ensure accountability, and was reviewed to determine whether the action would potentially require funding from the reserve set aside for implementing the 2050 Vision.

00:13:01 Speaker 03: This review resulted in an initial implementation plan, which was Attachment Two to the report.

00:13:07 Speaker 03: This ensures we have adequate resource allocation to the actions in 2027.

00:13:13 Speaker 03: And as you remember from the roadmap in the previous screen, I might just flip back for a second if I can.

00:13:19 Speaker 03: You'll see we have 2025, and then I hop to 2027, and then 2031, and that's done intentionally.

00:13:28 Speaker 03: In 2027, following the election in October 2026, a session will be held with Council to discuss lessons learned from the initial actions to date,

00:13:38 Speaker 03: and to identify the term of Council goals in order to allocate resources to the next set of actions.

00:13:43 Speaker 03: Some of which are identified as midterm, but some of which will be developed as we go through those learnings.

00:13:50 Speaker 03: This will reflect that we continue to make progress towards the long-term 2050 Vision.

00:13:54 Speaker 03: Those actions will then be incorporated into the 2028 work plan and beyond as staff continue to employ the iterative process of planning, implementing, and evaluating, and making adjustments.

00:14:11 Speaker 03: As we continue to focus on enhancing communication, we will have a stream for reporting on the 2050 Vision.

00:14:14 Speaker 03: Reporting on the 2050 Vision as a whole and on the individual actions being undertaken, in addition to overall updates on the 2050 Vision actions in their entirety being brought to Council twice a year,

00:14:28 Speaker 03: with status updates being shared on the City's website.

00:14:30 Speaker 03: And I would say it's in those updates to Council is where we would talk about making adjustments to actions and identifying other actions as needed.

00:14:39 Speaker 03: Staff will provide individual reports for the specific actions to the appropriate standing committee as the actions are initiated.

00:14:46 Speaker 03: These reports will outline timelines, tasks, and reflect how funding from the reserve will be utilised.

00:14:52 Speaker 03: For example, if funding was going to be utilised to do a grant for a community-led solution, that's where it would be identified in that report.

00:15:02 Speaker 03: These reports will also include engagement and communication plans that will be developed for each action.

00:15:12 Speaker 03: As noted within the 2050 Vision, the City's motto of "Where You Want to Live" is simple yet inspirational.

00:15:18 Speaker 03: Evident in the community participation in the development of the 2050 Vision, this roadmap is the start of a journey where we will collabourate and progress towards the shared vision articulated for each priority in 2050.

00:15:31 Speaker 03: And with that, I'm happy to take any questions.

00:15:34 Speaker 03: Thank you.

00:15:38 Speaker 03: Start at one end, go to the other.

00:15:39 Speaker 03: What do you want to do, Clark?

00:15:40 Speaker 03: Any comments?

00:15:43 Speaker 04: Row One: In reviewing it and reviewing the work plan, the one thing that jumps out to me—and we had talked about this, I think, previously in a meeting—is the absence of measurable goals.

00:15:58 Speaker 04: So I see a lot of activity, but the question that I'm left with is, what direction are we going in, and how do we measure it?

00:16:07 Speaker 04: How do we... where's the accountability in it?

00:16:09 Speaker 04: So my concern is there will be a lot of activity, but is it going to take us in the direction we want?

00:16:16 Speaker 04: So I do think that it would be a benefit to do a bit of a deeper dive into each one of those goals, I guess you know, and create some measures around them,

00:16:31 Speaker 04: so that those measures I think can live beyond any one term of Council as well, because it will take a long time to achieve them,

00:16:41 Speaker 04: and it would take any number of initiatives to achieve them as well.

00:16:47 Speaker 04: But at least we can launch an initiative, see if it has any impact on it against that goal, and then move forward.

00:16:56 Speaker 04: So that's that's my one thing that really jumped out to me.

00:17:00 Speaker 04: Otherwise, you know, I think the engagement was great.

00:17:03 Speaker 04: I think it was very rich.

00:17:06 Speaker 04: It gives a really good foundation.

00:17:10 Speaker 04: I think you know...

00:17:10 Speaker 04: I still get people coming up to me who were involved in the engagement sessions, asking how things are going, also wondering where things are.

00:17:20 Speaker 04: But so I think it generated a good base for jumping off on.

00:17:27 Speaker 04: But the one thing that I feel is missing are those measurable goals.

00:17:37 Speaker 03: So, remember, body to remember McFarland.

00:17:39 Speaker 03: I agree.

00:17:40 Speaker 03: Some of the actions are very specific.

00:17:42 Speaker 03: Check: Did we do this, or did we not do this?

00:17:45 Speaker 03: For the ones that are a little bit more, what do we see the impact of?

00:17:48 Speaker 03: I see that's where we use the citizen satisfaction survey that the city has planned for every three years.

00:17:52 Speaker 03: I think we can adjust the questions that we use in that to capture whether we're seeing those trends and to see if we're making progress on these areas or not.

00:18:04 Speaker 03: Thanks.

00:18:05 Speaker 03: I think I think we can go a little beyond that.

00:18:09 Speaker 04: And so, for each goal, a prosperous city.

00:18:15 Speaker 04: You know, the goal right now is fairly broad: attract high-skilled, intergenerational workforce.

00:18:21 Speaker 04: What does what would be a metric that indicates that we've achieved what we want to achieve if we are a prosperous city?

00:18:31 Speaker 04: So, what?

00:18:31 Speaker 04: How do we define that and measure?

00:18:31 Speaker 04: How do we define that as measurable?

00:18:33 Speaker 04: So this isn't something I think we can just rip off, you know, off the cuff.

00:18:37 Speaker 04: It's something that takes a little more deep analysis.

00:18:40 Speaker 04: I think what we have here is a really good foundation, and to build from that, we've had the engagement, but we need that concrete measurable.

00:18:50 Speaker 04: So I can't, you know, give you one off the cuff, but it is a concrete measurable goal.

00:18:57 Speaker 04: Through Mayor, yeah.

00:19:00 Speaker 04: Through a mayor, yeah.

00:19:01 Speaker 05: So I think, from what I'm hearing, sort of like potentially, yeah, I agree.

00:19:05 Speaker 05: They can't be just pulled off here today, and here they are.

00:19:08 Speaker 05: But I think talking about that specific one, if I'm hearing you right, it would be something to the nature of maybe within a certain age demographic, 35 to 45 year olds.

00:19:19 Speaker 05: That population has an increase at the next census by two percent or something.

00:19:24 Speaker 05: Therefore, maybe the potential overlay is you are attracting young professionals into the city.

00:19:28 Speaker 05: That's I think.

00:19:29 Speaker 04: Yes, exactly, and I think with that kind, any number of initiatives could be launched to try to attract that demographic, and any number of combinations.

00:19:43 Speaker 04: But at least that gives us: we've tried this.

00:19:45 Speaker 04: Did it have an impact?

00:19:47 Speaker 04: You know, and it's not going to be perfect.

00:19:49 Speaker 04: It's a very complex system that we're trying to influence.

00:19:53 Speaker 04: But at least it gives us some anchor point, and it's got some rationale.

00:19:57 Speaker 04: It's got some rationality to it, I think.

00:20:00 Speaker 04: Thanks, Steve.

00:20:01 Speaker 04: Anything, Dad?

00:20:10 Speaker 04: Thanks.

00:20:10 Speaker 04: I went through it and made a bunch of points, and I think I looked at it from a little different angle of what's not in it rather than what's in it.

00:20:19 Speaker 06: And I guess my with my background, I've looked at it from a business lens.

00:20:25 Speaker 06: So I think where where I see it being weak or needing improvement is just the talk about the financial sustainability of our local economy.

00:20:36 Speaker 06: We talk about jobs keeping retaining local students.

00:20:42 Speaker 06: We talk about things like that.

00:20:44 Speaker 06: But you know, how are we going to financially sustain our local economy?

00:20:50 Speaker 06: How are we going to support on a go forward basis the local economy and our local businesses?

00:20:56 Speaker 06: How are we going to encourage growth and economic development?

00:21:00 Speaker 06: Like getting into the nitty gritty, the specifics.

00:21:04 Speaker 06: How do we ensure job creation?

00:21:06 Speaker 06: Because I mean, if we have a willing and able workforce, you still need the businesses to be employed.

00:21:12 Speaker 06: How do we retain and attract business?

00:21:18 Speaker 06: How do we make Owen Sound business friendly?

00:21:21 Speaker 06: How do we increase the standard of living and disposable income?

00:21:26 Speaker 06: And you know, driving through Collingwood or driving through Port Elgin and driving through Owen Sound is a different vision.

00:21:33 Speaker 06: From a business point of view, and I'm outside the area, I don't see anything in here that would inspire me to deploy capital in Owen Sound.

00:21:46 Speaker 06: I just don't see a vision.

00:21:48 Speaker 06: There's no business in the business plan.

00:21:52 Speaker 06: You know, we need a tangible plan to revitalize our downtown, job creation.

00:22:00 Speaker 06: We've got so many opportunities here.

00:22:03 Speaker 06: Environmental, we could be the clean energy capital of Ontario or Canada.

00:22:10 Speaker 06: We've got the largest nuclear plant in North America at our doorstep, probably within my lifetime the largest in the world.

00:22:19 Speaker 06: You know, why aren't we leveraging more of that?

00:22:22 Speaker 06: The medical isotope piece, the health research piece.

00:22:25 Speaker 06: We've got the ability to have a medical corridor with the research and the hospital and Georgian College and Bruce Power and processing medical isotopes locally.

00:22:38 Speaker 06: So I mean, we've got a ton of potential, but I don't see it in the plan.

00:22:45 Speaker 06: The other thing, couple things outside of business, I guess, is healthcare.

00:22:53 Speaker 06: We've got one third of our residents that are on roster.

00:22:57 Speaker 06: How do what?

00:22:58 Speaker 06: What are we going to do about that?

00:22:59 Speaker 06: That's that's a long term, and that will affect job creation.

00:23:02 Speaker 06: That will affect attracting people if you can't find a family doctor.

00:23:07 Speaker 06: Tourism.

00:23:07 Speaker 06: How do we make Owen Sound a destination?

00:23:09 Speaker 06: It's kind of a pass through now, but how do we make it a destination?

00:23:14 Speaker 06: And I do agree with Clark on the metrics, and the report card, and what I've seen is an ongoing report card and almost a stoplight report.

00:23:25 Speaker 06: You've got yellow, green, and red with all the parametres within the report card, and intermediate, long, mid-term, long-term.

00:23:33 Speaker 06: It is either yellow; we're working on it; green, we've achieved it; or red, that we still have to do it.

00:23:40 Speaker 06: So I mean, there's lots of ways that we can devise metrics that will give you an ongoing report of kind of where we're at.

00:23:52 Speaker 06: So that's a lot, but those are my thoughts.

00:23:56 Speaker 06: Thank you, Jen.

00:23:57 Speaker 06: Thank you, Dan.

00:24:00 Speaker 07: Yeah, I had a read through it, and obviously without a business background or anything like that, I was just happy to see it as a good starting point.

00:24:11 Speaker 07: There seemed to be a lot of accountability piece, like real people, real segments of the community, tagged as being accountable for those actions, and so that to me was quite heartening.

00:24:31 Speaker 07: That I think there will be advancement on those things.

00:24:35 Speaker 07: Yeah, I think the metrics piece and how we measure progress is important, but I also see that happening within those individual breakdowns.

00:24:48 Speaker 07: I don't like the document could be like infinitely long if we start trying to get ultra-specific about each individual idea involved in the actual plan.

00:25:07 Speaker 07: So I mean having breakdown groups and someone accountable for measuring those actions will come.

00:25:15 Speaker 07: I think, and so yeah, I was pleasantly surprised.

00:25:19 Speaker 07: I was really excited about it.

00:25:22 Speaker 07: Thanks.

00:25:23 Speaker 07: Maybe go to the far end, Trish.

00:25:26 Speaker 07: Yeah, I have to agree with everyone so far.

00:25:28 Speaker 08: I thought the same thing in terms of I guess I had a question about the standing committee.

00:25:33 Speaker 08: Is that something through staff or community?

00:25:37 Speaker 08: Because I noticed on that little presentation we had that standing committee and community stakeholders; I thought maybe hone in a little bit more on the goals.

00:25:53 Speaker 03: Through you, Mayor Boddy to Member Meekins, so the terms of reference for this committee.

00:26:00 Speaker 03: Just so we're all on the same page, the terms of reference for this committee are until the 2050 vision is approved.

00:26:06 Speaker 03: When we think about actions going to the standing committee meetings, mean if they align with Operations Committee or Community Services or Corporate Services, wherever they best align,

00:26:16 Speaker 03: that's when the individual action would go forward to that standing committee and would be developed at that point.

00:26:22 Speaker 03: And the action would be outlined and how we're going to collabourate, who we're going to collabourate with, the engagement plan that would be undertaken, the funding that would be utilised for that,

00:26:32 Speaker 03: and as well the various approaches or various specific actions that may happen as part of that global action, so those will go to those standing committees because that's kind of their home.

00:26:45 Speaker 08: Yeah, that's kind of what I had thought that we would get maybe some more clear directives once those things kind of shook down.

00:26:53 Speaker 08: So, other than that, yeah, lots of good things to build on here for sure.

00:26:58 Speaker 08: I noticed that even with the walking tour on the west side of the river here, you know, that's also something that is a good attraction.

00:27:04 Speaker 08: That is a good attraction for people to really understand, because we do have pre-confederation treaties here.

00:27:10 Speaker 08: You know, knowing the history is a big part of it.

00:27:15 Speaker 08: That's my question.

00:27:17 Speaker 08: Perfect.

00:27:18 Speaker 08: Thanks, Marion.

00:27:20 Speaker 08: Thank you, Your Worship.

00:27:21 Speaker 09: I too thought that the business piece was missing.

00:27:27 Speaker 09: It felt to me like the community, and this isn't wrong at all.

00:27:32 Speaker 09: The community is the one that sets; unity is the one that set the plan, and it's very social.

00:27:38 Speaker 09: Council direct goals don't seem to be focused on economic development or business or building our community or focusing on what we have to offer and trying to build that up in the front,

00:27:52 Speaker 09: like the medical isotopes, etc. And again, I too was missing the measurables.

00:28:02 Speaker 09: Tim, sorry.

00:28:04 Speaker 09: Thank you, Mayor, and to committee.

00:28:05 Speaker 05: I thought I'd hold this a little bit to the end, but Member Lowe and Councillor Koepke excellent points on the business aspect.

00:28:12 Speaker 05: So I just thought I'd throw in for context.

00:28:15 Speaker 05: I've been working on; we have a position in the city that has been fulfiled with a contract role with our new community profile, thus created.

00:28:24 Speaker 05: And now the next phase of that is reworking that job description, really focused on external relations, business investment attraction, and all the things Member Low that you spoke about—clean energy, medical isotopes,

00:28:38 Speaker 05: even—we have a company like Hydrogen Optimized here in the city already.

00:28:43 Speaker 05: We're not trying to attract them, but working on hydrogen.

00:28:47 Speaker 05: All of those various aspects—that role will be committed to through this new job description, and that should be ready in the next three to four weeks.

00:28:56 Speaker 05: And then I would hope that with that new role coming back to our committee and council will be an internally worked plan that will cover a lot of the points that you've just spoken about.

00:29:06 Speaker 05: So again, I think the pillar Prosperous City captures from an overall objective language within here.

00:29:14 Speaker 05: But for context, we're working on that economic development investment attraction piece separately, and then also Member Meekins with the committee question.

00:29:24 Speaker 05: I know our council has already tasked our clerk and myself with going back and looking at committee structure because one of the things we deal with,

00:29:32 Speaker 05: and I think all of you sort of have learned this and it's seen, when you get into strategic plans and you start talking about pillars,

00:29:40 Speaker 05: pillars don't cleanly fit within Public Works or within Community Services or within Corporate Services.

00:29:47 Speaker 05: So we're looking at overall committee structure and what those committees might look like, and we'll be bringing back a report later this year to council and committee to take a look at potential committee structures,

00:30:00 Speaker 05: but maybe not for this term, but as on a go forward.

00:30:04 Speaker 05: So anyhow, just some more context to the conversation that you've brought up through your questions.

00:30:15 Speaker 05: Sunni through you, Mr. Mayor.

00:30:17 Speaker 10: I just have my basic comments are that this is a good report, but all we see are the objectives and overall simplified language,

00:30:26 Speaker 10: but where my brain goes is like there is no talk about the exact action items.

00:30:33 Speaker 10: Like if I have a strategic plan as a resident and I would like to review it, I would like to review what's happening now.

00:30:40 Speaker 10: Where is the current state of assets?

00:30:42 Speaker 10: Like, and where it would be in the long term?

00:30:46 Speaker 10: For example, like where are we with our infrastructure right now, and where it will be midterms?

00:30:52 Speaker 10: Like as identified, like these are our midterm goals.

00:30:55 Speaker 10: These are our long-term goals.

00:30:56 Speaker 10: When we talk about transportation, specific parametres in some way, like are we really talking about the local traffic issues, sidewalks, pedestrian walkways, or the internal municipal transport?

00:31:10 Speaker 10: Where are we heading in terms of a business plan from now to the next 25 years?

00:31:15 Speaker 10: Where do we see ourselves?

00:31:17 Speaker 10: And then, where are we in terms of capital investments for health and priorities in case of revenue generation, like most of the action items here are based on the tax levy,

00:31:31 Speaker 10: but there is not much talk about the revenue generation resources.

00:31:36 Speaker 10: And even in the Prosperous City, we talk about collabouration with Georgian, but no mention of the isotopes or partnering with Bruce or bringing other opportunities to the city.

00:31:46 Speaker 10: So that, like, I feel that metrics is all together missing, and I think there was a section about housing, and the two midterm goals that we've identified both involve hiring of two staff,

00:32:02 Speaker 10: so that's the climate action coordinator and the student.

00:32:06 Speaker 10: So I just don't want this plan like everything we do we hire someone and then we go from there, right?

00:32:12 Speaker 10: Like, where are we currently?

00:32:15 Speaker 10: What do we see in the 25 years?

00:32:17 Speaker 10: What are we getting out of that 25 years?

00:32:19 Speaker 10: This is a good overarching vision.

00:32:21 Speaker 10: We have it, but I think where I'm struggling is the specifics to a lot of things here, and the economic development.

00:32:29 Speaker 10: If we want people to come and live here, and like healthcare, childcare, transportation, three key parametres.

00:32:38 Speaker 10: Like, why would I want to live here?

00:32:40 Speaker 10: If I don't drive, if I have small children, if I don't have a healthcare provider.

00:32:44 Speaker 10: Like, I think these are three identifiable assets identified even in the community engagement plan.

00:32:51 Speaker 10: Where are we going with all these?

00:32:52 Speaker 10: So I feel like it's good we've identified our action plans, but the exact metrics, what we want, where we are going, I think that's missing.

00:33:04 Speaker 10: Thank you, Scott.

00:33:08 Speaker 10: Thank you very much.

00:33:09 Speaker 11: I've got a lot of comments, I guess, a lot of concerns with the document as it is presented today.

00:33:17 Speaker 11: My e-scribe is jumping back and forth.

00:33:20 Speaker 11: I go down and then it goes back to the top.

00:33:22 Speaker 11: So I'm going from memory a little bit.

00:33:24 Speaker 11: I've got some notes, but even Prosperous, we have a definition.

00:33:29 Speaker 11: However, it's not trans.

00:33:31 Speaker 11: It doesn't expand down into the deliverables in the short term, mid-term, long-term.

00:33:39 Speaker 11: Like, the definition is lost in what some of those deliverables are like; there's lots of language with the college, but the college is its own entity.

00:33:52 Speaker 11: We are to work with and alongside, but the language almost suggests that we are a college that we are entering education as part of our mandate.

00:34:05 Speaker 11: That's not our mandate.

00:34:07 Speaker 11: We are here to work with and expand opportunities.

00:34:10 Speaker 11: But I look at things like, if we actually want to work with young people, let's listen to young people.

00:34:16 Speaker 11: Young people do want to leave after high school.

00:34:20 Speaker 11: They want to go to school.

00:34:21 Speaker 11: They want to have some different experiences.

00:34:23 Speaker 11: We were all young once, and by and large, many want to.

00:34:27 Speaker 11: Almost all of us were young once, or still are young.

00:34:31 Speaker 11: This is normal, natural, and expectant behaviour.

00:34:36 Speaker 11: What we want is to bring them back, and most people do want to come back when there's opportunities to come back.

00:34:43 Speaker 11: I have family members that are no different.

00:34:47 Speaker 11: So, like, I'm gonna go through some of the notes.

00:34:52 Speaker 11: I guess, document states on page six, the goals are broken down into actions, timelines, quantifiable metrics.

00:34:59 Speaker 11: Again, I'm gonna go back to business is what I do.

00:35:04 Speaker 11: I don't see it as inspirational enough, aspirational enough right now as a business plan; this is our overarching vision for the city.

00:35:14 Speaker 11: This is our ultimate business plan on how we're going to progress for the next five, ten, fifteen, twenty-five years, and we're laying the groundwork.

00:35:23 Speaker 11: And I don't see enough in there.

00:35:25 Speaker 11: We talk about goals, but I see meaningful measurables are just not evident enough yet in the document.

00:35:34 Speaker 11: We have to improve that.

00:35:36 Speaker 11: I've got some of the short-term implementation plan; I couldn't get behind it.

00:35:42 Speaker 11: There's items in there like I kind of read through between the lines: cookies and coffee for people, community hours.

00:35:50 Speaker 11: These are paid for by the taxpayer.

00:35:53 Speaker 11: These are initiatives that were part of how we got here today, of how we built and did our community engagement.

00:36:04 Speaker 11: Not short-term deliverables to go back out.

00:36:11 Speaker 11: We're supposed to have identifiable initiatives and objectives that are resultant of already doing those things, not just to put back in language about going back out to the public and having more cookies and beverages.

00:36:25 Speaker 11: And so, I don't see enough in the short term about metrics.

00:36:32 Speaker 11: We talk about metrics.

00:36:34 Speaker 11: I've got some, and I'm just spitballing some of them.

00:36:37 Speaker 11: What about identifying total waste produced versus waste per capita?

00:36:41 Speaker 11: What about language?

00:36:44 Speaker 11: It's absent right now of our starting position as it relates to jobs, taxes, disposable discretionary income levels, where we are, how we compare, where we'd like to be.

00:36:55 Speaker 11: How are we going to get there?

00:36:57 Speaker 11: We have hydraulic capacity.

00:37:00 Speaker 11: We are down, I think, about fifteen percent from where we were ten years ago in terms of total build.

00:37:06 Speaker 11: How about language that's going to link growth and development to regaining that lost consumption, that right now a declining household base is having to assume,

00:37:18 Speaker 11: and we have a very costly starting point here in Owen Sound with taxes and utility costs for a lot of people?

00:37:30 Speaker 11: The document doesn't identify that, and I think to some degree it should.

00:37:36 Speaker 11: I agree and previously support the themes, but I don't think the buildout and the metrics are strong enough.

00:37:44 Speaker 11: Just some of the ideas.

00:37:46 Speaker 11: Where is any language about the opportunities, particularly Eastside Harbor, on impactful development?

00:37:52 Speaker 11: Are we just going to approve a document and not try to have meaningful language in there?

00:38:01 Speaker 11: Or initiatives outlined on how we can transform what exists right now as empty grass, and we have probably some of the best opportunity in some of the Great Lakes for development.

00:38:18 Speaker 11: How we're going to move forward on trying to leverage that should be in this document, and I don't see it.

00:38:25 Speaker 11: What about discussion on how the city is encouraging downtown property owners to renovate and improve housing conditions or commercial spaces?

00:38:33 Speaker 11: That's just an idea, but if we're going to talk about downtown revitalization and reinvestment, then we should have something concrete in there that does that.

00:38:43 Speaker 11: And I'm not talking about just identified right off the bat subsidies or anything like that.

00:38:48 Speaker 11: But how about something that identifies where we are now and what we'd like to see and how we can help?

00:38:56 Speaker 11: What about under climate change?

00:38:58 Speaker 11: The city will work to provide the opportunity to accept fill excavated for the provision of underground parking facilities, thereby increasing green space, trees, biodiversity, while reducing stormwater management and loading issues.

00:39:12 Speaker 11: Why do I say that?

00:39:14 Speaker 11: We had a development proposal before council Monday night, and parking lots are just something that are easier and cheaper to construct.

00:39:24 Speaker 11: But are they better in the long run?

00:39:25 Speaker 11: Can we become a greener city without just hiring a climate change coordinator, which is kind of undefined in the document?

00:39:34 Speaker 11: Again, I think there's initiatives that we can identify that move us more so than hiring person A, hiring person B. I don't think we're working hard enough.

00:39:46 Speaker 11: I'm ready to roll up the sleeves a little more.

00:39:50 Speaker 12: I think missing is dialogueueueueueue about clean energy, the future, for example.

00:39:55 Speaker 12: Hydrogen optimizes here.

00:39:57 Speaker 12: It's already been noted.

00:39:57 Speaker 12: Bruce Power isotopes, etc. That's not strong enough in here.

00:40:02 Speaker 12: That should be partly a backbone of some of the pillars: mutual beneficial relationships.

00:40:09 Speaker 12: I wrote down.

00:40:10 Speaker 12: What about an annual rotation awards, which consider built and renewed heritage in our community?

00:40:17 Speaker 12: The next year, arts and culture.

00:40:19 Speaker 12: The next year, perhaps volunteer community groups like Rotarians, Kiwanis, Quinions that have built this community.

00:40:26 Speaker 12: The next year, green initiatives and environmental stewardship.

00:40:31 Speaker 12: Let's do.

00:40:31 Speaker 12: Is there actions here that we can leverage?

00:40:34 Speaker 12: Each one of those because those are mutually beneficial relationships.

00:40:38 Speaker 12: Well, which will broaden and enhance the community.

00:40:42 Speaker 12: Doing things that the city cannot do on its own.

00:40:45 Speaker 12: We don't have the resources.

00:40:48 Speaker 12: And I think at where we are now, I always take myself back.

00:40:53 Speaker 12: Last week, I stood at Second Avenue at CA corner, and I watched traffic moving for about 10 minutes.

00:41:01 Speaker 12: And I put, I just put myself in the position.

00:41:03 Speaker 12: What are the people in behind the wheels thinking?

00:41:06 Speaker 12: What's important to them in their life right now?

00:41:09 Speaker 12: What are they thinking about for five years down the road?

00:41:12 Speaker 12: And when I look at this document, I just think if I'm standing in front of a grocery store Saturday morning with a clipboard and I'm asking residents what's the most important items to them.

00:41:24 Speaker 12: Then the strategic plan should be incorporating all that commentary, and I'm not comfortable with where we are now that it does.

00:41:38 Speaker 12: So I'll make a motion right now, just to put on the floor that we receive the report, and that as listening to the comments from the clerk, and we went around the table.

00:41:52 Speaker 12: There's more that we would like, I think, as a committee, to see in this document before it's palatable, before it's representative of where we need as a document to guide us.

00:42:06 Speaker 12: This has to be inspirational for us.

00:42:11 Speaker 12: It has to be inspirational for the community.

00:42:14 Speaker 12: It has to be inspirational for the individuals working at the fire hall, public works that are working within the city that have to be one hundred percent buy-in.

00:42:25 Speaker 12: So I'd like to see it come back after staff had the opportunity to incorporate more of the comments I think that they've heard, probably going around the table today.

00:42:36 Speaker 12: I think we have to work harder on the document.

00:42:38 Speaker 12: Reminds me a little bit of the service review report wasn't maybe perfect when it first came to council, and we sent it back for revisions, for reworking,

00:42:50 Speaker 12: for a little bit more meat to the structure of that document, and I think this is in the same light.

00:42:57 Speaker 12: So, thanks.

00:43:01 Speaker 13: I've heard everybody, and I have my own thoughts.

00:43:07 Speaker 13: Michelle, it seems to me that when we retained Jay J, it was to help us with a comprehensive engagement plan and to provide a template.

00:43:22 Speaker 13: If I got that right, it wasn't necessarily the final document.

00:43:30 Speaker 03: Three, your Mayor Boddy thinking back to the proposal, it was to develop the overall vision.

00:43:36 Speaker 03: It was not to go into the specific actions.

00:43:38 Speaker 03: That was above and beyond when they went through and they did the alignment between all of our other existing plans, and I think if I could just add, I think that's an important distinction.

00:43:50 Speaker 03: The Vision 2050, in my view, outlines the goal statement of where we want to be, and it has a number of actions that, when you look at them, and I'll tell you,

00:44:03 Speaker 03: I'm a girl who goes to the grocery store with a plan, with a list.

00:44:07 Speaker 03: I like a plan.

00:44:08 Speaker 03: I like a detailed plan.

00:44:09 Speaker 03: Make the plan.

00:44:10 Speaker 03: Work the plan.

00:44:12 Speaker 03: Throughout this process, it has been a big learning process.

00:44:14 Speaker 03: That when we listen to the community, we need to continue listening.

00:44:17 Speaker 03: And as we build out and try various actions that are identified within the initial stage, the immediate, to learn from those and then make adjustments and to pivot.

00:44:28 Speaker 03: So two things: one, the plan is really built on collabouration.

00:44:34 Speaker 03: So when we think about the Georgian College actions that are identified, it is not the city undertaking.

00:44:39 Speaker 03: It is the city work.

00:44:39 Speaker 03: It is the city working with Georgian College to identify how can we support them and what they're doing related to student retention.

00:44:47 Speaker 03: It's how can we meet with the employers and learn from them on what they need in order to have things that would tangibly help them that the city is responsible for to support them in

00:44:57 Speaker 03: them being able to bring on workers and have housing and doctors.

00:45:02 Speaker 03: It's not for us to suddenly become the doer of all things that are not in our realm.

00:45:07 Speaker 03: We're not providing healthcare, as much as I think I could, we're not providing education as much as I think I could.

00:45:14 Speaker 03: This is for the city to very clearly work with those people, and that's included in the document when we say what are the existing plans that are linked and who are we collabourating with.

00:45:22 Speaker 03: When we think of development, we have the official plan currently being reviewed as we speak.

00:45:28 Speaker 03: The official plan, the zoning bylaw, and the urban design guidelines.

00:45:34 Speaker 03: Those are documents that are going to drive how we do development, and forgive me, I'm not a planner, so if I'm not using the right words, please forgive me.

00:45:42 Speaker 03: That will drive how we do development on the East Shore.

00:45:45 Speaker 03: That is not what this is meant to do.

00:45:47 Speaker 03: This is meant to say this links us.

00:45:49 Speaker 03: What you're doing here links to your official plan.

00:45:52 Speaker 03: Look at your official plan, and when you do your official plan update, make sure you're building in policies that support these principles, support these priorities of the community, so that we move together.

00:46:03 Speaker 03: When we think of the number of master plans and strategies the city has, the number is probably about thirty, and I think I'm being low on that end.

00:46:12 Speaker 03: Those are master plans have the tangible actions in them.

00:46:16 Speaker 03: This is the link to those, and pulling out some of those specific actions that, in their opinion, the consultant thought that we could do to start to move us forward.

00:46:25 Speaker 03: As we pull out what is still going on in those plans, how we need to move forward with those plans,

00:46:30 Speaker 03: how we continue to collabourate with the community and listen to the community about what is a priority to them.

00:46:37 Speaker 03: Sorry, that was a long-winded response to your.

00:46:42 Speaker 03: I just want to complete here.

00:46:44 Speaker 03: Thank you.

00:46:45 Speaker 14: So as I went through this, I think Jay went above and beyond sort of what our initial agreement was with with a lot of it.

00:46:57 Speaker 14: Comprehensive engagement plan.

00:46:58 Speaker 14: We engage with more people than we ever have with this.

00:47:01 Speaker 14: There is.

00:47:02 Speaker 14: With this, there's a plan in there, and how we continue to engage with the community, as you say.

00:47:06 Speaker 14: What does the community do, and how do we work with the community?

00:47:11 Speaker 14: If we'd done this on our own, we wouldn't have come up with fostering mutual and beneficial, respecting relationships.

00:47:16 Speaker 14: I think that's an important one.

00:47:18 Speaker 14: Celebrating, embracing culture.

00:47:19 Speaker 14: I'm not sure that we would have come up with that one the same way.

00:47:23 Speaker 14: So there's some things in there that Jay's expertise absolutely we have benefited from, and I agree.

00:47:30 Speaker 14: There's some things around the prosperous city that that that we need to think further on.

00:47:39 Speaker 14: And staff knows that the last time we did the strategic plan,

00:47:43 Speaker 14: that I was kind of a stick in the mud about the fact that we weren't doing enough for economic development and how important it is.

00:47:51 Speaker 14: If you don't grow your city, you can't afford to pay for all these other things that you want to do.

00:47:58 Speaker 14: You know, right now our operating budget, sixty-five percent goes to police, fire, and transit, sixty-five percent, thirty-five percent is left over to do everything else.

00:48:12 Speaker 14: You can't keep doing that stuff.

00:48:14 Speaker 14: That's not sustainable unless you've got growth, and we do have opportunities to attract industry.

00:48:24 Speaker 14: Industry sort of was a little vague in there, but clean energy frontier—you know, even the pump storage; those types of things give us an opportunity.

00:48:35 Speaker 14: We're never going to attract a new car manufacturer because we're too far off Highway 401.

00:48:41 Speaker 14: There's things that we're never going to attract, but there's things that we can attract that are sitting right in our palms, that are right there.

00:48:49 Speaker 14: Clark, you talked about attracting workforce.

00:48:52 Speaker 14: It's we want to attract and develop workforce, and I think Jay hits on that.

00:48:55 Speaker 14: Jay, it's on that, but it's a circle.

00:48:59 Speaker 14: To attract, develop workforce, you've got to have the jobs.

00:49:03 Speaker 14: The jobs, you got to have the housing.

00:49:05 Speaker 14: To have all of that, you have to.

00:49:07 Speaker 14: You have to have the workforce to attract the jobs, and the jobs to attract the workforce.

00:49:11 Speaker 14: And it's kind of circular, and I think that always needs to be in there.

00:49:15 Speaker 14: Plus, you've got to have the health care, child care, those types of things.

00:49:25 Speaker 14: Well, I want to.

00:49:25 Speaker 14: Well, at that point in the climate change coordinator, when council made that decision, we were going alone.

00:49:32 Speaker 14: There is nobody else out there doing it.

00:49:35 Speaker 14: About a month or six weeks or two months later, the county came ahead and got budgets and got staff and built out an entire plan for the county that we can pick pieces off.

00:49:46 Speaker 14: That's why we haven't hired anybody because the county is doing it.

00:49:50 Speaker 14: They're taking the lead for all of the county because there's a bunch of little municipalities that can't afford it, that aren't doing it, and that's why we haven't.

00:49:56 Speaker 14: And that seems to have been lost in the conversation.

00:49:59 Speaker 14: Maybe that's on us that we're not we haven't explained that well enough.

00:50:04 Speaker 14: I thought that was a specific thing, and I think it kind of misses.

00:50:09 Speaker 14: But there's so much we can do there.

00:50:12 Speaker 14: I just wanted to.

00:50:14 Speaker 03: I think that's a really good opportunity to highlight.

00:50:19 Speaker 03: The city has undertaken numerous initiatives related to climate change, there is, and mitigating and adapting, and it is built into multiple roles across the organisation.

00:50:33 Speaker 03: And I don't think, quite frankly, communications is part of my team, and I'll speak freely about this.

00:50:39 Speaker 03: We don't do a good enough job of telling our stories.

00:50:43 Speaker 03: We are so busy in the reactive day to day that we we don't do a great job of helping the community to understand.

00:50:51 Speaker 03: all the good things that staff are doing, because quite frankly, staff are heads down and just getting it done.

00:50:57 Speaker 03: And to them, it's what we do, and we forget sometimes that we need to help the community understand all the, you know, something that's being done related to, you know,

00:51:08 Speaker 03: in planning or something that's being done in facility maintenance or something that's being done at the base, or how that all ties back to all the climate work that we've undertaken.

00:51:21 Speaker 14: So, coming back for me to conclude before I go to other speakers, other thoughts.

00:51:29 Speaker 14: I'm happy with this document for what it is.

00:51:31 Speaker 14: I think there are things that we need to do to beef it out that couldn't possibly be in Jay's radar, or that maybe we should be expecting in this.

00:51:42 Speaker 14: That we need; we recognize we recognize maybe what needs to be filled in.

00:51:47 Speaker 14: We've got the expertise around the table to add some of those things and to fill it in.

00:51:52 Speaker 14: And so that's I think it is a good idea that we receive it and that we figure out how we work on it and develop it.

00:51:58 Speaker 14: Jen, I think was first.

00:52:01 Speaker 14: I don't know.

00:52:04 Speaker 07: My understanding maybe is a bit different.

00:52:07 Speaker 07: Like I really feel like the document as it stands doesn't need to have the ultra specifics of each parametre in it.

00:52:18 Speaker 07: My understanding was that's why we assigned a specific task or group or a person.

00:52:25 Speaker 07: Even they build those out.

00:52:27 Speaker 07: Those are the people that we go to with the individual ideas, and so you know, the community is then consulted from there.

00:52:39 Speaker 07: Like those groups of people who are responsible for advancing those things and have sort of quantifiable goals and are accountable for those goals because they're attached to it.

00:52:53 Speaker 07: Like those are the people that we bring all of those specific ideas to, and I kind of disagree.

00:53:00 Speaker 07: I think that having in there again specific ideas about community engagement, making sure that those are laid out and going forward for future councils,

00:53:12 Speaker 07: I absolutely think that should be in there because I think that in the past is what's been missing.

00:53:17 Speaker 07: And to speak to Michelle's point, like as a group,

00:53:22 Speaker 07: I don't think the city or the people responsible for advancing goals do enough to communicate this because so clearly that is something that has to be in there.

00:53:30 Speaker 07: I mean, obviously the cookies and coffee thing is you know one part of it, but I mean even hearing about the sort of open house, the city staff members had,

00:53:44 Speaker 07: where people could just come in and talk across the table.

00:53:47 Speaker 07: I mean, only heard great things about that.

00:53:49 Speaker 07: So I mean, those are ways that we need to move forward and do way more of that stuff.

00:53:56 Speaker 07: So I think that those things should be in there.

00:53:58 Speaker 07: But again, the very specific ideas about how we're going to advance business in the city and prosper the city, I think those come in the smaller group.

00:54:08 Speaker 07: Just to be clear, if I gave the impression that I didn't want to continue with the engagement, okay, okay, that wasn't my intention at all.

00:54:22 Speaker 07: I think that's so important.

00:54:24 Speaker 07: Yeah.

00:54:25 Speaker 04: First off, I think yeah we owe a debt of thanks to Jay.

00:54:28 Speaker 04: I think she stepped in and did a lot of work and did go above and beyond.

00:54:31 Speaker 04: And so in no way would I want to have our critique of the document reflect badly on Jay because I think she did a great job.

00:54:44 Speaker 04: I think, I guess what I'm thinking now is that maybe we need to massage it a bit, and parse out action plan and strategic plan.

00:54:55 Speaker 04: A strategic plan can be much more high level.

00:54:57 Speaker 04: I think right now, as we read through it, it tries to land in the middle.

00:55:05 Speaker 04: So where we see these actions, they aren't concrete enough, really.

00:55:12 Speaker 04: And so, for me, it does feel like it's a lot of activity, but where are we going with it?

00:55:17 Speaker 04: So, one approach could be to massage this document to zoom out a bit.

00:55:23 Speaker 04: It's this is the ten thousand foot view, and then we work direct staff to work more in depth on an action plan.

00:55:34 Speaker 04: And I would position it as an action plan as opposed to implementation plan, and then it's in there that we get into the concrete measures, and then the activities.

00:55:44 Speaker 04: And those actions will change over time, but those measures, hopefully, if we can land on some that are fairly robust, will persist over time.

00:55:59 Speaker 04: Do I make myself clear?

00:56:01 Speaker 04: So here's where we want to go.

00:56:03 Speaker 04: Here's how we're going to get there, and so I think we have you know, that strategic plan.

00:56:10 Speaker 04: I, you know, the bridging point.

00:56:15 Speaker 04: I think there's a danger there in that we then just fill up with all the other plans with the actions.

00:56:22 Speaker 04: But I think all the energy here that we've put into this can inform those as well, right?

00:56:28 Speaker 04: So it can be a driver as well in those actions.

00:56:32 Speaker 04: So anyhow, those are some thoughts.

00:56:37 Speaker 14: Just before I go to Michelle, following up what you just said, is I guess the question then is: if we're at the ten thousand foot level,

00:56:44 Speaker 14: is this what we want to be the ten thousand foot level document?

00:56:50 Speaker 04: I think there's enough in here.

00:56:52 Speaker 04: I think it would be probably just have to be massaged a bit so that we don't generate expectations that we're providing an action plan within it, if you follow.

00:57:05 Speaker 04: Because what we, you know, the immediate, mid, and long term is that this is what we're going to be doing.

00:57:11 Speaker 04: I would see these as more examples of activities that go toward moving that forward.

00:57:18 Speaker 04: But until we get into the action planning of setting those metrics, of looking at what our strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities are, where our leverage points are, what we can do in the immediate term.

00:57:28 Speaker 04: That's when we would make those decisions and make those action and work plans very concrete.

00:57:36 Speaker 04: Okay, thanks.

00:57:37 Speaker 04: I'm going to go to Michelle and then to Steve.

00:57:40 Speaker 03: I might just get Christina to pull back up the presentation for a second.

00:57:46 Speaker 03: Christina, sorry.

00:57:48 Speaker 03: I think I can flip us back here.

00:57:52 Speaker 03: And I apologize because this is probably a little harder to see on the screen up there.

00:57:57 Speaker 03: But this is a graphic that we actually used in the 2021 strategic plan refresh, and I am using it again because I think this really helps people to visualize how this works.

00:58:12 Speaker 03: So the Vision 2050 is the overarching.

00:58:15 Speaker 03: This is setting where we want to be.

00:58:18 Speaker 03: Oh, I'm sorry, ten thousand.

00:58:19 Speaker 03: The ten thousand foot view.

00:58:21 Speaker 03: From that, it pushes down into things like the official plan, the asset management plan, all of our master plans.

00:58:27 Speaker 03: just exactly what you were talking about, Clark.

00:58:29 Speaker 03: Where it builds out and those have the specific actions.

00:58:32 Speaker 03: From there, how we build that down is an annual operational plan.

00:58:37 Speaker 03: is new to the city right now.

00:58:39 Speaker 03: We do individual work plans, and then we pull that out, and those are taken forward to committees.

00:58:44 Speaker 03: Our goal is for 2026 to pull all those into an annual operational plan.

00:58:49 Speaker 03: But basically, that lays out the specific actions that are being undertaken by various staff to achieve those things within the master plans and asset management plan within official plan,

00:59:00 Speaker 03: all taking us back up to that Vision 2050.

00:59:03 Speaker 03: So it's at the development of the annual business plans, and which pull into the annual operational plan that detailed actions of what we're doing for the next year comes into play.

00:59:16 Speaker 03: So those are developed in the fall, and then that's how we plan our work for the year ahead.

00:59:20 Speaker 03: I think it's important to note within the Vision 2050 document itself, it was developed by a consultant based on community input.

00:59:34 Speaker 03: I think staff have taken the initial actions to identify how those could build into work plans for this year, and then potentially in 2026 and 2027, how they'll be built in,

00:59:45 Speaker 03: and then the details of those would be brought forward to those standing committees.

00:59:51 Speaker 03: We had committed to within the report identified we come back to council twice a year on a status update,

00:59:59 Speaker 03: and I think at that time I could pull in the metrics based on the information to identify not only status of the actions but also metrics that we could work towards for each of the

01:00:09 Speaker 03: priorities,

01:00:10 Speaker 03: and then council could have input at that time on whether those metrics reflected those long term priorities.

01:00:18 Speaker 03: Does that help clarify in terms of action planning at the lower level versus having it in that?

01:00:31 Speaker 04: Yeah, it certainly clarifies you know the inner workings of the city.

01:00:36 Speaker 04: I guess it comes down to the conversations and how which plan drives what you know and that.

01:00:49 Speaker 04: That I'm not clear on, and what would take precedence, and I think the strategic plan and the action planning around it deserve some time and attention.

01:01:07 Speaker 04: And once we have those defined, you know,

01:01:09 Speaker 04: can look at what is I'm not sure you know what is existing or how they do fit in with or interact with really because it is you know as the arrow.

01:01:16 Speaker 04: It is, you know, as the arrows would imply; it's an interaction as opposed to a hierarchical kind of relationship between them.

01:01:28 Speaker 04: Go to Steve.

01:01:31 Speaker 04: I guess I'm going to be kind of blunt.

01:01:35 Speaker 06: To me, we hired Jay and her group as the main piece was community engagement, which I think she's done a great job of.

01:01:45 Speaker 06: Except for in business community engagement, I think we're severely lacking there.

01:01:51 Speaker 06: I see the document as incomplete in many areas.

01:01:55 Speaker 06: You know, I got on this committee to...

01:01:57 Speaker 06: I thought it would be something that I would be part of a group that would show some leadership and create a bold vision.

01:02:05 Speaker 06: And I don't, I don't see that in this document, to be honest.

01:02:08 Speaker 06: You know, how would I explain this to someone from out of town that would energize them enough to come here and you know start a business?

01:02:17 Speaker 06: I just don't see it.

01:02:17 Speaker 06: I see a lot of ideas, but I don't see a cohesive vision.

01:02:22 Speaker 06: So, in my view, I can't support it in the present form.

01:02:28 Speaker 06: Full stop.

01:02:31 Speaker 14: I'm going to go to Marion, then back to Scott to wrap it up.

01:02:34 Speaker 14: I think.

01:02:35 Speaker 14: Thank you, Worship.

01:02:36 Speaker 09: A couple of first of all, I think it would be helpful if the committee received a list of all the master plans we actually have,

01:02:46 Speaker 09: so that the committee would know there are actions for all of these items; and secondly, I just wanted to mention Michelle talked about the city not telling its story.

01:02:57 Speaker 09: Well, I think recently the best thing that we've done, as far as communication goes to tell our story, is the green bin programmemememememe.

01:03:10 Speaker 09: So whatever we did there, I think we did it right, because people are... everybody seems to be on board.

01:03:16 Speaker 09: They know what it's all about.

01:03:19 Speaker 09: It really has worked well.

01:03:20 Speaker 09: So lesson learned there.

01:03:25 Speaker 09: Okay, Scott, I'm going to go back to you.

01:03:28 Speaker 14: One, if you want to change your motion having heard stuff; and two, sort of explain what you're hoping to get out of your motion.

01:03:40 Speaker 14: Why?

01:03:40 Speaker 11: Well, I think Councillor Koepke kind of touched on an important part in your last comments.

01:03:45 Speaker 11: There are at times moments where you will never satisfy someone.

01:03:51 Speaker 11: Doesn't matter what you're looking to deliver them, you will not give them enough, and you have to identify that.

01:03:59 Speaker 11: In my business, you have to... and it should be recognized in a corporation too that we've done a great job on communicating,

01:04:09 Speaker 11: and you can't beat yourself up on not being a good communicator if you still haven't done enough.

01:04:13 Speaker 11: Sometimes, you just won't satisfy individuals with initiatives.

01:04:20 Speaker 11: Like, it is incomplete.

01:04:23 Speaker 11: I'm with Member Low, and... you're...

01:04:27 Speaker 11: I understand the flowcharts, the processes.

01:04:30 Speaker 11: I've been here long enough.

01:04:31 Speaker 11: I read all the master plans.

01:04:33 Speaker 11: I've got them all saved in PDF documents.

01:04:35 Speaker 11: I mean.

01:04:37 Speaker 11: But last Tuesday, I... you know we talk about there's little initiatives in here, active transportation.

01:04:47 Speaker 11: Yes, I have a pretty low carbon footprint.

01:04:51 Speaker 11: I'll have coffee with anyone that thinks otherwise.

01:04:55 Speaker 11: I watched kids in the Amish community cycling to school alongside a very busy highway, and there are so many only so many initiatives that you can incorporate financially that are sustainable,

01:05:15 Speaker 11: and you still may not satisfy every person that's looking to do more.

01:05:22 Speaker 11: There is like here's a bullet point like when it's incomplete, and I'd like to see it come back.

01:05:30 Speaker 11: Here's one: create a web page clearly indicating five to seven ways community stakeholders can communicate with city staff outside of a formal deputation or complaints process.

01:05:41 Speaker 11: This is why this document should go back to staff, and we rework it.

01:05:47 Speaker 11: We work harder.

01:05:48 Speaker 11: We roll up our sleeves because that's the type of item in there that is...

01:05:53 Speaker 11: Like I say, I understand how other plans inform, and the strap plan informs other plans, but if I'm going to pull something out, that is a pretty meek bullet point to move forward on it,

01:06:10 Speaker 11: on an immediate action, creating a web page.

01:06:15 Speaker 11: So we can do better.

01:06:17 Speaker 11: I think it's on this committee to work harder to try to come up with a more complete document.

01:06:24 Speaker 11: I'm going to go back to the expansive Eastside Harbor.

01:06:30 Speaker 11: I think in your public engagement, you probably heard lots about harbor redevelopment.

01:06:37 Speaker 11: We had an evening at Mudtown.

01:06:38 Speaker 11: I'm pretty sure there was conversation there.

01:06:41 Speaker 11: It's right outside the door, and I don't see items like that which have or can carry more weight than creation of a web page being in the document.

01:06:59 Speaker 11: So...

01:06:59 Speaker 11: I'll leave the motion on the floor just to receive for information and send it back to staff to come up.

01:07:06 Speaker 11: I agree with Mayor Boddy.

01:07:10 Speaker 11: The consultation process was great, extensive, hitting on a tremendous amount of groups.

01:07:19 Speaker 11: But this is like so many consultants.

01:07:23 Speaker 11: Now we bring it home and we refine it to the document that we're going to deliver to our community; that's the refining that needs to take place now.

01:07:35 Speaker 11: Pat, I noticed your hand coming up.

01:07:37 Speaker 13: If you want to go ahead, you have to push the button.

01:07:43 Speaker 15: I feel like I've been at the sausage factory.

01:07:49 Speaker 15: Over the past year, I've been involved in a lot of the consultations and a lot of the draft documents, and...

01:07:55 Speaker 15: I'm with Trish and Jennifer, and not Steve, but certainly Clark.

01:08:02 Speaker 15: I think there was a lot of enthusiasm at the community level, a lot of expectation, and a lot of sense of they're listening.

01:08:12 Speaker 15: You know, they're hearing people talk about what's important to them out in front of the Metro: community safety, well-being, economic development, keeping our kids, getting doctors.

01:08:23 Speaker 15: I see that in this report.

01:08:26 Speaker 15: It's not perfect, and in fact, I sent Michelle a document a while back because I didn't know what a community strategic plan should look like.

01:08:37 Speaker 15: And I did a little research, and there was an article published.

01:08:43 Speaker 15: I think it was... you know, somebody's master's paper looking at communities in Ontario, municipalities under fifty thousand people, and what their strategic plans look like, and they ranked them,

01:08:58 Speaker 15: and they gave you 32 metrics to look for.

01:09:01 Speaker 15: What's in there?

01:09:03 Speaker 15: And it is not about having a business plan.

01:09:06 Speaker 15: It is not about inspiring people to come here and open a manufacturing plant.

01:09:11 Speaker 15: It's about inspiring the people who live here first and foremost.

01:09:16 Speaker 15: First of all, I think by telling them, you contributed.

01:09:20 Speaker 15: These are your priorities.

01:09:21 Speaker 15: We heard you, and these are our first steps—just our first steps.

01:09:28 Speaker 15: That's it.

01:09:29 Speaker 15: You got to give it back to people now.

01:09:32 Speaker 15: I think what it lacks, with all due respect, is a vision that what we need to achieve cannot be achieved by council and staff alone.

01:09:44 Speaker 15: We have to bring in the bigger community.

01:09:47 Speaker 15: When I was at the corporate consultation at Mudtown last year, I remember there was a guy there who I think he's with Troy Manufacturing.

01:09:59 Speaker 15: You know, there were lots of speeches.

01:10:01 Speaker 15: I think Marion, you were there, and he came up today after and said, "Tell me when this thing has legs."

01:10:10 Speaker 15: This decision is not going to give it legs.

01:10:14 Speaker 15: You have got to bring in the bigger community, whether it's Bruce Power, the hospital, all of us in the community to sustain it.

01:10:23 Speaker 15: And when I was at the Harmony Centre, had a resilience conference a while back, and they had a speaker from Fogo Island who they started a consultation business, working with communities like ours,

01:10:42 Speaker 15: taking the next steps to implementing plans like this, and engaging the community on a sustainable basis, and that's what I'd like to see coming forward.

01:10:52 Speaker 15: And I really want to congratulate staff.

01:10:55 Speaker 15: My sense of our ability to engage has really changed, and I thank you.

01:11:01 Speaker 15: That's it.

01:11:04 Speaker 15: Thank you.

01:11:04 Speaker 15: Okay, I think we're probably at a point.

01:11:06 Speaker 15: We've got a motion before us.

01:11:09 Speaker 15: Is yours?

01:11:11 Speaker 15: I um.

01:11:15 Speaker 15: I agree.

01:11:16 Speaker 15: It's. it.

01:11:16 Speaker 04: It's not only a business plan, but but I am concerned that things not become polarized either.

01:11:28 Speaker 04: So it's not either or.

01:11:32 Speaker 04: It's and with, because the business community is part of the community.

01:11:39 Speaker 04: Our group of stakeholders do provide, you know, have a.

01:11:43 Speaker 04: Have legitimate concerns and are part of our community.

01:11:49 Speaker 04: I find in our community we do have some some polarization, some cleavages, like any any community is.

01:11:59 Speaker 04: I think the strategic plan should be something that brings all aspects of the community, all all groups in the community together,

01:12:07 Speaker 04: and should be something that all groups can get behind and and see themselves in.

01:12:13 Speaker 04: And I think that's where that engagement process is so critical as well.

01:12:17 Speaker 04: Because, as you say, you know, people should feel all groups should feel, wow, they're listening.

01:12:23 Speaker 04: They see me.

01:12:24 Speaker 04: This matters, and and that's a very real emotional investment that or sets up for a very real emotional investment that people make,

01:12:36 Speaker 04: which is so critical if we're going to have an impact on a system, which is what we're trying to do.

01:12:43 Speaker 04: So I just, just in terms of the tenor and the tone, it would be it would be nice that that we see this as as something that brings us together as well.

01:12:56 Speaker 04: Perfect.

01:12:56 Speaker 04: Thank you, Scott.

01:12:57 Speaker 04: Last word, and then I'm going to call the question.

01:12:59 Speaker 16: I'll just note from page six, bottom of the paragraph, that states what is a municipal strategic plan.

01:13:05 Speaker 16: The last sentence states goals are broken down into actions, timelines, and quantifiable metrics.

01:13:12 Speaker 16: I think that's something that we can work on.

01:13:15 Speaker 16: Yet, okay.

01:13:17 Speaker 14: So, motion is to receive the report, to give it to staff, to report back to this committee.

01:13:24 Speaker 14: Is that correct?

01:13:25 Speaker 14: Okay.

01:13:26 Speaker 14: Any questions on the motion?

01:13:28 Speaker 14: Call the question.

01:13:29 Speaker 14: All in favour?

01:13:31 Speaker 14: One, two, three, four, five, six.

01:13:32 Speaker 14: That's carried unanimously.

01:13:40 Speaker 14: So, on our agenda, number nine, we have no matters that are postponed, no motions that were previously given, no correspondence items that are presented for information.

01:13:52 Speaker 14: We didn't have any additional discussion.

01:13:55 Speaker 14: Are there any notices of motion for the next meeting?

01:13:58 Speaker 14: I'm seeing none, so that completes our business.

01:14:00 Speaker 14: It's ten fourteen.

01:14:03 Speaker 14: We're adjourned.

01:14:03 Speaker 14: Thanks, everybody.

01:14:06 Speaker 14: No, she's not gonna hear me.

01:14:06 Speaker 14: Thank.

01:14:07 Speaker 14: No, she's not going to hear me.

01:14:07 Speaker 14: Thanks, Pat, for your comments.