Final chance for regional growth review input

Contributed

The official review of the Regional Growth Strategy is entering its final phase and the last opportunity for you to have your say.

Regional Growth Strategy Coordinator David Widdis says, “We’ve prepared an online do-it-yourself toolkit that people can use to guide them through questions and record their comments. It’s available for people to fill out on the Regional Growth Strategy website www.futureok.ca or at www.regionaldistrict.com/growth. We encourage people that are interested in helping develop the updated Regional Growth Strategy to go to the website and fill it out online by midnight Friday, October 5^th.”

To help guide your comments, input and thoughts about what the Regional Growth Strategy should look like, Widdis says a series of discussion papers have been prepared and can be viewed on the futureok.ca website. “These detailed discussion papers look at important issues that must be considered by everyone involved with managing future growth across the Central Okanagan. They include Parks and Open Spaces, Economic Development, Housing, Environmental Protection, Water Resources and Transportation and Mobility.”

“The information gathered,” Widdis says, “will help focus the direction of the review and identify priorities for each of the regional issue areas as we work toward drafting an updated and meaningful Regional Growth Strategy that will assist with future decision making and in managing growth over the next 20 years. It will bring together the Official Community Plans and other important planning policies from local governments across the Central Okanagan to form a cohesive, supportable and relevant strategy to support the long-term well-being of the region and its people.”

It’s hoped that a final draft of the updated Regional Growth Strategy will be presented for consideration of the Regional Board in the spring of next year. This is the first time it has been updated since the original Regional Growth Strategy was adopted in 2000.

The Regional Growth Strategy provides a coordinated and consistent approach for growth management across the region by establishing economic, environmental and social objectives to guide local governments in decisions to create a healthy and sustainable community in which to live; work and play.