Council approves amendments to Strategic Plan to reflect evolving community needs

By Colin Smith

“Morinville is a mid-sized community with a welcoming ‘small-town’ feel where we live and grow together.”

The new community building goal statement is one of several changes in the amended Morinville 2022-2025 Strategic Plan approved by council at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Mar. 26.

Initiated in 2022, the strategic plan is intended to provide a decision-making framework that guides the town administration on where to direct its resources and capacity while delivering core services and programs.

Another aim is to enable collective working with residents, businesses and organizations on the community’s strategic priorities.

“I thought it was important to bring this forward so that residents understand some of the background work that administration has done and that council has done,” said Mayor Simon Boersma at the meeting.

“I hope the residents will look at some of these changes that we feel were very important to move this strategic plan forward.”

Council met twice earlier this year in special Committee of the Whole meetings to review the plan, following the development of a municipal corporate planning and reporting framework.

The resulting update includes amendments to the six priorities set out in the plan: community building, community safety and wellbeing, financial stewardship, environmental responsibility, economic development and collaborative relationships.

Along with changes to the wording of goal statements, there were some amendments to priority objectives.

The environmental responsibility objective of developing a climate action plan for Morinville by 2025 has been dropped, along with leveraging the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre to conduct an energy audit.

The rationale for the move is resource and feasibility limitations over the next one to two years.

An adjusted objective is the education of the public on environmental initiatives, risk assessment and disaster preparedness.

The previous economic development objective was to grow the proportion of non-residential assessment from 14% to 16%. No numerical targets are specified in the amended version, which simply calls for growing the proportion of non-residential assessment.

Transparency has been added to accountability and service excellence as core values in the strategic plan, emphasizing Morinville’s commitment to openness, clear communication and decision-making responsibility.

In addition to approving the amended plan council voted to rescind the outdated Strategic Priority Sponsorship Policy and Strategic Planning and Management Policy.

Also rescinded as no longer necessary was a motion passed in 2021 by the previous town council directing administration to undertake engagement related to truth and reconciliation.

According to an administration report, funding to support that direction never came through but the current council has made it a goal to build and strengthen relationships with Indigenous and Métis peoples on shared interests, opportunities, and concerns.

Efforts include the Alexander First Nations/Town of Morinville Joint Partnership Task Force, raising the Treaty 6 Flag at Town Hall and accepting invitations to participate in important Indigenous events.

Administration has worked collaboratively on fire initiatives and to integrate Indigenous culture into town facilities and the Lite Up the Nite festival, the report stated.

Support for implementation of the Morinville 2022-2025 Strategic Plan will come through communication of progress and accomplishments to the public, enhancing transparency, regular council reviews and identification and elimination of redundant policies.

“The amendment of the strategic plan went a lot smoother than the actual putting together of the strategic plan,” said Councillor Ray White. “It was not painful at all.”