The District of Barriere is aiming to update its official community plan, beginning the process with a community engagement session and the launch of a survey.
Amy Clarke of TRUE consulting, the company hired to lead the project, said she and her team will be at the Barriere and District Seniors Society Drop-in Centre, 4331 Barriere Town Road, on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for an open house.
"We are at the very beginning of this project, so it's very much kind of visionary, getting to know the community and getting a sense of opportunities and concerns," Clark said Friday, Nov. 15.
During the open house, which will be drop-in style, there will be stations set up around the room with poster boards containing information about different topics.
"We know housing is a hot topic these days so we will give a bit of background on that," Clarke said as an example. "We will be asking folks for feedback on key issues."
Residents will be encouraged to provide ideas perhaps on a sticky note or even anonymously through what are called feedback frames.
"They are an anonymous voting tool and we will have them set up around the room with a question at each one," Clarke said of the feedback frames." You cannot see anyone else's answers, which is kind of nice, because you aren't swayed by other people opinions on certain topics."
A survey will be available on the district website, as of Monday, Nov. 18, and through paper copies available at the district office.
Completed surveys will be accepted until Wednesday, Dec. 18 and Clarke said people can always email ocp.refresh@barriere.ca or call her at 250-814-7338 if they need more information.
TRUE Consulting was hired about two months ago.
They have met with staff and council and being doing background research on the district's demographics and existing official community plan and zoning bylaw.
Information gathered at the open house and from the surveys will go toward issuing what she said will be a "what we heard" report.
"It will look at the results, checking back with the community so they can see what was said, and then that will help us put together draft directions and putting together key policy directions for the next phase of the project."
On the district website there is a general email list, which she said is a great way for residents to stay up to date on the project.
"With any round of engagement we do, we will be emailing our contact list and in addition to the district contact list."
District corporate officer Tasha Buchanan said Barriere was incorporated in 2007 and the existing OCP was adopted in 2011.
New provincial housing legislation requires all OCPs be updated by the end of 2025, she said.
"We were already due for a refresh anyway, so this works conveniently within that scope as there was grant funding for this project through the provincial government. They are supporting local governments to meet these obligations. That's a plus for the taxpayers."
Buchanan said district staff and Barriere's elected officials will also attend the open house on Nov. 20.
The exercise of updating the OCP will give the community the opportunity to determine if things have changed significantly, she explained.
"Housing is a big issue. Do we want to help support that in this OCP? We've done a lot more in terms of recreation and parks and healthy living from when we first incorporated and originated our OCP. Do we want to continue with that same sort of path? Do we want to increase it or decrease it, that sort of thing? Do we visualize the same pathway or do we want to explore some other options?"
It's about understanding the heart beat of the town, she added.
