Updated Strategic Plan & Progress Report
In December 2020, Council and staff updated the Strategic Plan 2019 – 2022 in order to report on the progress made during the first two years of Council’s four-year term, and to identify action items the Council aims to complete during the second half of its term. The Strategic Plan considers the most important opportunities and challenges facing the Town of Gibsons today and into the future, and helps focus Council’s efforts and inform its policy decisions.
Read the 2019 – 2022 Strategic Plan Progress Report and Update here.
Community Survey
On December 18, 2020, an online survey designed to receive community input on Council’s Updated Strategic Plan (see above), the 2021 Annual Budget and how residents would like to receive information from the Town was launched. The survey was promoted through a range of mediums, including a direct mail postcard, our digital newsletter, social media, three newspaper ads, articles in both the Coast Reporter and the Local newspapers, and our monthly “Talk of the Town” piece in the Local newspaper.
The survey closed on January 25, 2021, with 101 people participating.
On March 2, 2021, the Communications Coordinator presented a report to Council on the key findings of the community survey. Read the full report. View the related PowerPoint Presentation to Council. View the 2021 Community Survey responses and comments in full.
As expected, the 2021 community survey generated a large number of extremely varied comments relating to improvements the respondents would like to see within the Town. However, in reading through these comments, clear themes begin to emerge. These include:
- A desire for increased and safer cycling and walking paths, in part by creating new infrastructure and in part by slowing/controlling traffic
- A desire to protect and add to green space/outdoor recreational space within the Town
- A desire to sustainably manage new development by determining/respecting the capacity of our infrastructure resources (including the Gibsons Aquifer) and by requiring developers to contribute more to community resources
- A desire for more affordable housing, especially rental housing
- A desire for increased recreational opportunities within the Town (specifically rehabilitation/construction of tennis courts and addition of pickleball lines)
- A desire for better road conditions, specifically on Gower Point Road in front of the Post Office
- A desire for more community events and installations designed to bring people together and also celebrate/support our many local artists
Common themes around how people prefer to receive information from the Town also emerged, with ads in the Coast Reporter, the digital newsletter and supplementary enclosures with utility bills/property tax notices being cited as the most popular forms.
Going forward, this information will be used to guide Council decision-making and inform communications strategies.
We thank all those who took the time to complete a community survey.
Strategic Plan 2019 – 2022 (Full Version)
On December 3 2019, Council endorsed the final version of their Strategic Plan 2019 -2022.
See the Strategic Plan 2019 to 2022 FINAL here.
See Council’s Core Objectives At A Glance here.
The Strategic Plan was created in cooperation with staff and the community, and will help guide Council’s decisions, activities and allocation of resources for the next three years.
