Almost six months into my role as councillor for the District of Squamish, I have participated in roughly 300 hours of council-related meetings and read just over 4,100 pages of agendas.
I’m not complaining. I have enjoyed the learning curve and the pace of issues and projects coming our way. Every week, a conversation or a presentation to council or something I read reminds me of the great privilege it is to have the opportunity to learn from and work with my fellow councillors, our staff, and the smart, talented and committed citizens who call Squamish home.
What I have noticed in the past six months is that a few big issues such as the Oceanfront lands, FortisBC, Woodfibre LNG and the budget have dominated our agenda. These projects, while important in their own right, have in my view overshadowed one of the more important responsibilities of this current council, and that is overseeing the upcoming review and update of our Official Community Plan (OCP).
As described on the district web site, the OCP is the formal document, adopted by council, that establishes the vision, objectives, goals and priorities for how Squamish will grow and evolve. It contains specific tools and policies to determine how the district should manage growth, use its land, support economic development, foster community and protect the environment.
The OCP is our opportunity as a community to be visionary, progressive and bold in describing and pursuing the future we want for Squamish. Community input is crucial to the OCP process. With the input of our citizenry, we can create a roadmap that reflects the ideals, values and aspirations of the people who call Squamish home.
With this in mind, council has approved the creation of an OCP staff advisory steering committee. This group of citizens will work with staff and the mayor to design the OCP community engagement process. Watch for notices on the district web site and in the local media as the selection process will begin in June.
Whether you are a newcomer to Squamish like me, or someone who was born and raised here, I encourage you to participate in the OCP review as it rolls out over the next year. The more community input, the better. Squamish is growing, and the OCP review provides our community with a great opportunity to influence the policies that will help us protect our environment and make this town even more healthy, vibrant, livable and prosperous. I look forward to being part of this process and I hope you will too.
