Frequently Asked Questions

The Sustainability Strategy will be used alongside the CVRD Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) to guide actions towards a sustainable and prosperous future. The RGS is a mandated document intended to guide human settlement planning for issues such as housing, transportation and parks that are regional in nature and cross municipal boundaries. They are focused on a set of key issues that must be managed at the regional scale. The Sustainability Strategy will help to inform portions of the RGS but it will also cover a wider spectrum of how we interact with the natural environment and provide action and implementation plans that are both regional and local in scope. Click here to view the Regional Growth Strategy and Sustainability Strategy Timeline Comparison. 

Will elected officials be involved in the Working Group workshops?

Regular briefings and updates are provided to elected officials to ensure they have current knowledge of progress on the sustainability strategy. Elected officials attended Working Group Workshop 2 and will attend the Working Group and Staff Workshop on November 7, 2009.

How are local government staff participating in the process? Local and regional government staff are working to find innovative ways to integrate sustainability into programs and policy, and to discuss challenges and opportunities with staff from neighbouring jurisdictions. In addition, senior staff will attend the November 7 workshop with working group members.

A fourth community open house will be held in which the public, the development and business community, community organizations can review and provide input on the Draft Strategy and Implementation Plan. Community input gathered at the fourth open house will be considered in the Final Strategy and Implementation Plan. Any bylaw, regulation or plan changes contemplated as implementation steps will also undergo the normal public review process. This stage in the project will include discussion about what local governments can realistically implement and ways in which community organizations can contribute to implementation strategies. 

The Ministry of Transportation will be invited to meet with local government staff in the Action Planning phase. 

Members of the development and building sector have been invited to provide input on the sustainability strategy to ensure that the ideas and concerns within their sector are represented. An information session on the Regional Growth Strategy and the Sustainability Strategy was held on November 27, 2008. They will be provided with regular updates on the planning process and will be invited to review and comment on draft visions, goals, actions and targets at community open houses. 

First Nations are being provided with an open invitation to discuss their participation in the sustainability strategy planning process. 

Working Group members are generously giving their time to the sustainability strategy. They are not required to take on additional work between workshops. However, if they have the time and interest in deepening their level of understanding and input, we encourage them to review existing local government studies and plans related to their topic and to meet within their groups to refine their submissions. 

There is a legal requirement for local governments to incorporate greenhouse gas reduction strategies and targets in their Official Community Plans by 2010. In addition there is a moral obligation to be good stewards of the environment and to demonstrate leadership in planning for growth in a sustainable way.

This is your valley and this will be your document. The vision, goals and targets should reflect community concerns and hopes for the future. The review process requires broad input from residents, elected officials, staff and stakeholders. It is our goal to engage residents of all ages and walks of life to participate in the co-creation of the sustainability strategy.