by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
COBDEN — The Township of Whitewater Region has a strategic plan, but the Chief Administrative Officers believes it needs to be strengthened.
“It should guide everything we do as a municipality,” said CAO Robert Tremblay at last Wednesday’s corporate services committee meeting.
A strategic plan process includes six things — establish the mission, vision and values; develop objectives; analyze the external environment; identify the competitive advantage position; implement the strategy and evaluate the performance.
The previous exercise focused only on the external environment, he said.
“You didn’t really look at the competitive advantage and what makes us distinctive,” he said.
He noted that the objectives listed were really items to be achieved.
CAO Tremblay also noted that the mission and vision were flipped, explaining that the mission is what we do and the vision is where we’re going.
“There was no articulation of what values we have,” he said, adding, “As CAO, this is very important, because as a staff team, those values should be the basis of all that we do, how we do it and how we conduct ourselves.”
To make the strategic plan more relevant and useable as a basis for council’s work, there is more work that needs to be done on it, he said.
“The vision statement is not strong of where council wants to go,” CAO Tremblay said, adding, “I’ve combined them to have this statement, The Township of Whitewater Region delivers quality municipal services and fosters sustainable economic growth and development. The Township of Whitewater Region offers communities that are safe, affordable, vibrant, sustainable and welcoming for all.
“I hope that statement is of who we are and what we do.”
He then did a quick exercise with council answering various questions. The new mission statement is based on questions and what council wants to work on, he explained.
Following the questions, council also reviewed their strengths, which are those things that make Whitewater Region unique from other municipalities.
One thing unique is that Whitewater Region has the biggest agriculture sector within the county while another strength is the medical centres, schools and long-term care homes.
Mayor Hal Johnson noted the trail system is the best.
“We have good trails here, and we’re having more,” he said. “They’re all-season trails. While snowmobiling this past weekend, a bicycle passed me on the skidoo trail. That tells me we have year-round biking on our trails.”
Councillor Charlene Jackson agreed, noting there are active transportation lanes as well as trails. The trail system needs to be identified as to who’s going to use it and how best will they be used.
Councillor Chris Olmstead noted Cobden has the prime location in the centre of Renfrew County.
“Many people locate here because there’s usually two working people in the home and one works west and another works east,” he said, “We’re primely located.”
He also noted there is a connection to Quebec that many other communities do not have.
Coun. Jackson said not everybody has high speed internet, but it was put in in the Westmeath/Beachburg areas for commercial use, and residential hook-ups will soon be available.
She also pointed out some of the cultural events, such as the MudRun at Wilderness Tours, Taste of the Valley, and many other local events.
When it was time to speak about the environment and water ways, Coun. Jackson said, there are issues with Muskrat Lake, but there are many other waterways within Whitewater Region, including the Ottawa River.
“We are not just defined with Muskrat Lake, although it is an issue,” she said, adding, “We have other water sources, not used for municipal water sources, but other clean water sources within the township.”
Mayor Johnson agreed.
“The key point to make is that environment is not only water,” he said. “We do have a clean environment, good air, and that’s key; lots of forests involved in green; lots of incentives being used in green; overall, our environment is good. Water is only weak in a small portion of the year and otherwise it’s quite strong also.”
CAO Tremblay added there are areas of scientific interest, Crown land and a provincial park.
“We have our hamlets and villages,” he said. “There are some rural municipalities that don’t have settlement areas. The fact is we have them, and local media.”
It’s important that council articulates what this municipality is and what competitive advantages it has over other areas.
CAO Tremblay said it’s also important to look to the future, and he suggested council use 2025 as to how it wants this municipality to look like.
“What would you like to see Whitewater Region look like in 2025,” he said, adding, “Get a sense of what it looks like in concrete terms.
“What are our actions and what things do we need to work on to get us there, instead of turning in circles,” he said.
Coun. Olmstead suggested well thought-out urban planning for future sustainable growth. Not one house here and there, he said. It’s important that each time someone wants to build or develop, the same issues are not being addressed.
“Whether it be Cobden, Beachburg, Westmeath, La Passe, Haley’s, Foresters Falls, it’s important that a plan is set in motion that it’s very strategically developed,” Coun. Olmstead said, adding “It has to be sustainable. We’re not making the wheel every time a developer comes in.”
Mayor Johnson said as part of strategic planning for urban areas, he would like to see projects that are earmarked towards seniors, middle income and young families, so they can intertwine and work together.
“That is very key for a healthy community,” he said.
Ensure that recreation is for everybody, which could possibly mean solidifying resources, the mayor added, explaining, there needs to be a vision for down the road and that should start very soon.
Councillor Dave Mackay wants to see the industrial park filled with small businesses that will create jobs.
Coun. Olmstead noted the lots in the industrial park are almost filled now and it could be beneficial to look at other lands, even some in the Haley’s areas. He would like to see commercial and industrial development.
Councillor Cathy Regier said she would like to see “some kind of movement” with the clean-up of Muskrat Lake, stressing it’s not the municipality’s responsibility, but helping other agencies do the clean-up.
The CAO will bring the report back to the March 15 meeting with the activities the council activities identified and where the township is in regards to those.
“The goal is to align activities and things we work on, and the money we spend, are on the things that will get us to 2025 and the community you desire,” CAO Tremblay said.
