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The City of Moose Jaw is in the process of updating their Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoning bylaw after a long, 22-year wait.
The last OCP was written in 2001 and approved in 2011. The provincial government has flagged the City's OCP for an upgrade, as there were policies improperly outlined in the 2001 edition.
Michelle Sanson, Director of Planning and Development, has taken on the project.
"We're really excited to get this project underway and engage the community."
Sanson and her team have created a webpage to educate the public on the upcoming update to the OCP. They have also planned many exciting events to advertise the project.
"We've had six topics covered at stakeholder workshops, and we have another six planned for April," Sanson comments.
The project had 56 representatives from many different organizations participate in the workshops. The team had a meeting with the community-based coalition and consultants plan to meet with individuals from organizations that were not able to attend these workshops.
"We have an online workshop Wednesday (February 15, 2023) at 7:00 via Zoom," Sanson remarks. "There is a link available on our webpage for registration for the workshop."
The team's interactive pop-up displays have engaged 135 people at 3 venues so far. There are plans for three additional pop-up locations.
There will be a public educational interactive event taking place on April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Mae Wilson Theatre.
Dr. Laura Wright, a demographics researcher from the U of S, will be the keynote speaker at this event. Four local generational ambassadors will also be speaking on the panel during the evening.
The project will wrap up engagement events in April and a report will be finished in May. This will allow the City to work on policy direction during the summer and further consultation in the fall.
The OCP will have one month of advertisements, a public hearing, and approval from the Council and the Minister before it can be implemented. This means the OCP will not be in effect until any time between December 2023 and March 2024.
Sanson stresses the importance of checking out their website, as there will be frequent updates throughout the entirety of the project. You can check out their website at moosejaw.ca/ocp.