St. Albert is an inclusive, healthy community where residents look out not just for their neighbours but also for one another, says the city’s newest master plan.
City council unanimously approved on Monday the social master plan, designed to guide the city’s decisions on how both its government and its population cares for everyone who lives here.
“This plan isn’t just for the vulnerable – it is for everyone,” Scott Rodda, director of Family and Community Support Services, said.
This is a master plan like none the city possesses to date. Instead of being developed primarily by consultants and experts, the social master plan was driven, researched and even prepared by members of the community. In total, 500 individuals and 100 local agencies took part in its preparation and completion. And it is already resonating with local non-profits.
“It’s a collaborative, community approach that is a call to action,” said Suzan Krecsy, executive director of the St. Albert Food Bank and Community Village. “It is a positive and healthy approach to social issues here in St. Albert. It can only make St. Albert a better place to live and thrive.”
Doreen Slessor, executive director of Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) also gave the final plan a ringing endorsement.
“I do feel it is a good representation of the social issues in our community,” Slessor said.
The plan, as developed, outlines five individual values that were identified as most important, then lists related goals and actions under each. Those values were listed as a sense of community and connectedness; diversity and inclusion; social responsibility and engagement; healthy lifestyle and well-being; and capacity building or building resiliency in the community.
Goals and actions could include emphasizing environmental design in new neighbourhoods to help prevent vandalism under the value of a sense of community and connectedness or creating an anti-bullying task force to develop a strategy under diversity and inclusion.
All of the goals and actions include methods to measure progress.
“The other thing we heard very strongly (from the community) was an overwhelming desire to build strategies to make sure this important work is not lost or shelved,” Rodda said.
Council enthusiastically endorsed the plan, but Mayor Nolan Crouse dared the city to go one better, calling for the creation of specific policies relating to certain goals within the master plan, such as a city policy outlawing bullying or homelessness.
“Master plans and visionary documents are good from one point of view but you can actually take a much stronger stance and promote certain things.”
Crouse used the example of homelessness, saying a policy could state everyone must have a place to live, and related statements, such as any person known to be homeless shall be found a place to live in 30 days.
"This is a very powerful document,” Crouse said. “What we can do is embed it more deeply into our social fabric.”
Rodda said FCSS will be the department that will oversee the plan’s execution and will report to council annually on its progression.
