The Cultivating Creston process to develop an integrated community sustainability plan (ICSP) to guide Creston into the future is just underway, and partner organizations and citizens are being asked to get involved in the process to create the vision for the town’s success and sustainability.
Most immediately, they are invited to provide input regarding the vision and priorities for Creston’s future — what they want the town to look and be like 20 years from now.
The first opportunity for public input is through a 15-minute survey that will be online from now until 11:59 p.m. April 24. Go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/CultivateCreston to provide your input.
The next opportunity will be at public events planned for the evening of April 27 and all day April 28. These events will be an opportunity for citizens to hear about the ICSP process and to share ideas for Creston’s future success and sustainability.
“Planning for the future of our community is planning for success, resiliency and sustainability,” said Mayor Ron Toyota. “This type of work is now standard for most communities.”
The ICSP is a high-level policy document and process that is comprehensive, long-term, and will guide the decisions and practices of the local government and participating partner organizations moving forward. The ICSP will deliver a vision, strategic plan and implementation process for creating a successful and sustainable future for the community twenty years from now and beyond.
Led by the Town of Creston and the Whistler Centre for Sustainability, the ICSP will be developed between now and the end of the year through a streamlined and innovative process, informed by an advisory team comprised of staff, council, partner organizations and citizen representatives. Once developed, the ICSP will be used by the Town of Creston and by partner organizations to guide decisions and activities at all levels, and across all functions.
A community sustainability advisory team (CSAT) has been created to represent community partners and stakeholders in the ICSP development process from start to finish. The April public survey and participation events will be followed by opportunities for the public to provide feedback on the draft vision for the future, identify actions necessary to get there, and also give feedback on the draft ICSP before council approval.
“The ICSP will be the lens for all our decisions and for how we do business in the future,” Toyota said. “Council and staff will be actively engaged in the ICSP development, and we are encouraging our community partners to get involved too. Achieving the ICSP vision will only be possible with community-wide commitment, so we hope partners and citizens will get involved so they too can take ownership of the direction being charted for Creston.”
For more information about public participation, visit the Cultivating Creston link at www.creston.ca or visit the Facebook page.
The Whistler Centre for Sustainability is a non-profit organization that provides sustainability planning and implementation advisory services to local governments in B.C. and across Canada.
— TOWN OF CRESTON