Village of Dunnottar Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan

The Village of Dunnottar is a resort municipality in Manitoba, located 60 kilometres north of the City of Winnipeg next to Lake Winnipeg. The influx of seasonal residents in cottages causes the local population to swell from 696 to over 3,000 during the summer months. Dunnottar has long been recognized as one of the region's leaders in matters of sustainability, most notably with the launching (in 2015) of its full-scale passive filtration wastewater treatment system. The Village of Dunnottar wishes to develop a sustainable neighbourhood action plan (SNAP) to facilitate more effective planning and management of the Village's assets and resources. Through this plan, Dunnottar also wishes to accelerate the shift in local planning and decision making toward a long-term, consistent and participatory approach to ensure the Village's continual survival and increase prosperity. The environmental, social and economic objectives of the SNAP are to improve air quality, sustainably manage water, sustainably grow the village and operate the municipality, reduce community waste and energy consumption. Overall, the plan will help the Village of Dunnottar move towards a more sustainable future in all facets of its municipal operations. The vision for Dunnottar’s SNAP is to have a collaborative approach between the village, the Sustainability Committee, Working Groups, grassroots organizations, local and watershed residents, citizens, community representatives and technical experts. Members of the Sustainability Committee are Dunnottar’s mayor, CAO and council members, Community Futures East Interlake, East Interlake Conservation District and Red River Planning District. The Committee will oversee the action plan creation process and its implementation. Dunnottar’s SNAP will be long term and developed in consultation with community members, which will provide direction for the community to realize its sustainability objectives which include economic, environmental, socio-cultural, and community partnership dimensions. The process will include community consultation and public engagement throughout, using a variety of methods and outreach activities, such as public workshops and a mapping exercise. Potential actions will be identified using an outcome-based approach and criteria. Actions will be assessed for environmental, social and economic impacts. Dunnottar will prioritize those that will help achieve multiple theme goals and desired outcomes. The proposed plan will complement, integrate and build on existing Climate Change Local Action Plan; Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board Final Report and the Netley-Grassmere Integrated Watershed Management Plan, as well as the Village’s Development Plan, Zoning By-Law and Municipal Budget. The final SNAP will include a communication strategy, action, implementation and monitoring plans. The implementation plan will include tasks, measurable targets, estimated costs and who is responsible for each task. (Project description from original funding application)