A Regional Approach to Integrated Community Sustainability Planning

To provide high-level strategic guidance to its varied communities and municipalities, the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville (UCLG) will develop a regional integrated community sustainability plan (ICSP). The resulting strategic framework will focus on common sustainability goals; encouraging each community to align its official plan with those goals, but also providing flexibility in addressing identified local priorities. The UCLG and its stakeholders have already begun to integrate sustainability into initiatives in the areas of economic development; tourism, arts and culture; septage and solid waste; and local food and ecosystem protection. The ICSP will build on those efforts, guided by the Partners for Climate Protection milestones and covering all GMF sectors. Opt-out provisions and the possibility of delegating selected actions upward or downward will create an environment in which the member communities can work together to maximize efficiencies, reduce costs, and collaborate on important initiatives. A strategic, efficient and authentic consultation process will launch with a one- or two-day summit and continue with sustainability planning workshops and panel sessions supported by a combination of in-person, online, and mailed community and stakeholder contacts. The development of this regional ICSP — innovative because of its proposed scale and its partnerships with neighbouring jurisdictions and research institutions — will provide useful information for other large regions with two-tier municipalities and a primarily rural population. The UCLG is committed to sharing its knowledge through a report containing lessons learned and specific tools that can be easily adapted by others.

(Project description from original funding application)