Sustainable Niagara

The Region of Niagara will develop an integrated community sustainability plan, Sustainable Niagara, to generate a strong community-based vision and guide planning for the next 50 years. The plan will bring together and build on the wealth of existing community initiatives and address any gaps to long-term sustainability in the region. The planning team will first review the region’s 2004 Sustainability Report to see whether the report’s inventory of initiatives and gaps is still valid. Community consultation will be an extremely important part of the planning process, with internal and external stakeholders and members of the public engaged in all aspects of plan development through facilitated discussions, social media tools and other forms of consultation. The region and its community partners will work together to establish a common understanding of sustainability concepts and affirm the need for a comprehensive sustainability plan. The planning team will then compile an inventory of current regional, municipal and community activities. The community will be asked share information on “good things happening” in the region, as well as gaps and barriers to sustainability. The region and community partners will then draft a vision, define long-term goals, identify priorities and outline objectives and actions needed to move toward the vision. They will also develop a performance-monitoring framework, including indicators, data collection procedures and guidelines for a five-year review process. The Sustainable Niagara plan will be integrated across departments, municipal service areas, community agencies and organizations, breaking down silos to ensure a truly integrated approach to sustainable community planning.

(Project description from original funding application)