Sarnia-Lambton Community Summit Summary Report April 17, 2004 Prepared by Michael Rowland TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i I. INTRODUCTION 1 Summit Objectives 1 Participants 2 Approach to the Summit 2 This Report 3 II. STRENGTHS OF THE COMMUNITY 4 III. CHALLENGES FACING THE COMMUNITY 7 IV. FUTURE VISION 11 V. STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 14 VI. NEXT STEPS 18 APPENDIX A – List of Participants EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On April 17th, 2004 the City of Sarnia Council, Federal M.P. Roger Gallaway, Provincial M.P.P. Caroline Di Cocco and the Aamjiwnaang Band Council sponsored a Community Summit for the Sarnia-Lambton Community. About 135 individuals from a cross-section of the community attended the event. They provided their input on Sarnia-Lambton’s strengths and challenges, their vision for the community, and strategic directions that governments and community partners should pursue to realize this vision. The key themes from people’s comments on each of these topics are summarized below. They are listed by the frequency with which they were mentioned by participants. Strengths and Challenges The community has many strengths. Participants listed a diverse range of strengths which make Sarnia-Lambton a great place to live. As well, people recognized a number of wide ranging challenges facing the community. Frequency Frequency Strengths Challenges of Mention of Mention 1. Community spirit and 74 1. Economic development and 68 involvement diversification 2. Location, location, location 50 2. Access to health care services 46 3. Bluewater country 34 3. Aging and declining population 45 4. Quality of life 34 4. Poor external image 44 5. Solid economic base 32 5. Social services and community 40 6. Skilled workforce 28 development 7. Tourism and recreation assets 25 6. Community leadership and 28 8. Attractive natural environment 17 governance 19 9. Social, community and 14 7. Environmental concerns municipal services 8. Aging infrastructure 15 10. Educational institutions 13 9. Fiscal challenges 12 11. Transportation hub 11 10. Transportation 7 12. History and culture 5 11. Downtown revitalization 7 – i – Sarnia-Lambton Community Summit Summary Report Executive Summary Vision and Strategic Directions Where should Sarnia-Lambton be heading? People’s vision for the community was clear. To achieve this vision, participants identified the need for a series of focused planning efforts leading to action on several fronts. Frequency Frequency Vision Strategic Directions of Mention of Mention 1. A strong and diversified 67 1. Develop a community strategic 53 economy plan and community networks 2. A safe, supportive and healthy 47 2. Facilitate area-wide economic 53 community development 3. Strong environmental 29 3. Develop a community brand 35 stewardship and marketing and promotion 4. Community collaboration and 27 strategy leadership 4. Strengthen social support 23 5. A growing and diverse 22 systems and services population 5. Improve health care and 22 6. A leading tourist destination 19 access to services 7. A positive external image 18 6. Develop an environmental 22 8. Reduced poverty and greater 13 improvement plan social services 7. Develop a tourism plan for 19 9. A financially stable and debt- 10 Sarnia-Lambton free municipal government 8. Develop a strategy for 17 10. Greater access to health 10 achieving fiscal stability services 9. Improve community 16 11. Expanded education and 9 infrastructure training opportunities 10. Invest in youth and youth 10 12. A revitalized downtown 6 retention 13. Improved infrastructure 6 11. Advocate for a university in 10 Sarnia-Lambton Next Steps The session generated a great deal of energy and interest. People wanted to see the results shared broadly and a process defined to turn ideas into action. There was also strong interest in having future Community Summits. – ii – I – INTRODUCTION On April 17th, 2004 the City of Sarnia Council, Federal M.P. Roger Gallaway, Provincial M.P.P. Caroline Di Cocco and the Aamjiwnaang Band Council sponsored a Community Summit for the Sarnia-Lambton Community. The session was held at Lambton College. Following a welcome to participants from Ann Tuplin, City Manager, Roger Gallaway, M.P., Caroline Di Cocco, M.P.P., and Chief Phil Maness of the Aamjiwnaang Band Council, the Community Summit facilitator, Michael Rowland of the Randolph Group, reviewed the objectives for the session. SUMMIT OBJECTIVES The half-day Community Summit was an opportunity to take stock of the community and to begin the process of developing a collective vision and future strategic directions for Sarnia-Lambton. Specific objectives were to: N Take stock of the Sarnia-Lambton community – its strengths, image and challenges N Define our vision for the community N Identify strategic directions that government and community partners should pursue in the future to achieve this vision N Discuss how to use this community input N Benefit from working together as partners in our community’s future – 1 – Sarnia-Lambton Community Summit Summary Report Introduction The goal was to produce the following results: N A better collective understanding of our community’s strengths, image and challenges N A community that is participating in defining an overall vision and directions for its future N A sense of key needs and desired directions to guide the priorities, decisions and actions of government and community partners N Information to shape communications with groups within and outside of our community about our vision, image and directions for Sarnia-Lambton PARTICIPANTS The Community Summit was well-attended and participation levels were excellent. Over 125 individuals attended in the session, representing a broad cross-section of community sectors and organizations as well as the general public. A list of participants is included in Appendix A. APPROACH TO THE SUMMIT The session was designed to allow people to provide as much input as possible in a short period of time. The agenda included two breakout sessions, each involving five breakout groups of about 25 participants. In Session 1, each group discussed two questions: N What are the Sarnia-Lambton community’s key strengths that should be sustained or further developed in the future? N What major community challenges or concerns exist that should be addressed in the future? – 2 – Sarnia-Lambton Community Summit Summary Report Introduction In Session 2, the discussion looked to the future, with each group answering the following questions: N What key words or phrases best describe your vision of the Sarnia-Lambton community 10 years from now? N What strategic directions should government and community partners pursue to work towards this vision over the next 3-4 years? In the breakout groups, people were asked to note three ideas on stick-it notes in response to each of these questions. These ideas were then posted and sorted into themes. Each group then reported back to the main group on their findings. The breakout groups were ably facilitated by five volunteer facilitators from the Sarnia- Lambton community: N Don Cook N Jim Elliot N Brian Morris N John Payne N Jason Vailllant THIS REPORT This report was prepared by the overall facilitator for the Community Summit, Michael Rowland of The Randolph Group. It presents the summary results of over 1,500 ideas put forward by participants at the session. – 3 – II – STRENGTHS OF THE COMMUNITY The first discussion question was - “What are the Sarnia-Lambton community’s key strengths that should be sustained or further developed in the future? The summary conclusions from an analysis of all answers to this question are shown in priority ranking below. 1. Community Spirit and Involvement (74 mentions) In the view of participants, Sarnia-Lambton’s greatest strength is the level of community spirit and involvement. A total of 74 individuals commented on this in the various discussion groups. Levels of volunteerism, charitable-giving, and concern for others show that Sarnia-Lambton is a caring community. Many people commented on the cultural diversity and harmony within the community, the cooperative relationships between different sectors and groups, and the fact that there is strong and involved community and government leadership. 2. Location, Location, Location (50 mentions) Sarnia-Lambton’s location affords the community many advantages. Most prominent among these are the waterfront and the surrounding natural environment. Sarnia-Lambton’s proximity and access to the U.S. offers advantages for tourism and trade. The location of the community also means that there are opportunities for growth and development. 3. Bluewater Country (34 mentions) The scenic views, recreational opportunities, and tourism and commercial value of Sarnia-Lambton’s access to Lake Huron, the St. Clair River and the Great Lakes system are seen to be huge community assets. 4. Quality of Life (34 mentions) Many people commented on the quality of life offered in Sarnia-Lambton. The community is highly livable in scale and is seen as safe, affordable and family- oriented. – 4 – Sarnia-Lambton Community Summit Summary Report Strengths of the Community 5. Solid Economic Base (32 mentions) Sarnia-Lambton has a diverse economic base centred on the petro-chemical industry, agriculture and tourism. The local economy has growth potential and many economic assets which can be further developed. 6. Skilled Workforce (28 mentions) People saw Sarnia-Lambton’s workforce as another community strength. Technical and engineering skills are strong, education levels are high and skilled labour is readily available. 7. Tourism and Recreation Assets (25 mentions) In the view of participants, few communities can match Sarnia-Lambton’s tourism and recreational opportunities. The waterfront provides beautiful views, sand beaches, swimming, boating, sailing, fishing and other recreational and tourism opportunities. As a major border crossing, tourism potential is high. Local recreational facilities are well developed. There are many local sports programs, recreational facilities and clubs, golf courses, entertainment facilities, bike trails and public amenities.