Our Vision for 2040 – a living plan built by the community for the community The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan Community Prepared by the Citizens Advisory Group on behalf of the Community – May 3, 2011 Adopted by Hinton Town Council – May 17, 2011 The content of the Hinton Community Sustainability Plan may be updated as required The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan Copyright © 2011 Town of Hinton When reproducing any portion of this document, credit must be given to the Hinton Community. Facilitated by the Citizens Advisory Group with funding from the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, the Grande Alberta Economic Region, the Rural Alberta Development Fund and the Town of Hinton. Content developed by the community for the Hinton Community. The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan represents the comments heard and received from the community during public consultation by the Citizens Advisory Group. The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan Editing led by Wendy Lesser, MSP Project Coordinator Editing by the Citizens Advisory Group The Draft Hinton Community Sustainability Plan for public consultation and feedback Writing and design team led by Cheryl Mahaffy Book design by Bob Robertson Illustrations by Cindy Revell Writing and editing by Cheryl Mahaffy and Theresa Agnew Printed and bound in Canada The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan c/o Hinton Town Council, Hinton CSP Trustee Second Floor, 131 Civic Centre Road Hinton, Alberta T7V 2E5 Phone number: 780-865-6000 Attention: Community Sustainability Plan Secretariat or e-mail: [email protected] The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan is available online at www.hinton.ca/2040 The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan Table of Contents Message from the Citizens Advisory Group 2 I. Building a Sustainable Community 5 1. A Bold and Vibrant Future 3 2. Who Are We? 3 3. Project Background 5 4. Purpose of the Community Sustainability Plan 6 5. Developing the Plan 7 6. Sustainability Principles 7 7. Strategies, Actions and Themes 8 8. Moving to Implementation 8 9. Tracking Success 9 II. Themes: Introducing the themes 10 1. Culture and Recreation 11 2. Education and Wellness 20 3. Governance and Partnerships 29 4. Local Economy 34 5. Natural and Built Environments 41 III. Implementing the Community Sustainability Plan 51 IV. Appendices 52 A. Acknowledgements 52 B. Strategies and Actions 53 C. Our Vision for 2040 64 D. Community Outcome Statements (draft) 65 E. Community Outcome Measures (draft) 67 F. Glossary of Sustainability Terms 69 1 The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan Message from the Citizens Advisory Group Boundless thinking That’s what we heard when we asked what your vision for a truly It is important to have a plan with goals that we are all working towards, so sustainable community could be by 2040. In small and large groups, in that the community grows stronger together. We have faith in this plan surveys and in person, hundreds of people from Hinton and neighbouring both because it echoes what we heard from you and because it balances Yellowhead County communities participated in sharing their ideas about the five essential dimensions of sustainability: environment, economy, the future. Their wisdom - your wisdom - is reflected in the following social, culture and governance. Yet this plan is not etched in stone. In pages. fact, our greatest hope is that it becomes a living document that grows with our community. You told us that you appreciate the improvements made in recent years, but that we can’t stop here. Knowing the divisions that so easily come due We recognize the plan identifies a call to “action” that extends beyond one to varied income, geography and culture, you called for a more caring jurisdictional area. Whatever opportunities and challenges the future community that meets the spectrum of human needs within it. Given our brings, we hope this plan inspires a style of working together that dependence on resource extraction and our love of nature in all her accomplishes things we have never yet dreamed of - each one a step untouched elegance, you called for a balancing act that ensures best use of toward a more sustainable future. Collective action is key, because we are each resource. Recognizing the danger in relying too much on any one stronger in numbers. economic sector, you called for a diverse economy rooted in local ingenuity. Realizing that services and talent flow back and forth between Thank you town and countryside, you called for collaborative, responsible governments that reach beyond jurisdictional silos. Understanding the The typical sustainability plan is built by consultants or administrators or essential role of creative and engaged citizens in communities that prosper, major stakeholders. Ours, by contrast, is rooted in the community and you envisioned community building through arts, culture, heritage and belongs to the community as a whole. It reflects consensus drawn from a diversity of perspectives; from youth to seniors, from resource workers to recreation. tourism operators, from homeowners to renters. Hearty thanks to community residents and organizations for your role in developing the content for the Community Sustainability Plan. And thank you to the many people who helped bring it together. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of you already own huge chunks of this plan. Now we need your voice, and your energy, as together we make it come to life. Citizens Advisory Group “Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.” Carl Sagan, author and astronomer 2 The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan l. Building a Sustainable Community - Overview 1. A bold and vibrant future 2. Who are we? As residents of the Hinton community, we know who we are and where To achieve a sustainable future, we must know who we are today. As the we come from. We also know where we want to be 30 years from now. hub of the Northern Rockies, Hinton and the surrounding area are truly a Our vision of the future is vibrant and bold and we are willing to work hard mountain community. We are surrounded by natural beauty and blessed to achieve it. with an abundance of natural resources that provide excellent economic and recreational opportunities. When we imagine where we will be in 2040, we envision a community that Our community includes everyone who lives, works or plays within the Values economic, cultural and social diversity Hinton service area. We are home to 11,025 residents with 9,825 living in Celebrates our unique cultural heritage, small-town charm and natural the urban core of Hinton and approximately 1,200 living in communities landscape that are within the rural area of Yellowhead County. Balances innovative economic development with ecological, human, Our service area is unique in that the urban core provides essential services economic and social resources while the surrounding rural area provides employment and recreational opportunities to all. As a result both urban and rural residents take pride Encourages collaboration between local authorities, citizens, businesses in their community. and visitors in a manner that supports quality of life The community’s complete vision statement can be found in Appendix C. “We want to leave our grandchildren a community that will sustain them and their grandchildren to come.” Community Consultation Participant Sustainability involves living in a way that meets today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Five important and integrated dimensions must be kept in balance for a society to be sustainable: culture, economy, environment, governance and social. The Hinton Community is defined as the service area that includes the Not sure what a word means? municipality of Hinton and a portion of Yellowhead County encompassing the The glossary in Appendix F defines how key sustainability terms are used in this area from Obed to the Jasper National Park boundary, and from Cadomin to plan. north of William A. Switzer Provincial Park. It includes 13 rural communities: Aspen Heights, Brule, Cadomin, Carldale, Entrance, Folding Mountain, Grandview Estates, Mountain View Estates, Maskuta Estates, Obed, Old Entrance, Overlander and Seabolt Estates. 3 The Hinton Community Sustainability Plan l. Building a Sustainable Community - Overview We believe in balance Our economy relies on natural resource industries that are influenced by “When inviting Aboriginal participants to meetings, you need to know external economic, environmental and social trends. We accept your market. We often need child care and transportation options. As responsibility for managing our natural resources in a way that will benefit well, our elders would like the opportunity to share ideas on a regular future residents and visitors. basis.” Community Consultation Participant In partnership with industry and other stakeholders, we aim to strike a balance between industry and the environment. We are committed to We care about one another meeting today’s needs in a way that preserves the natural beauty and We are an inclusive community, committed to creating a safe and integrity of our surroundings. harmonious place for all to live, work and play regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity or income. We show we care by being good neighbours, by volunteering in the community and through our commitment to planning for the future. “Our local food bank is actually over-subscribed with volunteers. We never have a problem getting people to come out and serve at dinners or support an activity or program or event. It’s all a part of our sense of community not boastful, but a quiet pride.” Community Consultation Participant We value life-long learning Education is critical to a sustainable future. We want to provide learning in our community for everyone, from the toddler in an early childhood development program to a senior citizen attending a workshop at our adult Photo Credit: Rebecca Herman learning centre.