Strategic Priorities

The Strategic Priorities Report is the road map that will guide Council and staff towards our shared vision for the future - a plan to get us from where we are today to where we want to be as a community

Council and Staff participated in a two-day workshop in February 2019 to establish a long-term vision and strategic Plan for the District of Sparwood as a top priority for Council. The four-year strategic plan which evolved from that workshop articulates Council's priorities and demonstrates how Council and Staff plan to lead the organization. This plan will be a valuable tool to help guide Council's decision-making process and ensure that District resources are directed where they will have the most impact. 

During that workshop, three significant themes emerged:

1. economic diversity,
2. community lifestyle, and
3. impacts from the mining industry.

Vision Statement

To be a progressive, welcoming and livable community that takes pride in its natural resources and environment.

Guiding Principles

The District of Sparwood’s guiding principles are:

• Responsible: We are approachable, responsive and accountable
• Professional: We are ethical, respectful, efficient and skilled
• Collaborative: We work with others to achieve mutual benefit
• Progressive: We are forward looking and innovative

Goals

The strategic priority process concluded with a review and refresh of the District’s goals:

• To ensure readiness for local economic priorities
• To preserve a healthy natural environment
• To encourage an active, involved and health community
• To foster effective and responsible local governance
• To provide reliable service delivery and civic infrastructure

Sustainability Pillars

Five distinctive areas (pillars) of a sustainable community emerged during the workshop:

• Environment: maintaining a healthy and natural environment through responsible use, protection and sustainable practices
• Infrastructure: well maintained infrastructure and facilities that meet community needs and allow growth and development for prosperity
• Economy: building a strong and vibrant community by attracting, supporting and retaining businesses and residents
• Social: building social capital and engaging citizens and partners to improve the well-being and diversity of the community
• Governance: fiscally sustainable government focused on strategic decision-making, transparency and inclusiveness

Strategic Priorities Chart

The focus of the Strategic Priorities Chart is on NOW priorities. When these are completed, one-by-one they are replaced with NEXT items. These longer-term directions or emerging strategic topics will then be discussed further using the Solution Seeking approach to develop strategic possibilities and the priority setting criteria to reset strategic priorities.

The Plan is reviewed on a semi-annual basis to ensure that it continues to meet Council's goals.  The performance indicators included in the Plan will be measured and reported back to citizens and Council through the Annual Municipal Report.