On Thursday (June 29), discussions on local government public engagement, and prompts to improve it, began the deliberations by Committee of the Whole, as it received the county's draft 2023-26 Strategic Plan.

So far, the Strategic Plan includes five categories which feature some of the following:

• (1) efficient-transparent government;
• (2) emphasizing natural and cultural heritage;
• (3) well maintained infrastructure and affordable housing supply;
• (4) encouraging climate positive measures amongst people/businesses/government, and creating measures to mitigate poverty and barriers to healthcare;
• (5) encouraging volunteer initiatives and EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion).

South Marysburgh Coun. John Hirsch conveyed his overall disappointment with current municipal efforts to foster local public engagement in local government decision making, as he went on to state that "we keep being told that we are not involving people enough, I think we are doing are best, it's still not working, so I exhort you [staff] to find some new methodologies."

Committee will be re-visiting the plan later this summer, as time constraints only permitted full discussion on the governance and heritage pillars.

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