By MorinvilleNews.com Staff
Morinville – Residents had two opportunities Thursday to take a final kick at the cat with the Town of Morinville’s Municipal Sustainability Plan (MSP), a document that will guide and shape Morinville over the next quarter century.
As part of the public consultation process, residents were invited to attend one of two sessions to provide final input and feedback on the project that began in 2009 and has been developed over the past 18 months. The first draft of Morinville 2035: Growing Together outlines the community’s long-term vision grounded in six sustainability pillars representing all aspects of the community: governance, cultural, social, economic, environmental and infrastructure.
Kim Wieringa, project manager with the Town of Morinville said the document is Morinville’s first MSP and that just how elaborate a community’s MSP is varies from one community to the next.
“Morinville has decided as part of its growth the need to be assertive and forward thinking and have it as our long-term 25-year plan,” Wieringa told attendees Thursday morning. “We have the idea to take this MSP really seriously and as a result it is more than just a document.”
Wieringa explained that the document has established three to six goals for each of the six sustainability pillars as well as targets to indicate how the goals are going. The MSP will be used as a guide in developing business plans and three-year strategic plans.
Now that the final public consultations have been completed, the MSP will be brought to council at the Mar. 8 meeting for approval. A draft Strategic Plan based on the MSP will be brought to council during the Committee of the Whole meeting Apr. 15 and a 2011 business plan will be presented to council Apr. 12.
Wieringa explained the Strategic Plan is designed to be a bridge between the overarching MSP and the 2011 business plan.
Morinville 2035: Growing Together is available for viewing on the Town of Morinville website.
Comical, Unattainable and a Lazy Attempt to Paint a Pretty Picture.
I encourage all to read this wonderful document the town council calls their MSP. Take note of the following sections and try to explain how these ‘GOALS’ will be accomplished with Champion Petfoods in this pretty picture. Thank you Morinville Town Council!
Section 4.3 Page 12 of MSP
Desirable Community – Morinville is recognized as the family choice: a desirable community with a high quality of life.
Okay, if I knew what I now know, my family wouldn’t have moved to an area that progressively gets stinkier. Who would deam the town ‘Desireable’ with the intrusive, undesireable stench? I know I don’t, quite the opposite. Even 80% reduction in stink is still undesireable.
Healthy Community – Residents have healthy lifestyles and comprehensive community services support their physical and mental wellbeing.
Many residence of all ages are saddened by the limitations of pleasurable outdoor activity that can be had. On any given day we are subjected to the negative and undesirable stimulation of our olfactory glands. In turn, people are unnaturally forced to stay indoors to prevent subjection to such stench and ill effects Children cry, gag and complain of feeling unwell/nauseated due to the smell. So do many adults. Apparently the Petfood plant being a part of the town is going to improve our quality of living and support the mental and physical wellbeing? No, it doesn’t! Instead children choose TV and video games rather than playing in their own backyards. Honestly, I can’t blame them.
These two areas of the MSP are just a few of the goals that I feel are simply whitenoise; attempts to paint a pretty picture. I’m sure no one else agrees with this. To the Town Council and Mayor – Deal with the major issues before taking on something you can’t possibly accomplish!