Future Guelph defines City’s priorities for the next four years
Guelph, Ont., July 25, 2023 – This evening, Guelph City Council approved Future Guelph, the City’s 2024 to 2027 strategic plan. Future Guelph evolved from the 2019 to 2023 strategic plan and carries forward many successes and long-term initiatives of the previous plan.
Future Guelph will serve as the organization’s north star for the next four years ensuring Guelph is prepared for the future while working towards improved community well-being and equity for all. The plan defines the City’s mission, vision, and key priorities from 2024 to 2027.
Future Guelph is designed to ensure collaboration across the organization towards providing responsible, responsive, and professional public service to Guelph’s growing and diverse community. Like most strategic plans, it‘s been developed as a living document. As things change and progress, the City will be flexible and adaptable, ensuring Guelph is prepared for the future.
“Future Guelph builds on the great work already done under our current strategic plan and our community plan,” says Mayor Cam Guthrie. “It’s the product of collaboration between Council and staff and it reflects the community’s vision for our future.”
To help build connections between service areas and departments, the City has moved away from the five strategic priority areas of the previous plan; Future Guelph adopts a new set of strategic themes: Foundations, City Building, Environment, and People and Economy.
“The goal is to tell the whole story of our organization, showing the connections between City businesses, services, and programs,” says the City’s chief administrative officer, Scott Stewart. “We’re all working as one city with one voice to achieve our strategic priorities.”
Strategic plan at a glance
Our vision
An inclusive, connected, prosperous city where we look after each other and our environment.
Our mission
Working together to deliver responsible, responsive, and professional public service to Guelph’s growing and diverse community.
Our themes
Foundations equips us with the supports needed to provide excellent service and good governance. It’s where we’re improving the tools and resources needed to achieve success under the other three themes.
City Building focuses on growth and all the supporting elements needed to make Guelph a more liveable city.
Environment empowers us and the community to help fight and adapt to climate change.
People and Economy supports our community’s well-being and helps our local economy flourish.
Next steps
With Council’s adoption of Future Guelph, staff will incorporate the plan’s initiatives into departmental business plans for action.
While the strategic plan acts as the organization’s north star, the City’s multi-year budget is the affordability tool that sets the pace for the work ahead. The 2024-2027 multi-year budget process will kick off this fall and outline the financial commitments of Future Guelph.
Read the Future Guelph strategic plan, including the objectives and initiatives, at guelph.ca/strategicplan.
Media contact
Daniel Beemsigne, Manager, Corporate and Community Strategic Initiatives
Strategy Innovation and Intergovernmental Services
City of Guelph
519-822-1260 extension 2225
[email protected]