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Throughout the first half of 2007 we asked residents for their vision for Guelph over the next 20 years. Hundreds of you responded. Thank you for contributing your thoughtful, creative, and inspiring ideas to this process.
Our vision for Guelph is a remarkable one: “to be the city that makes a difference.” The Plan contains goals and related strategic objectives that provide a road map for how we can strive to achieve the vision over the long term.
The Plan is meant to inspire all of us to consider how we can make a difference, in our neighbourhoods and in the world. While the Plan’s ambitious goals won’t be reached overnight, progress will be made year by year and the City will report to residents regularly on how we are doing.
For Council and City staff, the Strategic Plan will be an important tool for setting priorities, making decisions, and managing operations for years to come.
My hope is that the impact of the Plan will extend well beyond the walls of City Hall, into every home and business in Guelph. In keeping with the Plan’s collaborative spirit, everyone in the community will have a role to play in achieving it.
I am often impressed by the tremendous passion Guelphites have for their city. That passion was in evidence throughout the strategic planning process, and it will certainly serve us well as, together, we strive to make Guelph “the city that makes a difference.”
Sincerely,
Karen Farbridge
Mayor
Council adopted priorities 2008 and beyond
The numeral following each item indicates the number of times it was selected as a potential priority during the 2007/8 priority identification process. Items with an equal number of selections and those selected only once are listed alphabetically. The findings indicate a high level of agreement on the top nine priorities. High and medium level priorities will be integrated into 2008 departmental work plans. Other priorities raised that relate to the high and medium priorities or are significantly underway will also be addressed in the 2008 work plans. Taken together, all of the approved priorities will serve as the basis for 2009 priority setting and work plan development discussions.
Priority Setting Findings: Appendix A
Priorities Council Report, January 21, 2008
High priority
- CEP Implementation (10)
- New Organic Waste Processing Facility (10)
- Growth Management Plan (9)
- 20 Minute Transit Service (9)
- York District Plan Phase III/York Watson Lands (9)
- Downtown Action Plan (7)
- Waste Management Master Plan (6)
- Strategic Urban Forest Management Plan (5)
- City/County Service Agreements (4)
Medium priority
- Alternative Development Standards (3)
- Eastview Landfill Community Park (3)
- Hanlon Creek Business Park (3)
- IMICO Redevelopment (3)
- Secondary Plan for CPR or Interim Council by-law to Hold CPR Nodes to Redesign (3)
- Expand the Guelph Junction Railway (2)
- Community Art Centre (2)
- Corporate Governance Framework (2)
- Corporate Service Review (2)
- Culture Master Plan (2)
- Human Resources Strategy (2)
- Official Plan Update (2)
- Review of the Farmers Market (2)
- South End Community Centre (2)
- South End Fire Station (2)
Other priorities
- Bike racks on buses (1)
- Civic Square Precinct Study (1)
- Corporate Social Responsibility Framework (1)
- Dairy Festival (1)
- Debt issue (1)
- Development Charges Update (1)
- Carbon footprint issues (1)
- Downtown Economic Initiatives (1)
- Establishing city-wide greenways (1)
- Guelph Trails Master Plan (1)
- Heritage Registry and implementation (1)
- Investigate and confirm treatment at Sacco, Smallfield, and Clythe wells and Scout Camp Class Environmental Assessment (1)
- Pollinator city parks (1)
- Satellite transfer locations (1)
- Waste heat at Ecotricity (1)
- Waste efficiency effort (1)
- Wilson Street Parking Garage (1)
Public input
Public consultation was integral to the development of the 2007 Strategic Plan. To that end, consultation was built into various Phases of the approved process. There were a number of innovative ways for everyone to provide input and share views. In total, approximately 840 staff, students and community members provided their valued input. Reports on the consultation findings were provided to Council and the Senior Management Team for consideration in advance of the completion of the strategic plan.
Phase 2 Strategic Listening Results
Strategic Plan Report to Council, August 2007
Youth Challenge results
Eight submissions of distinction were selected on April 26, 2007 by Mayor Farbridge, Sally Wismer, Executive Director of the Guelph Arts Council, and Laura Grime, Children’s Author.
Submissions of distinction
- Meg Cormack – “A Greener Guelph”
- Emma Moroni – “Be Proud of Downtown and its Surrounding Older Areas”
- Morgan Milne and Alex Miller – “The Baker Street Parking Lot No More”
- Laura Burnham and Sam Roncato – “Wheelchair Accessible Park”
- Kyleigh Russell – “Seasonal Building for Guelph”
- Amy Greatorex – “Garbage, Cleaning and Recycling Truck”
- PJ Mischuk – “Medieval Castle Attraction”
- Andy May – “Creature Park”
Municipal Performance Measurement Program
The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing uses the Municipal Performance Measurement Program (MPMP) to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of every municipality in the province.
- Efficiency refers to the amount of resources used to deliver a service and are expressed in a ratio of the cost per unit of output
- Effectiveness refers to the extent to which a service is achieving its intended results
Each municipality faces unique circumstances that may not be reflected in the data alone. The MPMP is primarily used for year to year comparison within a municipality to identify trends over time.