Regional Growth Strategy
We are developing our first Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) for the region. It's a long-range, high-level plan that will help us better understand and prepare for the potential changes we can expect over the next 20 years with a growing population, new service demands, the regional economy, and a changing climate.
The Regional Profile is now available for review. This background document takes a look at current trends in the region and outlines some potential policy topics that will be refined through the upcoming public engagement sessions.
We have also developed 4 fact sheets based on the topics that are at the forefront of people's minds based on engagement so far. The topics are (in no order):
We are now planning for a week of public engagement sessions in June 2024! See the attached schedule for details.
PROJECT PARTNERS
About the Project
Background
A Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) is a strategic plan enabled by the provincial Local Government Act. They are prepared and enacted by a regional district with the involvement of its member municipalities.
The province leaves the process for preparing an RGS largely up to each region, so ours will be made in the Peace and include policy guidance for the things residents and others tell us are important. As a high-level document, the RGS will likely include broad goals on topics like transportation, housing, parks and natural areas, economic development, and regional environmental issues.
Our RGS will help us guide long-term regional growth and support more coordinated region-wide planning with the PRRD and member municipalities (City of Dawson Creek, City of Fort St. John, District of Taylor, District of Chetwynd, District of Hudson's Hope, District of Tumbler Ridge, and Village of Pouce Coupe).
This is the first RGS that the PRRD has undertaken. The final product will be a high-level document that will support more coordinated region-wide planning and help us better understand the region, including the shared opportunities it has and the challenges it faces.
Like all regional growth strategies in the province, ours will not regulate land use. Land use and development are regulated by Official Community Plans, Zoning Bylaws, and building permit requirements where they exist in our region.
The project began in August of 2023 and will continue until May 2025. Currently, we are in Phase 2 of the project. There will be many opportunities for community engagement throughout all project phases.
Documents
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PRRD-June Public Engagement Schedule.pdf (482 KB) (pdf)
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Frequently Asked Questions (232 KB) (pdf)
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Regional Growth Strategy Backgrounder (1.13 MB) (pdf)
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PRRD_Regional Profile_March 2024.pdf (10.6 MB) (pdf)
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PEACE-Regional Economy Factsheet.pdf (643 KB) (pdf)
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PEACE-Housing Factsheet.pdf (811 KB) (pdf)
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PEACE-Health Wellbeing Safety Factsheet.pdf (565 KB) (pdf)
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PEACE-Agriculture Factsheet.pdf (789 KB) (pdf)
The PRRD needs a clear set of policy guidelines to determine when it will and when it will not support moving land out of the ALR. Currently, if it is in the ALR, then they will not support it coming out of the ALR. This doesn't allow for enough diversity in development going forward.