City and CDI release Energizing our Future: The Social and Economic Development Framework for Fort St. John

The City of Fort St. John and the Community Development Institute (CDI) at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) released the Energizing our Future: The Social and Economic Development Framework for Fort St. John at a stakeholder presentation on September 30, 2020.

The framework recognizes that social and economic development are intimately intertwined and mutually supportive. The whole community must work together to enhance the quality of life and realize economic potential. This community plan belongs to passionate and committed citizens and organizations that want to make a difference by working together to build social capacity and economic growth and diversification. Broken into 15 social and economic action areas identified through extensive community input, it sets the stage for all facets of the community to embark on a journey together; to seize opportunities, address challenges, and navigate change.

“We need a strong social fabric to support our community through the ups and downs that go along with being a resource municipality. By weaving the social and economic fabrics, we will ensure that we can protect and promote our community. Through the work of the Mayor’s Standing Committee on Economic Recovery and our community partners, we will continue to build a stronger community to support our future growth,” stated Mayor Lori Ackerman.  

“Great communities must anticipate and adapt to change if they want to remain great places to live. They need to consider how they will prepare for the future and lead change. They need to lay the foundation for their economy, their non-profit sector, their public institutions, and their people to succeed and continue to make the community a great place to live. The City of Fort St. John understands the need to lay the foundations for the future,” said Marleen Morris, Co-Director of the CDI at UNBC.

With this framework, the community will engage in a more comprehensive approach to future decisions. For example, a new industrial investment in Fort St. John will trigger questions about the impact on housing, transportation, public services, retail and services, workforce development, and inclusion and belonging. The holistic and comprehensive approach outlined in Energizing Our Future: The Social and Economic Framework for Fort St. John will allow the community to identify opportunities to maximize benefit and reduce risks and costs associated with investments and decisions. The framework will serve as a tool to guide decisions, support consistent and effective results, and monitor progress.

The Energizing our Future: The Social and Economic Development Framework for Fort St. John can be found at www.fortstjohn.ca/EN/main/community/community-planning/energizing-our-future.html.

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Ryan Harvey
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