What's in a plan?

Dwight D. Eisenhower is reputed to have once said that "Plans are worthless, but planning is everything."

The intent of the message is not lost on those who have shelves of pans but no method to implement, monitor or revise them. Instead they sit, collecting dust and providing nothing but a distant reference point to a conversation that includes "Yeah we've got one of those plans.......somewhere around here." Municipal operations are no different. Many times legislation simply requires that you have a plan but nothing more. Enter the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan.

With the "new deal for cities and communities" the Federal Government has designed a program to flow gas tax monies back to local governments for infrastructure projects. One of the issues is the desire to enhance the sustainability of communities and also to ensure that funding is spent on sustainable projects in sustainable communities. One of the ways to accomplish this is through the development of long term sustainability plans or ICSPs by all municipalities in Canada.

While it is an obligation of gas tax funding to complete ICSPs the most important note is that it is an opportunity to improve the planning processes and possibly even enhance some planning capacity in the province. ICSPs must be integrated and must be "living" plans that are continuously consulted, maintained and revised. They must be flexible and useable and involve goals and directions as developed by the community. Obviously this is a different approach that requires more community engagement and simply more work up front. However the advantages are exponential to the amount of work required.

Recently the CCRC arranged a session for the senior administrators from the municipalities in the province with more then 4000 residents. This session was intended to give these administrators an opportunity to speak with senior staff within the Provincial Department of Municipal Affairs and Infrastructure Canada regarding their perspectives on ICSPs and the specific requirements involved. The main points that developed from this discussion included the need for ICSPs to be a living document, the importance of building on existing planning processes and the importance of identifying infrastructure needs.

Also of note is the recent education session delivered by CCRC at a NLAMA session in Clarenville. The session was very well attended and the feedback from that session will help the CCRC work with the Department of Municipal Affairs to determine some of the specifics of ICSP development for Newfoundland and Labrador.

The CCRC is committed to ensuring that the ICSP process focus on planning as opposed to just developing a plan that sits on a shelf!

Stay tuned for further details.