By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Sylvan Lake council sets 10-year sustainability targets

Aug 31, 2018 | 3:32 PM

The Town of Sylvan Lake is moving forward with a new 10-year Municipal Sustainability Plan.

The plan sets out targets for the town and its residents to meet by 2028 which are primarily rooted in the areas of healthy environment, community well-being, economic resiliency and sustainable governance.

Sylvan Lake, Our Vision, Our Future builds on a previous MSP from 2010 which had achieved 67 per cent of its objectives at the time of its last review in 2016.

“It’s a snapshot of where we would like to go in our future and the steps we need to take in order to get there. In some cases there are departures from the regular ways we would do business,” says Mayor Sean McIntyre. “For instance, one of our goals under healthy environment is to reduce to overall usage of water per capita. That would mean an incremental change in the way that we do business and it’s all through the lens of ensuring we have a healthy community 20-40 years from now.”

Environmental targets also include increasing the town’s urban forest canopy by 10 per cent and reducing the use of road salt by 10 per cent.

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McIntyre also points to a target for residents to lead healthier lifestyles.

“We live in a winter climate where sometimes being active can be a challenge for people, so we’re looking at how we can provide community programming that helps people get active,” he says. “And how can we make sure we are connected to one another, how can we ensure we have a sustainable path for our cultural celebrations, our diversity and inclusivity?”

The plan says the Town should increase recreational programming proportionate to population growth and public satisfaction.

“The next step that we have is implementation. Some of these items will be talked about around our budget so when we’re talking about sustainability and governance, how we’re going to manage our reserves, and others will be policy or programming decisions.”

Of the targets in the previous MSP, Sylvan Lake achieved high marks in terms of innovative ways of collecting stormwater, adding advanced ambulatory services, bringing recycling to all residents and in natural area preservation.

Area where work is ongoing include upgrades to recreational facilities and creating a more user-friendly website. Area where issues are outstanding include the creation of a public art policy, more community gardens, and enticing green industrial development.

The full Municipal Sustainability Plan is available at SylvanLake.ca.