Sustainable Development & Growth

     A recurring experience for me, while on Council, has been the opposition of citizens to a proposed development in their neighbourhood. The most common reasons offered are: increased traffic (safety), property-value depreciation, air and noise pollution, and environmental concerns. This will, more often, occur when rezoning is proposed. The irony in many situations is the fact that the homes they live in may have once been developed in opposition to the existing neighbourhood at the time.

     Making the right decisions is not always as easy as one would think, however, it is hoped that each Council member is guided by the best interests of the greater community. Local government is charged with providing essential services to its residents and the responsibility to manage new development, both in a sustainable fashion.

     A guiding principle of sustainability is to be guided in our efforts to provide services and manage development without compromising the ability of future generations to provide for their own needs. To that end, the City of Abbotsford has implemented a variety of initiatives over the last years to address this concern, ranging from waste disposal to energy conservation in government buildings.

     In 2011, the Community Sustainability Planning Initiative (CSPI) was initiated and by 2013, five projects had been completed. Together, they are intended to enable the City, along with its partners, to build on existing sustainability successes. The end result will hopefully, be a “liveable, sustainable and prosperous community”.

1. The Community Sustainability Strategy (CSS) is a high-level vision statement and framework. It’s the strategy that guides all initiatives that follow.
2. The Appendices that accompany the CSS.
3. The Green Energy Plan (GEP) is a resource, not only for local government, but also for the private sector. The GEP recommends strategies and action plans for reducing Green House Gas and for reducing energy use.
4. The Green Community Plan (GCP) provides all of us – public, private business, and the City – with strategies for providing our citizens with a “healthy and rewarding quality of life”.
5. The Green Economic Investment Study (GEIS) examines how both the City and private partners can advance the economy while incorporating initiatives that will enhance the environment. Such initiatives may include how they operate (LNG-powered trucks) or construct their buildings, with the ultimate goal of conserving energy and preventing pollution.

     Across Canada, the infrastructure deficit has become increasingly more serious. All infrastructure has a lifespan and will eventually have to be replaced. This has been putting significant strain on local government finances, particularly in the East, where towns and cities have older infrastructure.

     One of the key pieces of Abbotsford’s CSS was the creation of a dedicated staff position for managing the City’s assets. This asset management is integrated with consideration of lifecycle of infrastructure investment, alongside land-use planning decisions and financial management. This strategy is intended to result in fiscal, social, and environmental sustainability for Abbotsford.

     For more detailed information on the CSPI, visit: 

http://www.abbotsford.ca/Assets/Abbotsford/Dev+Services+-+Planning+and+Environment/environmental/Community+Sustainability+Strategy.pdf