2024 Annual Report Draft
Good governance Good governance is central to the City of Courtenay’s work, ensuring public engagement, transparency, equity and inclusion, efficiency and accountability.
Strategic Priorities 2023-2026
Status
Notes
This initiative is focused on improving communication and responsiveness to community inquiries. The policy and implementation are set to launch alongside the new website in late summer 2025. Changes in provincial legislation related to housing have impacted the timeline. The City is also developing an Engagement Strategy, which will guide public engagement options and opportunities. Pending completion of the Engagement Strategy. The City is assessing opportunities for Council to hold open houses in community locations to encourage public involvement and collaboration. The Communications Strategy is complete, with the first year of implementation underway. The 2023 and the 2024 resident Surveys are also complete. The Engagement Strategy will be finalized in spring 2025. The City is exploring different models to improve committee efficiency and transparency. A draft review for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee is complete and awaiting further review. Delayed due to capacity challenges. This strategy is progressing in phases, with scope completed in 2024. It will include a phased Parkland Acquisition Strategy that aligns long-term planning and development of City-owned properties with community goals. The strategy must align with Courtenay’s growth management policies from the Official Community Plan (OCP), which will be updated in 2025 in response to provincial requirements. Digitizing application forms began in 2024, with most now implemented. Staff are making revisions and process adjustments throughout 2024, with further refinements continuing into 2025. The status of the K’ómoks First Nation (KFN) election and treaty process makes formal engagement uncertain. It is recommended that initiatives continue with a focus on engagement, updating the service agreement for IR2 and other reserves, and resuming strategy development after the election and treaty process. An external consultant is supporting the City with developing an Indigenous-informed engagement strategy. The RCMP has improved its reporting by providing annual and seasonal data that highlight emerging crime trends and link policing initiatives to community issues. The city will continue to collaborate with the RCMP to ensure important safety information is shared with the public through quarterly reports presented at Council meetings and available on the City's website.
Develop an assignment and tracking system for public enquiries.
In progress
On hold pending legislative impacts
Establish an OCP Implementation Townhall Forum.
Hold Council open houses in community locations.
Not started
Increase community engagement for all segments of the community: complete communication strategy, community survey and community engagement strategy.
In progress
Review operations and terms of reference for City committees.
In progress
Develop a land strategy for acquisition, devolution and disposal of property, including inventory of all City folios over 400 m2.
In progress
Review and streamline development process and set targets for application processing times.
In progress
Develop a Reconciliation framework
In progress
Strengthen relationship with the RCMP and enhance police and crime data reporting.
Complete
City of Courtenay | 2024 Annual Report
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