OCP and Zoning Overhaul

Here are just a few samples of your comments, from among the many thoughtful responses received from survey respondents.

Compliments to share:

• “Good place to raise a family. Good place to live for people who don’t want to live in a big city. Love that I can see the stars at night from my own backyard."
• “I’m impressed with the quality of the small businesses in town.”
• “Welcoming, proud of our cultural diversity, inclusive and forward thinking”
• "I love that you bring family fun activities like that winter festival. Those are ways to build friends, community. I'm not looking to make Meadow Lake bigger but stronger in relationships/community with the people we do have in the city.”
• “Age- friendly and gardeners paradise."
• “Has all basic amenities needed for day to day living"

Ideas for consideration:

• “Encourage good customer service and professionalism"
• “Meadow Lake is the major shopping center for small communities north of us so we should have some recreational facilities where families can leave their kids while the parents shop."
• "Meadow Lake should get in front of the EV charging movement"
• "Longer business hours, to accommodate mill workers"
• “Facilitate educational work shops at library on self sufficiency and improved food security.”

Problems identified:

• “I’ve seen and heard a lot of people moving to Meadow Lake for new job struggling finding a place to live.”
• “Winter sidewalks and curb-cuts are unmanageable for wheelchairs and walkers... easier to leave Meadow Lake in the winter for shopping.”
• "Waitlists are very long at all public and private daycares. This is a crisis for all moms wanting to return back to their jobs on time”
• "Gangs and drugs and juvenile delinquency"
• “Downtown should be attractive enough to go and walk around. There should be more open space discussions, craft sales, cafes etc.”
• “Housing or business lots that are in disrepair need to be addressed"

Solutions proposed:

• “New resident services” program to connect people with information and community services"
• “I would like to see tax incentives for people who keep up their yards or beautify their space."
• "More small rentable places for businesses"
• "Focus on small and affordable housing"
• "Get out and talk to people! Surveys are fine but you only hear from a few, and you don't hear everything that needs to be heard. “
• "Prioritize energy efficiency in housing: this is a matter of keeping operating costs low in the face of ever-rising energy prices"

These are just a few of the many great and insightful comments received. All of these are appreciated, and are taken seriously.

Not every problem has a solution, and not every solution comes from City Hall (in fact, most of the best ideas come from you, the members of the public!) By starting these conversations, we can arrive together at the best ways forward.

Get Involved!

To make a relevant and useful set of documents, we need to make sure that our community has been given the opportunity to contribute.

Our plan is to:

• keep you informed
• get your input
• encourage your participation in:
  • meetings
  • events
  • working groups

How are we going to do this?

We want to obtain diverse perspectives from the community on this project. Our team will be using many engagement methods to engage with you and the community, including:

• Newsletters
• Online surveys (completed in 2023)
• Interviews with community partners and service groups through meetings and working groups (completed in 2023)
• Consultation with neighbouring communities, First Nations and Métis (completed in 2023)
• Public open house (Autumn 2024)
• Engagement site (YourML)

An OCP (Official Community Plan) is a strategic planning document created through community engagement. It contains:

• ideas and goals
• policies to guide development
• an overview of our history
• a description of our community as it is today
• plans for what we want our community to be like, not just today but how we want it to look fifteen years from now.

The new OCP, when finished, will guide the decisions of not just City Council and staff, but our community. What is your vision for your community? What types of development are important to you? How important are social housing, small businesses and other developments? How do you want the City to support our community in making this a great place to live, work, and learn?

The Zoning Bylaw is how we take the Official Community Plan (OCP) and put it into practice on a daily basis. It contains rules and regulations to guide what can be developed and where. There are different regulations for different areas of the city. We want to make sure that all developments are generally in line with the community’s official plan and we use the Zoning Bylaw to do that.