Master Planning

Strategic long-term planning, encompassing all of a municipality’s infrastructure and programs, is an important tool used by Cities to ensure funds are spent where they are most needed, and to ensure that City governments attain and maintain the levels of service expected by their citizens.

This year, for the first time, the City is embarking on the development of series of comprehensive, City-wide strategic master plans that cover all of the City’s infrastructure and departments. These plans will build on the Official Community Plan and past planning studies to provide the City with a road map of repair, renovation, improvement, and growth projects that are most needed in the next ten years, and beyond.

Citizen input will be critical during the development of these plans, to ensure that the City’s projects and expenditures in the coming years reflect what is most important to the community.

The first master planning project, Parks, Recreation and Culture, will start by May, with the remainder to begin over the next four months.
Updates on each individual plan and additional documents will be posted here.

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The following individual master planning projects will be initiated in the following order:

Parks, Recreation & Culture
All of our parks, trails, natural areas, and City recreation buildings, as well as our recreational and cultural programs. Click here for project page.

Fire Services
Our fire hall, equipment, training facilities, fire prevention programs, wildfire risk management, and the PAFD’s functional roles within the broader Alberni Valley emergency response network of City, Regional and BC agencies.

The Fire Services Master Plan project began in July 2024, and the draft Master Plan is anticipated to be available by December.

Stormwater
Our storm sewers, combined sewer outfalls, sewer separation program, culverts, catch basins, and roadside ditches, as well as our development standards and by-laws for stormwater management.

Transportation
Including our roads, intersections, bridges, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, bus shelters, street lighting, and cycling networks.

Watershed Protection
Protecting the safety, quality and quantity of our primary drinking water sources: the China Creek and Bainbridge Lake watersheds.

Greenhouse Gas Management Plan for City Infrastructure
An integrated companion project to all of the other Master Plans, the Greenhouse Gas Management Plan will develop program-specific climate mitigating policies and goals for each Master Plan, and a long-term program of capital works and operational changes, to help achieve the City’s emission greenhouse gas reduction objectives.

Wastewater & Water
Consisting of our sanitary sewers, sewage pumping stations, and treatment plant. Encompassing our drinking water treatment plant, pumping stations, reservoirs, fire hydrants, and our network of distribution pipes and valves.