Council to Consider Vision 2050 this Spring

City Council’s Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee met February 12 for an update on the Vision 2050 long-term strategic planning process. 

Phase 2 of the process, which was about shaping the vision through broad public outreach and engagement is complete and Phase 3 drafting of the report is underway for delivery spring of 2025. 

The level of community engagement was strong, including people in the community who are often under-represented. There were more than 1,000 survey respondents and about 5,000 answers to open-ended questions. Further, late last fall there were more than 200 attendees at public visioning sessions about the seven different strategic pillars: 

1.    Fostering Mutually Beneficial and Respectful Relationships, 
2.    Celebrating and Embracing Culture, 
3.    Safe City, 
4.    Prosperous City, 
5.    Green and Resilient City, 
6.    A City That Moves, and, 
7.    City Building.

The sessions were collaborative with the consultant, Jay Pitter Placemaking, and a local community stakeholder co-leading each one.

“I would like to commend Jay Pitter Placemaking for their inclusive approach to reach out to all Owen Sound residents, including those who are often excluded or marginalized. As a result of this expertise, the City will have a long-term vision that is based on broad public input, proven methodologies and high-caliber analyses,” said Mayor Ian Boddy. “The participation also speaks to how much people here care about the future of Owen Sound – and that bodes well for our future.”

A report summarizing input from the public engagement will be submitted to the Ad Hoc Committee in early March, followed by the Vision 2050 Strategic Plan document in May. Vision 2050 will be a roadmap for the City’s work and resources to proactively plan for the future and achieve a shared vision of the community.