Regional Planning Forum: Why and How to Plan Regionally

Introduction

·         Growth and development is competitive locally, provincially, and interprovincially

·         Parallel growth policy:

·         Subdivision can proceed when there is a commitment that infrastructure will be built in a timely manner (parallel with development)

·         Planning takes time and trust

·         Each community remains autonomous but determines how municipalities work together

·         Challenges and Successes

·         Buy in

·         Leadership

·         Capacity

·         Roles and responsibilities

·         Relationships

·         Funding

·         Governance

·         Implementation

Regional Planning Forum, June 10, 2015

Regional Planning Across Canada

·         Regional planning is cooperation

·         Regional planning is about achieving mutual goals through collaboration

·         32 planning districts with 161 municipalities

·         What does regionally planning look like?

·         Edmonton, to ensure wealth and vitality is sustained through socio-economic cooperation (24 municipalities)

·         Vancouver, includes social cohesion (21 municipalities)

·         New Brunswick, amalgamation of 24 into 12, also includes recreation

·         Red Deer values include:

·         Trust,

·         respect,

·         understanding,

·         equity,

·         cooperation,

·         collaboration,

·         coordination,

·         communication

·         Common Themes

·         Common across Canada

·         There are multiple methods and models

·         Close relationship with service delivery (shared admin)

·         Challenges and struggles are okay

·         You have to think bigger than your borders (the most successful partnerships)

Role of Ministry of Government Relations

·         Support,

·         Education

·         Advice

·         Reviewing and approving

·         Legislative oversight

·         Empowers municipalities and planning

·         Plan Hierarchy:

·         DP > ZB

·         DP > OCP > ZB or DP > ZB

·         All plans must be consistent with OCP

·         Intermunicipal Development Agreement (a little more formal than a MOU)

·         Planning on fringe of development area

·         Dispute resolution

·         Share or extended service, infrastructure or facilities

·         Sharing of costs for services, infrastructure or facilities

·         District Planning Commission (97-100 PDA)

·         Defined geography

·         Advisory body

·         Make rules of procedure

·         Joint public hearing

·         Appoint consultants and employees

·         Appoint committees

·         Dispute resolution is available

·         SMB determines best process

·         District Plan Authority

·         Set fees for service

·         Pass bylaws

·         Regional Planning Authority

·         Role of Municipality

·         Ensuring the health, safety, and general welfare of community

·         Should operate with public’s best interest – citizen’s don’t care about boundaries

·         Provide services to citizens

·         Role of Municipal Capacity Development Program

·         Facilitates open communication between municipal leaders

·         Educates through workshops and communicates

·         Research and provides communication of issues

·         Supports regional initiatives 

·         Support, education, and advice to develop

·         MOU

·         Strategic planning

·         Cost sharing agreements

·         Regional recreation as a part of regional strategic plan

·         Asset management

·         Mediation

·         Emergency plans

·         Agreement must outline how funds are raised including proportion, in kind, staff loans

·         How are costs recovered (168 of PDA): through fees like development permits, variances, zoning bylaw amendments, etc

·         Costs best recovered through Asset Management Plan

·         Benefit to region/district asset management plan is usually cost sharing and efficient allocation of resources and infrastructure

·         Developer is contributing about 13% of the infrastructure while the remaining 87% is covered by the tax base over the 40 year life cycle of the development

·         Examples of regional collaboration

·         RM & City of Swift Current water

·         RM & Town of Lumsden, share administration, office, and much more

·         What if municipality disrupts Planning Commission?

·         ‘best interest’

·         Minister’s Order can remove a municipality

·         All parties are expected to agree to any and all amendments

·         Ministry will not be a part of an unhealthy triangle

·         Advantage of regional agreements is clear procedure and communication

·         Why? Regional planning has proven to work, greater market certainty,

Schedule Note

This week my family is going on a mini family trip. One of the expected highlights is the Harry Potter Exhibit in Edmonton. Due to this trip I will be mostly unavailable all week.

Valentines

Yesterday was Valentines Day and my wife put it into context for me. From our first Valentines to yesterday was 6,941 days. Our time together, from our first date to Valentines, has been 6,990 days. It makes it sound like a long time. So, our 7,000 day anniversary is fast approaching. What does one do to celebrate the 7,000th day?

For the record: last night we had a romantic dinner served by our two oldest sons' youth group. The food was great, the service excellent, and we even had live entertainment.

Still Sick

Hi, I am still sick and have not been able to write any posts. I do apologize and will resume posting when I am better and caught up at work.

My Close Encounter with Mandela

I met the two faces of Nelson Mandela through two South Africans I met while I was living and working on a Kibbutz in Israel; I was a 19 year old naïve and unaware young man.

To say I was politically aware and astute at that age would be grossly inaccurate. I was opinionated and had an answer for everything. After all, I was the riding President of the Young Progressive Conservatives and read the news. Living on the Kibbutz changed my worldview. The discussions surrounding racism and the nature of political and moral leadership, as demonstrated by Mandela, played a key role.

On the Kibbutz were two young South Africans: one young white man whose father owned a huge ranch and the other was a young, brilliant and beautiful coloured woman who was facing arrest should she return to South Africa. The one thought Mandela was a terrorist and believed that Blacks were unable to govern themselves let alone manage a business or the government. The other believed that one class of individuals should not, nor ought to be, ruled and oppressed by another group of individuals.

My male friend struggled with the morality of apartheid but was convinced from a pragmatic governance perspective that apartheid was necessary to stave off chaos and preserve the status quo. My female friend believed that all individuals were created equal and should not be oppressed because of the colour of their skin. She believed in equality of opportunity and the opportunity to succeed and fail.

For a white boy from Canada, the ideas and passion were eye opening. I no longer remember the details of the conversations, but I do remember coming away wondering how one man can inspire two people resulting in radically different outcomes: in one he inspired fear and loathing, in the other hope and courage.

Mandela was a prophetic voice crying out for justice. In his role he embodied grace, dignity, forgiveness, and determination as he worked to see justice done in South Africa. His leadership, and the leadership he in turn inspired in men such a Desmond Tutu to implement a new vision, a new purpose to bring healing to a truly dysfunctional land.

History raises up men and women who are both shaped by the events of their time and in turn shape the events of their time. Such men and women are special and Mandela was one of them.

An Invitation to Speak

Recently I was invited to speak with another Town Council. The Mayor of Unity, Sylvia Maljan, has asked me to speak with her Council regarding the landfill fire as well as a couple of other issues.

Grieving for the Young

It is unnatural to grieve for the young; for those who die prematurely due to accident or illness. Instead of celebrating a life lived we are mourning a life lost; a life without fulfillment. No marriage, no children, no accomplishments, no laughter, no tears, no …. It is a life that will be empty. It is a loss that hollows out my heart; a hollowness that no tears can fill. It is a sadness that consumes and is hardly dulled over time.

Words are not enough for a time like this; good intentions are inadequate. Life is persistent moving on its way regardless how we feel. The pain is constant and unceasing diminishing the joy in our life. But, we live.

Be Present

Listening is hard. Talking is hard.

Having a decent conversation can be a challenge as I listen and try to understand what is being said to me. As I hear the words being spoken, and maybe you, I can get lost listening to my thoughts in response to the words I am processing. I translate the message being said and then, in no time at all, I have lost the conversation. As I said, listening is hard.

Sharing my thoughts can be a challenge as well. I am thinking what is the best way to say what I am thinking as I am trying to say what I have to say. The other person's responses, eye movement, facial expressions, and body language may make me adjust what I am saying so I can be understood. Again, talking is hard.

There are a number of communication models and here is one I heard today (this is condensed):

1. We, or at least me, only remember 3 things.
1. in other words less is more, or at least for me.
1. is it personal?
2. is it ambiguous?
3. is it anxiety producing?
1. touching on all of these will make me, and others, remember what is being said.
2. We want to be heard.
1. Here are some things that need to be overcome to hear others:
1. Observations
2. Others
3. Baggage
4. Assumptions
5. Conclusions
6. Beliefs
3. We need to engage internally before we engage externally (awkward but that is the way I heard it)
1. Is our explanation clear?
2. Is our expectation clear?
3. Is our engagement clear?

This is one model and not one that I particularly follow. It is too complicated. My process is simple, I need simple, and I believe in KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Be Present. That is all I try to do. So, if we are talking and you don't think I am listening and talking very well, tell me to be present.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Favourite Fire Photo

My favourite fire photo is this one; I took it Friday morning just after 6:00.

October 11 just after 6:00 taken from HWY 21

This is a beautiful site because there were no flames and the site was shut down.

Here is another shot.

October 11 just after 6:00 taken from the North near Ish

I can't tell you how good it was to take this photo.

The History of the Office of "Mayor"

I have been curious about the history of the office of Mayor. Here are some things I have been wondering about:

• How did it develop? Why?
• Why is the Mayor addressed as: "Your Honour" and/or "Your Worship?" (I still don't know why)

These are not great questions but ones I have been curious about. What you are about to read is stuff I have pulled together from another website or two. The information is oriented towards the United Kingdom given the history of the office and the location of the website.

Lord Kindersley and Queen Elizabeth are directly behind the Mayor's chair.

The word's 'Mayor' and 'Major' derive from the same Latin word 'Magnus' meaning great.  The office of Mayor, together with the Domesday Book and the feudal system, were bought to the United Kingdom by the Normans. The office of Mayor has been in Europe since at least the fifth century. As Britain expanded their rule in Canada and municipalities grew the office of Mayor was implemented in Canada.

The title of Mayor, given to the head of the Corporation (Council), is comparatively speaking an innovation which was introduced by the Municipal Corporation Act 1835 of the United Kingdom.

The Office of Mayor has changed dramatically over the Centuries as can be seen below:

Middle Ages

The First Seven Mayors of Kindersley

During this time, unlike today, the Mayor was always a "he" and under whatever name he was known in his particular municipality, he seems to have held a position similar in many ways to his modern successor.

Like today, the Mayor was acknowledged as the "first citizen" of the town, he had a Council (under differing names) to assist him, he was a 'Custodian of the Peace' - the name for early Magistrates, and he would normally preside in the Borough's civil and criminal courts.

Tudor Times

Historian William Lamarde's "stack of statutes" greatly increased the powers of the Mayor as Chief and sometimes Sole Magistrate.  This made the Magistrate the Tudor "maids of all work" resulting in a great increase in their personal importance as these following examples of mayoral powers show:

·         The power to arrest those disturbing the peace and persons carrying offensive weapons in fairs (2Ed.III c. 3);

·         Power to regulate the size of loaves of bread and to seize bread of unlawful size and pillory the bakers responsible (5 Henry V c.6);

·         Powers to search premises suspected of unlawful gaming (33 Henry VIII c. 9);

·         The power to compel persons to go into service, and to deal with matters relating to servants and apprentices (5 Eliz. I c.4);

·         The power to deal with dyers suspected of using logwood in dyeing (23 Eliz. I c. 9)

By the Seventeenth century, the Mayor had in many Boroughs become all powerful and in many instances his powers included:

·         Chairman of the Council or other governing body of the town (e.g. the Alderman, Capital Burgesses, Masters, Approved Man, Portmen, or Brethren);

·         Chief Magistrate often presiding at Quarter Sessions as well as Petty Sessions;

·         President of the Civil and Manorial Courts of the Borough, sometimes sitting with the Recorder or the Town Clerk, and sometimes alone;

·         Borough Coroner

·         Clerk of the Borough Market(s);

·         Keeper of the Borough Gaol;

·         The appointment of most Borough Officers, including in some towns the Town Clerk and Chamberlain;

·         The creation of Freeman, often for a fee; and

·         Admiral of the Port - title retained today in several seacoast towns such as Southampton, Poole and Kingston-upon-Hull in the United Kingdom.

The last 9 Mayors of Kindersley

By the Eighteenth century, the position of Mayor in this country had become one of considerable power and the position was, and still is regarded as the pinnacle of achievement for service to the local community.

In 1835, the legal position of the Mayor was regulated by Parliament, who laid down a clear definition of the precise attributes of the modern Mayor thus restricting and regulating by statute the rights of the precedence of the Mayor.

By the nineteenth century, a Mayor could be the centre of all political activity with the terms of office lasting often two to four years.  By attending a large number of committees, the Mayor could hold the whole Council together and co-ordinate and integrate its activities.  The political role of the Mayor, rather than the social and ceremonial role, was clearly far more important in this era than it is today.

The Importance and Role of the Mayor Today

One can suggest three main important roles for the traditional Mayor in today's local authorities and society:

(I) As a symbol of the authority

The insignia of the mace, robes, chains of office etc is a clear symbol of the Mayor's Authority in that area.  The Mayor, through the office of Mayor and its trappings, connects the present day with history and acts as a symbol of continuity.

Until 1974 the use of the term "Corporation" symbolised the fact that the people were considered part of the Council and this strengthened the symbolism of the Mayor being the First Citizen who spoke for the whole town or city and gave an identity.

(ii) As a symbol of open society

A modern role for the Mayor is that the office symbolises an open society. The choice of Mayor is no longer restricted and the First Citizen can (and does) come from any class gender or ethnic background.  The First Citizen no longer is the privilege of the white middle/upper class male and the new diversity reflects the more open and democratic society we now live in.

(iii) As an expression of social cohesion

The Many, often social, engagements that are undertaken by a mayor are an expression of giving cohesion to the life of the city or town.

Conclusion

The history of the Mayoralty is important because it is one well-known and continuous factor in people's experiences.  The power of the Mayor has undoubtedly reduced throughout the centuries and it is unlikely that today's Mayor will have the authority of, say, a fifteenth century Mayor or register some of the landmark achievements of great Victorian Mayors.  The office, however, continues to have a central part to play in modern Councils and modern society and part of this role, as we have seen, is a result of the tradition it inherits.

The information is primarily from the United Kingdom. Information on the history of the office of Mayor that I have been able to find has mostly been local. If you know of a good resource that outlines the history of the office of Mayor and the role of Mayor please let me know. 

Most of this post came from here.

Civic Ceremonial; A Handbook, History and Guide for Mayor's, Councillors and Officers; Fourth edition, Paul Milward.

Back from Away

Hi: I have been away the last couple of weeks and am slowly getting caught up. I will be posting more stuff in the next couple of days.
So, while I catch up please enjoy a couple of my photos:

At the tree line of Crowsnest Mountain - a lousy day to hike and climb

The Jousting Tournament at Brooks Medieval Faire - the Knight in the photo was unseated - it was spectacular and he was not hurt.

A 10th Century Norse Warrior - it was 29 Celsius

No Super Heroes or Super Villains Allowed!

The other night I took two of my sons to see "The Man of Steel." During the last half of the movie with the scenes full of gratuitous violence including the demolition of Metropolis, I found myself thinking: "Wow, am I glad I'm not the Mayor. That is one big mess to clean up. The poor people." And my thoughts went on that trail for a while.

http://www.empowernetwork.com/khaemt/blog/empower-network-calling-all-super-heroes-empower-network-recruiting-has-begun/

Have you ever thought of all of the damage caused by super heroes and super villains in the movies? Imagine if that was in real life? I doubt our insurance would cover it; maybe I should ask. Or, maybe invite super heroes to come and 'decommission' some of our facilities. Have you ever seen a super hero build or repair a building?

So, I find myself hoping that we have no superheroes or super villains coming for a visit while I am Mayor.

Vancouver Virtual Date



Canada Place, June 2, 2013

When we first learned I would be attending the FCM Conference my wife and I decided we would come together. So we planned the trip, FCM organized spouse activities while we are at our sessions, and paid for it in January. However, in February, my wife severely injured herself resulting in the doctor issuing a no travel note. So much for a working/romantic weekend getaway in Vancouver. My wife stayed home as a result.

 

After the gala reception my wife and I had a virtual romantic walk along the bay. I walked along the bay talking on the phone pausing everyone once in a while to take pictures of the surroundings.

It was a beautiful evening for a romantic stroll. The only thing missing was some music.

 The problem with a virtual date is kids can easily interrupt our date. One of our sons got on the phone to say hello around here.

Huge cranes at the Vancouver Port. The facility moves approximately $200 million worth of goods everyday. Yes, I mentioned it to my wife. I was disappointed I couldn't find time to go on the tour demonstrating the logistics of the Port's operations.

City scapes can be lovely. My favourite city scape is Shanghai. I was fortunate to visit in 2010.

 

 

This concludes the romantic area of the walk. A sculpture, with purpose, and in the window behind is a rotating globe. A lovely evening that would have been significantly better had it been a real date rather than a virtual date. A least it was a date.

 

Here are some of the photos. The photos were taken on by BlackBerry Z10.

Hot Dog Carts & "Diesel Bus Fumes" Seasoning

It may be time for me to confess I love hot dogs and sausages from hot dog carts. If I could afford it that would be a regular lunch item for me.



Hot dog stand "Japadog" in Vancouver, June 1, 2013

It reminds of a story when I lived in Israel. Rather than hot dog stands they had falafel stands. The best falafel I have ever eaten was from a falafel stand besire a diesel bus with not emission controls. Has anyone every seen 'diesel bus fumes' seasoning?

Anti Bullying and Hannah Arendt, One of My Favourite Thinkers

Hannah Arendt is one of my favourite authors and thinkers. The main thing I have learned from her is that evil doesn't have to be a monster. Evil has many guises including someone who is "just following orders." The 'banality of evil' is the common everyday, hum drum stuff that seems normal because many people accept it rather than speak out against it.

Bullying is something that people seem to accept in many guises and needs to be recognized as something that is not good.

A movie based on Hannah Arendt's life has just been released and I hope I will have a chance to see it at some point.

Empty Mail Box: A Rare Find at the Town Office

The voters of Kindersley elected me Mayor October 24, 2012. Effectively I started in the deep end October 25, 2012. May 27, 2013 was the first day I didn’t have any mail in my inbox. So far I figure that I spend, on average, an hour per day responding to email, the phone, and people I see on the street. There have been days when it has been much, much more.

This empty mail box was a real treat.