John Mazerolle
Telegraph-Journal
Appeared on page C3
SAINT JOHN - The city's vision is in - or at least the draft version. In an event - called "Shaping the Vision: A Community Conversation" - that began Tuesday morning and continues today, the city unveiled a six-paragraph vision statement that was drawn from the responses of more than 3,000 citizens given during a recent outreach campaign. "We must be there to support what the community wants," Mayor Norm McFarlane said to about 100 people at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre. "It can't be what council wants."
The vision statement, which will be tweaked in the coming days by the public and the Vision 2015 citizen's advisory committee, has been hailed by city staff and common council members as a key step needed to make city business and services more efficient, effective, and sustainable.
Other ongoing city projects like governance changes, service profiles and an urban plan for the South End will feed directly off the vision of the public, city staff have said. "This is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle," said Andrew Beckett, the staff member in charge of Vision 2015. Beckett said this context means the vision statement will be different than others crafted before - there is a framework being created so that the public's dreams can be put into action.
The goal of the day-and-a-half long workshop is to come up with eight to 10 goals that will become part of a sustainability plan and four-year action plans. Beckett said the vision is six paragraphs long to better capture the aspirations of the public. "I don't think we can capture those aspirations within a few simple taglines," he said.
The draft vision reads as follows:
- Our Saint John instills civic pride. We are friendly people who value the relationships we have with each other and with other communities.
- Our Saint John, Canada's first city, is modern but upholds its character and history. It is a city designed for people who are always working to preserve and improve their natural environment, waterfront, and neighbourhoods, which are the foundations of a liveable community and quality of life.
- Our Saint John is a place where good governance means leadership built on inclusive participation, transparency, honesty and trust. Every individual and organization has a vital role to play.
- Our Saint John provides everyone, especially children and youth, with educational excellence, opportunities and resources to secure a sustainable livelihood. It is a vibrant and exciting city of diverse cultures, supporting a rich variety of arts, entertainment, and recreational activities.
- Our Saint John has the health, safety, and well-being of its citizens at the centre of all choices, leaving us well prepared to face our challenges and opportunities together.
- Our Saint John is where life is on our terms."
The discussions among the 100 people or so in attendance were led by the environmental firm Jacques Whitford, and the facilitators set up the discussions in a way meant to keep ideas flowing freely.
Tuesday morning the crowd - which included council members, city staff, community leaders, high school students and average citizens - discussed three questions in groups of four. Each time a new question was offered, everybody would shuffle to talk with three new people. The questions dealt with what Saint John would be like if the vision was followed, what parts of the vision are inspiring, and whether the vision is complete. These discussions and others will eventually lead to the eight to 10 goals, to be completed by noontime today.
