Your Input So Far
The RSS Process
The nine Regional Sustainability Strategy (RSS) policy options are aimed at providing the greatest opportunity for strengthening and achieving existing goals as well as supporting public priorities. But how did we get to these policies?
The RSS Policy Options were developed through a study of the existing Regional Growth Strategy's targets and goals. The CRD then compared these to current status and progress indicators for the region. Key to crafting the policy options was the input gathered on priorities and concerns from people who live and work in the CRD.
Public Consultation
The first phase of public consultation on the RSS policy briefs included the Spring 2010 RSS Forum, where residents also had their first opportunity to visualize future scenarios for the region using Metroquest. This online tool allows users to select different priorities and then see what type of region these choices would create. Will there be a suburb where your favourite green space used to be? How much time will you need to spend commuting?
This was followed by open houses throughout the region, feedback booths at community events, and input through the RSS portal. Throughout the consultation process, residents were asked to comment on regional challenges and successes. Read the comments for each subject area below.
Your Input So Far: Climate Change
(Commonly repeated suggestions appear in bold)
- Use full cost accounts for development, ie. measure the lifecycle impact, especially outside the UCB
- Promote zero net houses; no CO2 emitted; green roofs, etc.
- Need to support clean energy
- Pursue energy self sufficiency
- We need a serious regional energy plan: real local targets and incentives for reducing carbon footprint
- Put real measurements to growth impacts
- Use the polluter-pay principle
- Green building and walkable, bikable communities
- Strong carbon reduction targets
- Consider impacts of sea level rise: Vancouver has a 100 year plan for sea level rise
- Stronger action needed in reducing carbon emissions through land use and transportation
- Change framework to triple bottom line
December 2010 - March 2011
Your Input So Far: Transportation
(Commonly repeated suggestions appear in bold)
- Lower fares and raise service for transit in order to get more users
- Privilege pedestrians and cyclists in road design
- More effort to reduce single occupancy vehicles
- More bike and pedestrian facilities
- Run buses 24 hours
- Better cycling links
- Implement an LRT system
- Improve transit schedules and stops
- Need a regional transportation mandate and body
- Ring in Light Rapid Transit to link western communities with the Core
- Create Pedestrian-only streets
- Traffic calming measures
- Emphasize access rather than mobility
- Make key streets car-free
- Cycle lanes must be safe - i.e. separate from roads
- Get municipalities to work together
- The mandatory bicycle helmet law discourages cycling: require auto occupants to wear them too and you'd see car use drop
- Raise parking prices
December 2010 - March 2011
Your Input So Far: Resource Management
(Commonly repeated suggestions appear in bold)
- Protect Agricultural Land Reserve Lands
- Do not permit subdivision of the rural resource lands
- Pursue sewage energy capture
- Protect the forest lands west of Sooke as working forest and green space
- Don't create sewage sludge
December 2010 - March 2011
Your Input So Far: Sustainable Development
(Commonly repeated suggestions appear in bold)
- Focus on infill projects
- Review zoning in residential areas to identify opportunities for expansion that will complement existing neighbourhood character
- Build up not out; prevent further sprawl
- Increase density in established civic centres
- Incorporate full cost accounting of infrastructure demands for new developments on the outskirts
- Respect the Urban Containment Boundary by having 100% of development within it
- Provide better land use and transportation links
- Try to provide more zoning for multi-unit residential
- Try to discourage wasteful use of land with 'monster houses'
- Keep the buildings low enough
- Development should be multi-use so people can work and play close to where they live
- Enhance designated centres
- Provide incentives to those who live within 5-10 kms to encourage walking, cycling and transit
- Need to utilize poor quality lands for development - rock, steep slope - and leave good land for agriculture and resource protection
December 2010 - March 2011
Your Input So Far: Food Security
(Commonly repeated suggestions appear in bold)
- Make sure we preserve land for growing food
- Ensure that growing food locally is a viable occupation for farmers
- Encourage rooftop gardens where food can be grown
- Adopt a regional food charter
- Encourage community allotment gardens: boulevard gardening and backyard gardening
- Preserve agriculture; improve local food, including local processing of meat and dairy
- Support farmers markets
December 2010 - March 2011.
Your Input So Far: Affordable Housing
(Commonly repeated suggestions appear in bold)
- This is a provincial responsibility. Provincial government must be more pro-active about initiating affordable housing projects including social housing
- Need a national housing strategy
- Legalize all existing secondary suites, including in garages and other buildings
- Stop building and transition socially useless space in commercial structures to low and no-income housing
- Support cooperative housing initiatives and allow alternative building technologies on a large scale - eg. shipping containers
- Use infrastructure wisely - full cost accounting; don't have "affordable housing" located where there are no services
- Every new development should be required to contribute to low income housing
- Establish a living wage
- Provide a greater range of housing units
December 2010 - March 2011
Your Input So Far: Economic Sustainability
(Commonly repeated suggestions appear in bold)
- Create a regional economic development strategy
- More local procurement for services and supplies
- Support locally owned businesses
- To become a sustainable region we must begin to consider a steady state economy and not a growth economy
- Promote green manufacturing
- Cluster commerce & industry for knowledge spillover & co-location of services
- Provide leadership to stimulate employment opportunities for unemployed and under-employed; eg: inclusive communities programs, social enterprises
- Attainable housing balanced with range of employment opportunities is essential to attract and retain young families to balance the demographic
- Promote sustainable resource economies
- Increase core density for more customers & clients
- Develop high-tech industry; attract and retain creative workers
- Work closely with all businesses to make them internationally competitive
December 2010 - March 2011
Your Input So Far: Ecological Health
(Commonly repeated suggestions appear in bold)
- Preserve the urban forest
- Restore natural habitats
- Mandate restoration and protection of wildlife corridors, bird habitat, waterways
- Permanently protect surrounding ecosystems
- Designate biodiversity corridors across the region
- Protect linear parks and greenways
- Protect Muir Creek and Charters Creek and the other salmon and trout streams
- Cooperation between all levels of government - province, CRD and municipalities - to enforce natural environmental protection
December 2010 - March 2011