North Cowichan’s new Official Community Plan has been drafted and the municipality wants to hear from community members about it.
Over the coming month, the public can attend an online webinar, read and mark up an online version of the document or provide general comments on important topics contained in the OCP such as housing, environment and the economy. Feedback heard through this engagement will be incorporated into the draft OCP before council receives it for discussion and potential endorsement in early 2022.
A webinar will be held over Zoom on Monday, Nov. 8 from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and will provide an opportunity to hear an overview of the document, learn how the OCP will be used in the future and have questions answered by staff and consultants. A link to preregister for the webinar is available at www.northcowichan.ca/OCP. The webinar will also be recorded and available on the webpage after the event.
A digital version of the draft OCP will be available from Nov. 8 to Dec. 8, which gives community members an opportunity to review each chapter and provide comments directly in the document. The link for this can be found at www.northcowichan.ca/OCP. Anyone needing assistance or wishing to provide input in other forms can reach out to staff by contacting communityplanning@northcowichan.ca.
“The Official Community Plan is one of the most powerful tools we have to shape the future of our community,” said North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring. “We want to get this right, so I encourage everyone to take this opportunity to review the draft document, and share your thoughts, comments and feedback.”
The OCP project began in 2019 and the community and stakeholder groups have been given several opportunities to provide input and comment during the multi-phase project. This round of engagement builds on the OCP vision and goals and the growth management strategy, which were established from community input over the past two years.