Highlights from regular Council meetings provide a brief summary of some items of broad public interest. The summary is not inclusive of all agenda items. Please refer to www.sidney.ca for the full agenda, minutes, and webcast.

Council sets strategic priorities for 2022

Council has approved an annual update to the Town’s Strategic Plan, which identifies major projects and provides a guide for both the budget approval process and annual staff/department work plans.

In addition to the provision of core municipal services, the Town will be working toward both new and longstanding goals. Some projects that were previously identified in the Town’s Strategic Plan and continue to be priorities are:

• Completing the update of the Town’s Official Community Plan
• Completing the update of the Town’s Climate Action Plan
• Developing a detailed infrastructure design for West Sidney
• Planning for adaptation to sea level rise
• Reviewing impacts of residential parking requirements on downtown on-street parking availability.

   

  Certain priorities were added to the existing plan, including:

• Improving the Town’s relationship with W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations
• Undertaking a review of the Town’s website.

Several additional priorities are also included in the plan, which will be finalized and shared through the Town’s website later this month (January 2022).

Staff Report                     Video (33:43)

Public engagement on Active Transportation Plan expected to begin this spring

The Town will soon be hiring a consultant to develop an Active Transportation Plan for the community including a detailed design for a north/south cycling corridor through Sidney. An Active Transportation Plan identifies how to improve roads and pathways to make it safer and more convenient for people to choose to walk, cycle and roll when going about their daily activities. The project is slated to begin this spring. Staff anticipate that there will be two engagement phases – a preliminary survey to identify barriers to active transportation in Sidney, and a more detailed survey on the draft Active Transportation Plan, expected to occur in late 2022. Major improvement projects identified in the plan would require additional technical review, detailed design, and potentially, additional public engagement.

Staff Report                     Video (1:24:30)

Sidney Business Development Manager shares successes and challenges in 2021

The Business Development Manager for the Sidney BIA gave an annual presentation to Council outlining successes and challenges from the past year. The annual reports are part of the Memorandum of Understanding developed in 2021 when the Town agreed to support the position through a $60,000 grant to help local businesses through the pandemic. Highlights of the report included successfully securing grants to support the local business community, including $97,404 from the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program and another $5,000 from the BC Fairs, Festivals, and Events Recovery Fund. The BIA also shared ways it has created connectivity between local businesses, provided educational webinar opportunities, used its social media channels and website to promote local businesses and share information, while also providing a voice for local businesses on 23 community, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.

Sidney BIA Business Development Report            Video (4:30)

Media Contact:      

Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith

250-656-1139

 mayor@sidney.ca