Back to SearchKitchener Council has approved a citizen-informed plan to guide the City’s priorities over the next four years.
Kitchener’s new 20-year vision and its 2023 – 2026 strategic plan were developed after extensive engagement with residents, Council, staff, and community stakeholders. Public feedback was gathered through a telephone survey of more than 1,000 residents, ‘street team’ interviews with dozens of people and online engagement with many more residents over the course of the past year. The City recruited 36 volunteers from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to form a ‘Plan WITH Us’ resident panel for the first time. Over six months, panel members learned about important issues and made meaningful contributions to the strategic plan.
“This strategic plan is a reflection of significant feedback from citizens and is more flexible than previous plans,” said Kitchener’s chief administrative officer Dan Chapman. “We’ve adopted an adaptive approach to setting our actions, which will allow Council and staff to better respond to emerging community needs and opportunities.”
The priorities in the approved plan are:
- Building a connected city
- Cultivating a green city
- Creating an economically thriving city
- Fostering a caring city
- Stewarding a better city
“This strategic plan is both a roadmap for this term of Council, and a vision for our community over the next 20 years,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “We’re telling the story of Kitchener from now until 2043. We want to build a city for everyone where, together, we take care of the world around us – and each other. The lessons of our past – and the promise of tomorrow – remind us that people who love their city can always change it, and our world, for the better. Together.”
The Compass Kitchener citizen advisory committee endorsed the strategic plan and praised the involvement of residents.
“Kitchener’s approach to this strategic plan, including forming a resident panel, is an outstanding example of a thoughtful and effective public engagement process,” said Troy Glover vice-chair of Compass Kitchener. “The diversity of resident panel members led to rich discussion and illuminated a variety of meaningful perspectives for consideration. This weaved together a complex and compelling narrative of Kitchener.
For more information about the City’s Vision and priorities for 2023-2026, visit kitchener.ca/OurPlan.
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For more information, contact:
Shawn Falcao
Manager, Corporate Communications
shawn.falcao@kitchener.ca
Plan WITH Us resident panel members are available for interviews upon request.
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