REQUEST FOR DIRECTION
DATE: January 4, 2016 Report No. DEV-16-004
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Marlene Lagoa, Community Development Coordinator
SUBJECT:
Title
Official Community Plan Review - Phase 1 “Kick Off” Survey Results
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ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
Based on the “Kick Off” survey results, what should be the Township’s engagement strategy during the next phase of the Official Community Plan Review?
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That the Committee of the Whole receive Staff Report DEV-16-004 for information, provide any additional direction to staff as the COTW considers advisable, and direct staff to prepare a report for Council’s consideration.
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BACKGROUND:
The purpose of this report is to present the findings from the Official Community Plan Review “Kick Off” Survey. The Phase 1 survey was available online from October 23 to November 30, 2015.
Highlights and successes of the communication strategy to promote the survey include:
- Received a total of 539 survey responses
- As an incentive, provided a draw prize for a $50 gift certificate to Esquimalt Parks & Recreation with 70.7% of respondents opting-in to the draw
- 58.6% of respondents opted-in to receive future updates on the OCP review via email
- Advertised on Facebook to reach users in Esquimalt (as well as a portion of users in bordering communities) with great success. The ad campaign cost less than $400, reached over 20,000 people with 253 people taking some form of action (167 visiting survey, 37 likes, 25 shares, and 3 comments). One unexpected benefit is that during the same time period the Township of Esquimalt’s Facebook pages received 50% more likes than the previous month.
The complete results and comments received from the “OCP Kick Off Survey” are attached as Appendix A to this report.
ISSUES:
The issues identified in the previous Staff Report DEV-15-049, OCP Review - Phase 1 “Kick Off” Survey, were the survey response rate, the responses being representative of the population, and the number of community priorities a respondent may select.
Response Rate
In total, the Township received 539 responses to the OCP “Kick Off” Survey. A display with paper-based copies of the survey was set up in the final weeks at the Municipal Hall, Esquimalt Library Branch and Recreation Centre. The public displays resulted in 124 paper-based surveys being submitted which accounted for 23% of all responses received. Overall, the response rate was better than expected for what was the first of many opportunities for the public to provide input on the OCP.
Representation of Population
The 2011 census was used to determine whether the responses received from the survey was representative of Esquimalt’s population. Of the 448 Esquimalt residents that completed the survey, women and adults aged 25 to 74 were very well-represented. The populations that were under-represented are males, children and youth 24 years of age or younger, and seniors 75 years of age and older. The goal for Phase 2 of the OCP review process will be to try and engage these under-represented populations.
Community Priorities
Due to the challenges with the administration of paper-based surveys there was no limit set for how many community priorities respondents could select. The initial concern was that all the listed responses would be selected leaving no clear winners. The survey results for all listed community priorities ranged from 71% to as low as 32%.
The top 5 community priorities were:
- Parks, Trails and Recreation (71.0%)
- Economic Development (64.4%)
- Community Health & Safety (60.0%)
- Future Land Use and Development (60.0%)
- Neighbourhood Design (57.9%)
The results of the community priorities question, in conjunction with the results of respondents’ communication and engagement preferences, will assist staff with developing a community engagement plan for future phases of the OCP review process. A report outlining a community engagement strategy for Phase 2 will be coming back to Council in February.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. That the COTW receive Staff Report DEV-16-004 for information, provide any additional direction to staff as the COTW considers advisable, and direct staff to prepare a report for Council’s consideration.
2. That the COTW provide alternative direction to staff.
3. That the COTW request further information from staff.