REQUEST FOR DECISION
DATE: August 8, 2016 Report No. DEV-16-053
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Marlene Lagoa, Community Development Coordinator
SUBJECT:
Title
Esquimalt Age-friendly Assessment
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council approve the Esquimalt Age-friendly Assessment prepared by Van Hemert & Co. and direct staff to consider the list of recommended age-friendly goals, objectives and policies during the review and update of the Official Community Plan.
Body
RELEVANT POLICY:
Council’s Strategic Priorities 2015 - 2019: Official Community Plan Review; multi-modal traffic strategies; Parks & Recreation enhancements; advocate at the regional level for voice and equity in regional services; advocate with intergovernmental entities to promote issues affecting Esquimalt; and encourage and facilitate community involvement that supports non-governmental initiatives.
STRATEGIC RELEVANCE:
The recommendations coming out of the assessment will help to inform the Official Community Plan Review.
BACKGROUND:
The Township was awarded $20,000 in funding from the 2016 Age-Friendly Community Planning and Project Grants program. The grant program is administered by the Union of BC Municipalities on behalf of the Ministry of Health. The funding was used to hire the consulting firm Van Hemert & Co. in March 2016 to conduct a comprehensive assessment on the status of seniors in Esquimalt.
ISSUES:
1. Rationale for Selected Option
The age-friendly assessment represents a wealth of original data that will be invaluable in informing the development of policy as part of the review of the Official Community Plan. In addition, the report contains information that will help inform other Council policy and budget decisions (for example the report identifies the need for improvements to sidewalks in order to facilitate the mobility of our seniors).
2. Organizational Implications
There are no significant organizational implications.
3. Financial Implications
Approval of the age-friendly assessment will have minimal financial implications. However, implementation of some of the recommendations (e.g. improve the sidewalk infrastructure) would have significant financial implications but these are budget decisions that lie outside of the realm of the report itself.
4. Sustainability & Environmental Implications
There are no direct sustainability or environmental implications associated with approving the age-friendly assessment, however, the report does include a number of recommendations that would help to promotes environmentally friendly practices such as walking and using public transit.
5. Communication & Engagement
The age-friendly assessment included a robust community consultation process that involved four meetings with partner organizations, a community workshop, an online and printed survey, four focus groups and seven key informant interviews. No additional consultation is planned, however, any policy recommendations carried forward into the Official Community Plan will have additional public review through the Official Community Plan review process.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. That Council approve the Esquimalt Age-friendly Assessment prepared by Van Hemert & Co. and direct staff to consider the list of recommended age-friendly goals, objectives and policies during the review and update of the Official Community Plan.
2. That Council request further information from staff.