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Summary of Strategic Planning Sessions Available Here
On December 9th and 10th, Council met with the Community Strategic Planning Committee to lay out its directions for its four-year term.
The Community Strategic Planning Committee is an advisory committee of citizens who provide Council with community information for long term planning.
Council members were tasked with creating a vision of where Chatham-Kent could go, take a look at possible barriers or obstacles to realizing their visions, then create strategies for overcoming those barriers. They identified what elements stood out in the Chatham-Kent of today, what the municipality’s greatest recent successes were and what seemed to be the current challenges. Councillors were asked to imagine what the world, Canada and Chatham-Kent might be like in 2014.
The following document (pdf) provides a summary of the outcome of these sessions.
Download your copy by clicking here.
overtaxed
December 18, 2010 at 7:47 pm
It’s been awhile since anything has made me laugh as hard as this nonsense. These things take care of themselves through drastically lowering the all-too-high municipal and provincial taxes. Government getting out of the way. That attracts business, workers are hired and paychecks then taxed. I’m about to see my taxes soar, and the least who can afford it(on fixed incomes, etc) suffer even more. But at least the elite can claim their false accomplishment.
Michael C
December 19, 2010 at 1:15 am
Unlike “overtaxed”, My first impression was that this is progress, especially as the very first thing you see in slide three was “Engage the Community in Moving the Vision Forward”
The first four things under that heading will be the test of a new openness of Council.
Rob
December 19, 2010 at 1:20 am
…And how might we accomplish this openness? What method or platform could we use to facilitate such engagement?
Michael C
December 19, 2010 at 8:56 am
Well, the community does have an on-line news source, they could start there. Maybe upload video to YouTube and the muni web site. get Councillors out and about in the community talking about what is happening and seeking reaction. Council meetings in the small towns.
Without my first cup of coffee, there is a start
marlee
December 19, 2010 at 4:15 am
I am glad this was sent to you – and hopefully other local newspapers. I see the key to the whole initiative in the first image – everything seen through the lens of civic engagement. That means ALL of us.
Some Councillors could not be at the working sessions on this strategic planning programme but the ones that were there certainly seemed to be committed to making the changes necessary to work with us and for us to make Chatham-Kent the best place it can be for everyone.
overtaxed
December 19, 2010 at 10:31 am
Step back from the very vague details, and the message is “Gov’t can solve everything”. Yet it has failed in every communist country. Period.
Michael C
December 19, 2010 at 1:00 pm
For some people there is that great bastion of freedom, America, and then the rest of the communist world.
How about Sweden, the home of Volvo, Ericsson, Electrolux, and other such state controlled ventures.
As a columnist in the NYT said today, when reviewing Mitt Romney’s book “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness,” “Romney’s central concern is whether America will become “the France of the 21st century.” Given all our problems, does that sound so bad to you, people? Your medical care would improve, your life expectancy lengthen and dinners would be much tastier.”
overtaxed
December 19, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I haven’t once used the US as a comparison. Although thanks for bringing the US up! The Obama Democrats are made up largely of Saul Alinsky Socialists. And they clearly follow Alinsky’s agenda layed out in his book “Rules for Radicals”. The Leftists are boiling the frog slowly in the US, as they are here in Canada.
Communism didn’t die, it’s been brilliantly repackaged as we are seeing here in this platform.
Rob S
December 19, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Au contraire…..It appears “communist” China is doing just fine…perhaps beating us at our own capitalist games?
Thanks to our corporate supportive conservative/republican governments in the past who have lead us to “globalization” and shipped all our jobs overseas to China……
The communists appear to be winning……hello?
All the mistakes are being made by the “capitalists” (economic crash, gulf of Mexico oil blow-out…..need I go on?)
Overtaxed, are you brain dead or just not paying attention….who is to know?
Hey now… no name calling please. – Rob
Michael C
December 20, 2010 at 9:13 am
This is hardly the forum for a discussion on the merits of free enterprise………..however.
Seems to me there are those 10% who feel that uncontrolled capitalism is the answer, and there is the other 10% who feel that state control of everything is the answer.
And then there is the rest of us, who think that maybe the Canadian Bank Act doesn’t look so bad now, and that continuously paying less taxes than the government needs to pay its bills is perhaps not a good idea, and that letting families live in tents during the winter is not a good advertisement for capitalism.
Dan
December 20, 2010 at 11:06 am
i consider myself in that mid 80%, but the bank act could still use some tweaking..they make far too much profit, there executives are compensated far too well, theyre lack of competition keeps our fees far too high…and they are investing OUR money in buying foreign banks which does nothing to create more jobs here, the CIBC and RB lost billions in the financial crisis fiasco because of this, they all took corporate welfare that was supposed to free up credit even tho we are told so often how good of shape they are in and yet they still deny credit to small Canadian business such as logging companies in northern Ont…i could go on..
And we wouldn’t need to be so highly taxed for the govt to the bills if they would quit wasting it on unneeded programs which only benefit their friends and eliminated all the waste and boondoggles!!
Scott
December 19, 2010 at 10:48 am
Having been involved in a number of planning sessions, I have to say that I am less than impressed with what has come out of this one. I can still see the fractured thinking that has held this community back since amalgamation.
We are a wide and varied type of community that needs to realize that. What works for Chatham or Wallceburg doesn’t work out in the countryside or smaller centres. We are different and have different wants and needs.
If council would use that to our advantage instead of picking a one size fits all solution that leaves everyone dissatisfied we will all be better off.
The best thing I saw in the whole report was the comment about going out and meeting with the community. Might I add that you shouldn’t only do that in the area you represent but in informal groups outside “your” area. Don’t schedule meetings, at your convenience, in government buildings that are poorly attended. Go to the people and attend club meetings etc. because they are the ones doing things and improving C-K, not just complaining about what council is doing wrong.
overtaxed
December 19, 2010 at 10:56 am
“More tree cover, greater percentage, under public ownership.”
In other words, confiscation of private property.
From the Communist Manifesto:
1) Abolition of property and land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
High Speed Train?
#6 in the Communist Manifesto: Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state.
High quality environment through innovation?
#7 in the Communist Manifest: Bringing in the cultivation of wasteland, improvement of soil, in accordance with a COMMON PLAN.
Growth through a variety of post secondary institutions?
#10 in Communist Manifesto: Free(?) education for all.
(Who pays for all this?)
#2 in Communist Manifesto: A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Really folks, I take good care of myself. But my body weight and entertainment are none of the Leftists business. Nor is my education. And keep your hands off my property, including my vehicle. I worked for those, and don’t expect my neighbours to finance those things.
The current council should resign and a new election held post-haste.
Michael C
December 19, 2010 at 3:32 pm
You left out the bit about child labour
overtaxed
December 19, 2010 at 11:18 am
More tree cover through greater percentage under public ownership?
Point #1,from the Communist Manifesto:
Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
overtaxed
December 19, 2010 at 11:21 am
High speed train?
#6 from the Communist Manifesto: Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.
Seek out existing strengths
December 19, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Initially I found some of the Directions somewhat bold – but boldness is what we require in Chatham-Kent. A university campus would be great. I wonder if Council truly knows all of the inroads currently developed in Chatham-Kent by various professionals who already sit on academic advisory boards for various aspects of St.Clair College or perhaps serve their community by developing medical training sites for doctors and nurses. Some of this talent is at work already – seek it out and work smarter to support this direction.
South Kent Voter
December 19, 2010 at 9:40 pm
So let me get this straight. We’re just days away from 2011, and then it’ll be just three years until 2014. So in three short years we’re going to do all this? Eliminate obesity? Create a university? Drastically increase tree cover? Build a high-speed railway? Double our population to 200,000 after years of decline? And hey let’s eliminate poverty too! Honestly, what colour is the sky in this world?
It took Chatham-Kent Council almost a decade of discussion to raise the speed limit on a few miles of rural highways by 10km/h. Dozens of our railway crossings are so bumpy you have to slow to a crawl to cross over them. We can’t convince a dozen U.S. boaters a year to visit Chatham anymore. We can’t even install curbs along Park Street for heaven’s sake.
I’m all for a municipality full of skinny university-educated swimsuit models who all have rewarding full-time jobs, but can’t we please fix the railway crossing in Charing Cross first?
marlee
December 20, 2010 at 12:32 am
Nobody ever said the visions of this Council will be realised in 4 years – but do you really want them to concentrate on fixing railway crossing and potholes? Or do you want them to start moving forward, laying foundations for longterm improvements to our quality of life?
For too long Councils have thought primarily of what they can claim they have done during four years in office. This Council aims to look to the year 2030 – let’s help them and back them.
This is how to truly make a difference.
South Kent Voter
December 20, 2010 at 8:56 am
I’m all for laying new foundations, but our old one are crumbling and nobody wants to deal with the problem. Pie-in-the-sky dreams like high-speed rail and eliminating poverty & obesity only cause us to shift focus away from the immediate problems affecting all of us. So to answer your question, yes I want potholes and railway crossings fixed.
Dan
December 20, 2010 at 10:08 am
I absolutely do think that council should be attaching some priority to fixing railway crossings and potholes, Marlee!
Railway crossing are in federal domain, and in the mid 2000s while the railways made record profits in the hundreds of millions, they completely neglected to properly maintain those crossings as is supposed to be their responsibility. Im sure they will now claim that with tough times they can not afford it. But council should be taking stock of all the crossings we have and relentlessly be lobbying VanKesteren and the both Ministry of Transportation and Transport Canada to get them fixed and then see a lifecycle budget from the feds and railways to ensure they are maintained properly in the future.
And to the potholes..yes..get them fixed, and maybe its time they revamped their lifecycle budget for the roads too and start relentlessly lobbying the province to properly reinstate more funding for roads that was robbed from us during amalgamation. Example: most of old Hwy#3 is in disgusting shape! Feels like u hit a speedbump every 50-100 metres. They had an aspahlt grinder try to smooth a few out some yrs ago…what a waste of money..made the asphalt thinner and the frost still heaved them up, only higher! Many other paved roasecondary roads literally have ‘chunks’ of asphalt busting off their sides..in some cases creating hazards!
I am constantly angry while driving down roads in this municipality as every bump i hit makes me think of the constant damage being done to my truck’s steering and suspension components! In fact, many of the repaving jobs in town are so poorly planned that the manhole covers have become the same as potholes on recently paved roads!! And some of the pothole repairs are just ridiculously done improperly..its no good to turn a pothole into a speedbump!! Businesses definitely look at infrastructure issues such as rail crossings and road conditions in their location planning. They want their fleets to last as long as possible, poor road conditions shorten vehicle lifespans. They want their fleets to move efficiently, poor rail crossings slows vehicle movement unnecessarily costing more money in fuel and wages…a vehicle should only have to slow to 15 kms under the speed limit in crossing these…not slow to a crawl to prevent terrible damage to a vehicle!
But of course all the good roads seem to be in Toronto where the province likes to buy its stronghold of votes.
And, communities that are well maintaining roads in great condition and paving new ones are perceived by business as being progressive which would also help in luring them here!
marlee
December 20, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Dan, you are correct – pot holes, railway crossings etc DO need to be kept in good repair. They DO give a signal about whether or not a municipality is being well looked after.
Unfortunately in the past some Councillors have felt that was ALL they needed to do in order to justify their positions. So, yes, fix the pot holes etc but at the same time move towards bolder more creative – and long term – initiatives.
This should not be an either/or question.
Dan
December 20, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Thx Marlee, and i do agree also that it is definitely not the only thing council should focus on, it just looks to me like amalgamation resulted in extreme neglect of the roads issue. And I can understand why given the huge costs involved in maintaining our roads and the fact the province provides no where near enough to care for them properly since amalgamation.
I would most definitely like to know where Talbot Trail sits in the lifecycle budget for finally getting fixed. Ive been waiting 8 yrs now to see improvement and have only noticed a km or 2 between Wheatley and Blenheim get done…specifically at Dealtown. Its is so bad out here that my truck’s rear wheels literally jump off the pavement as I go over each of these bumps!! And that is travelling only the speed limit…I realize smaller cars may not notice it as much but its getting close to a safety issue for SUVs and trucks due to the loss of control created when the wheels leave the pavement!! And to top that off it has been so long since properly graded gravel has been added to the shoulders that the graders are constantly scraping into and mixing in the topsoil which blows away in the wind…and along much of it there is now a small ditch created at the edge of the shoulder beside the main ditch! The main ditch doesn’t even get to serve its purpose until the grader made shoulder ditch overflows! LOL..but really its not funny! We should totally be demanding the province pay for the entire repaving since they still call it Hwy#3 and pay for it in both Essex and Elgin and beyond!
Zipper
December 19, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Your socialist unions have murdered more jobs in cK, than we can ever ever hope to recover..
There are 1200 jobs available at Navistar, but not at $75 a hour to put a door handle on a truck.
Plus paid birthday
Chris Lozon
December 20, 2010 at 1:22 am
Pretty colours and motherhood statements notwithstanding, I personally find these exercises to be trivial in the grand scheme of things…and I’m big on strategy.
I just find you’re better prioritizing focus over consensus ie. start with a small, select group of key decision-makers, create some success, then garner support and communicate as needed.
Chris Lozon
December 20, 2010 at 1:24 am
I couldn’t resist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hq6Ir-Sc5A
Zipper
December 20, 2010 at 10:37 am
Under economy in the strategic plan. B1- 1:2 it says.
That the signs to the entrance of each town must say.
A community of Chatham Kent.
Well you might just as well forget that one because it is not going to happen.
One thing the candidates that ran for Major and got around the community found out, was that the only people that can stand the name Chatham, are those from Chatham.
When cK hired the consultant to do a new logo for cK he recommended Chatham be removed from the name as it causes great animosity, which is true. He further said that municipalities across Canada did away with hyphenated names. He recommended just Kent or a new name.
The only place for the name Chatham in Kent is the city of Chatham.
Get you face out of our communities.
We are going to go back to the way we were before amalgamation… KENT