For Residents

Citizen Panel Moderator's Overview of Session Two - March 9, 2009

Deputy City Manager Joyce Tustian Presents City of Edmonton Vision and Strategic Plan

As part of the ongoing learning process, Edmonton Citizen Panel members were presented with an overview of the City of Edmonton 's vision and its ten-year strategic plan by Deputy City Manager Joyce Tustian. She explained how the City is taking an integrated approach with its long range plans that help determine how we grow and how we move.
Some citizen panel members commended City Council for having the foresight to establish a vision (created with the input of thousands of Edmontonians) and for developing the strategic plan.
Discussion between panel members and Tustian included questions about how the city will ensure the strategic plan is enacted at all levels of the city and how the work of the Citizen Panel meshed with the City Vision.
Tustian responded that ensuring city staff in all areas of the city understand and act on the vision is a challenge and is being addressed through the Deputy City Manager's Office. She said the Citizen Panel recommendations will be considered by City Council and used to inform their 2010-2011 budget deliberations.

Citizen Panel Members

Continued to appreciate the diversity of the group. Some said that sharing ideas and experiences in the smaller group sessions had led them to reconsider some of their own perceptions, assumptions and viewpoints.
Appreciative comments from one panel member who has lived in a communist country about the opportunity to take part in the Citizen Panel, created broad acknowledgement amongst panelists that democracy is sometimes taken for granted in Edmonton. This discussion created a heightened sense of the value of taking part in the informed, open dialogue that the Citizen Panel provides.
Panel members broke into smaller groups to discuss the three approaches they were introduced to in the Issues Book during the first Citizen Panel session, February 21. Panel members then made presentations to the larger group on behalf of their smaller group discussions. These morning presentations showed several shared priorities emerging amongst the panel members when discussing how to make Edmonton even better:
- Safety (on streets, in housing, on transit)
- Transportation (affordable, accessible, convenient, safe)
- Higher density (especially downtown) and the importance of sustainable urban planning (the idea of building what can be maintained and what minimizes environmental impact)
- Livable neighbourhoods (clean, affordable, safe)
- Environmental stewardship (including air quality)
As the day progressed, panelists found it challenging to view the initial three approaches as separate and distinct. The morning presentation and ongoing dialogue amongst panelists during the day resulted in areas of inter-connectedness between the approaches emerging. Panelists were reminded that the three initial issues were to be used as a springboard for their discussion of their personal experiences and view on living in Edmonton .
Trade-offs and consequences of making prioritized choices became more evident to panelists. They recognized that as they move forward, they will need to more consciously think about the values they use to guide their recommendations.
Panel members acknowledged that what we desire may not be what we can afford. They also considered the question of can we afford not to in some areas.
"We already have a good city but we are trying to make it even better," was a comment made. Panelists appreciated that being in a proactive mode is much better than having a City driven by crisis management.
The day began with panelists expressing a desire to roll up their sleeves , get more detailed information and really get into it. The day ended with panel members valuing the extra details from the day's discussions, having a deeper understanding of the issues, challenges and tradeoffs. There is a thoughtful realization that the task ahead is not an easy one. Panelists, however, said they continue to be enthusiastic, grateful and eager to be part of the Citizen Panel process.
Panelists expressed a growing appreciation for the tough decisions City Council must often make.