Last Tuesday, both Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts and Councillor Judy Villenueve and BC Children and Families Minister Mary McNeil were on hand to announce Surrey's Poverty Plan entitled: T.H.I.S. Is How We End Poverty. T.H.I.S stands for Transportation, Housing, Income and Support. Read the Surrey Now story here
Meanwhile in Williams Lake - last year's adopted OCP (with includes the approved ICSP or Integrated Community Sustainability Plan) does discuss this topic but in broad policy discussions with 'weasal words' like Consider.... and By 2035....
Surrey's plan is very specific with roles and responsibilities and specific or advocacy actions to be taken
With many in our community on very limited incomes or having specific challenges - a plan like this for Williams Lake and maybe even taking in the Rural Fringe areas would be helpful from both a social, community development and even crime prevention standpoints...
Meanwhile - in a brief conversation with City of Williams Lake Acting CAO Geoff Goodall over a new Zoning Bylaw, he informed me that Williams Lake Council still has not put together its' Strategic Plan for this term. In contrast, all local governments in the Central Interior have put their plans together (with the exception of the Cariboo Regional District which will begin its' Strategic Planning this fall) and are moving forward with them. As one pointed out to me - this is shocking considering Williams Lake Council sometime before September 1st will have to give direction to Staff to develop the 2013 City of Williams Lake Budget. As many on Facebook have said - Williams Lake City Council have become "7 administrators and focus on the little things" rather than developing an overarching plan for the City for the term of 2011-2014
Finally - you can read the well written Surrey Poverty Plan here
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