As many of you in Bracebridge may know, the Town has officially launched the review of the Town’s Community-Based Strategic Plan that will guide the community’s future for the next ten years. As part of the planning process, the Town is bringing together the thoughts and feelings of residents, business owners and other stakeholders, and they have invited organizations to submit briefs to assist with this planning process.
Upon review of the materials provided by the Town, Friends of the Muskoka Watershed believes that the four pillars of sustainability (economic, environmental, social and cultural) which form the basis of the plan are fine;
however, we do not believe their fundamental underlying hierarchy has been recognized. The draft planning document identifies the central importance of environmental condition, but this central importance is not reflected in the four pillars as they stand. We believe that the environmental sustainability pillar’s importance was not recognized in past strategic plans, but it could be in the new one. After all, half of the jobs in Muskoka depend on a healthy environment, especially the health of our lakes. We are recommending that the town’s next strategic plan should recognize the irreplaceability of a healthy environment and adopt policies to ensure that we both protect and wisely manage our environment.
Along with our concerns over the need to effectively recognize the crucial importance of the environment in Muskoka, Friends of the Muskoka Watershed was pleased to provide further input and recommendations as requested, and we provide a copy of our letter, in full, for your perusal.
You can read more on the town’s Plan Review on their website at www.bracebridge.ca/Future.
