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Phase One of REIMAGINE NANAIMO complete

Prize winners announced, engagement summary online

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed February 9, 2021 2:00 PM

Summary

The first phase of Council's REIMAGINE NANAIMO project is now complete and preparations are underway for the second phase of this coordinated update of the City's key planning documents. This project includes updating the Official Community Plan and Climate Action Plan; updates to the Parks, Recreation and Culture Plan and Water Supply Strategic Plan; and creating a new Active Transportation Plan. Public engagement for Phase 1 (Gathering Ideas) of REIMAGINE NANAIMO launched in July 2020 and concluded at the end of November 2020. Input from the first phase will be used to shape the scenarios developed as part of Phase 2 (Exploring Options).

In spite of the challenges posed by the global pandemic, the process resulted in the largest response to date of any City engagement campaign. Engagement opportunities included everything from pop-up information booths in City parks and local shopping centres to over a hundred stakeholder meetings/workshops with community groups and organizations. It also included the City's online public engagement platform, Get Involved Nanaimo, which featured REIMAGINE NANAIMO's project information page and seven online questionnaires (one general Ideas Questionnaire and six shorter topic-specific questionnaires) resulting in nearly 5,500 completed questionnaires. The project also included a statistically valid mail-out survey.

One of the incentives to complete a questionnaire or statistical survey was the opportunity to enter a random draw for a $500 gift card (2); a $100 gift card (6); or a one-month bus pass (6). All prize winners have been contacted and received their prize. For a full list of winners, please visit www.getinvolvednanaimo.ca. One individual donated their $500 gift card to Loaves and Fishes, while another winner of a bus pass donated it to the Haven Society.

The final $500 gift card prize was for the Creative Community Contest, which was also chosen by a random draw. The winning entry, The Dream Park, depicts an imagined park with fun for all ages. Congratulations to all the prize winners! Visit www.getinvolvednanaimo.ca for the full Phase 1 Public Engagement Summary and details on public engagement for Phase 2 of the project.

Link to Strategic Plan: The REIMAGINE NANAIMO project aligns with Council's Strategic Priority of Governance Excellence.

Key Points

  • REIMAGINE NANAIMO is a coordinated update of Nanaimo Council's key strategic planning documents.
  • Phase 1 (Gathering Ideas) of REIMAGINE NANAIMO is now complete and the summary of Phase 1 Engagement is available on the project website through Get Involved Nanaimo, the City's online engagement platform.
  • Stay up to date on Phase 2 activities by subscribing to www.getinvolvednanaimo.ca and find out about future opportunities to have your say.

Quotes

"I am so pleased to see the number of Nanaimo residents, from all walks of life, who have chosen to get involved in this important planning process. While we were not able to get together in the usual ways last year, we still had a record number of people participate in REIMAGINE NANAIMO which just shows how much Nanaimo residents care about their community."

Leonard Krog
Mayor
City of Nanaimo

"We know that the citizens of Nanaimo have busy lives, and we also know they care deeply about each other, their neighbourhoods and the environment. That’s why we have approached engagement in a coordinated way, so that input into REIMAGINE NANAIMO can influence not just one of the City’s planning documents, but all of the plans being considered."

Jake Rudolph
Chief Administrative Officer
City of Nanaimo

Images

The Dream Park by Elia King
The Dream Park by Elia King
Draw Prize Winner of the REIMAGINE NANAIMO Creative Community Contest
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Contact:

Lisa Bhopalsingh
Manager, Community Planning
City of Nanaimo
250-755-4464

Print News Release

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