The ultimate goal of the Council and staff at the Town of Stratford is to build the best community possible. There are three key components to our plan to build the best community possible. The first component is to have a holistic viewpoint and a long term vision of our desired future. This is reflected in our sustainability vision, plan and decision making framework. The second ingredient is performance management to ensure that we manage our resources and activities in a way that will move us continually towards the future state that we envision. This is reflected in our performance management system called “Sustainable Stratford - Results Matter. The final ingredient is more deep and meaningful engagement of residents and stakeholders in decision making. This is reflected in our Engagement Strategy and residents and stakeholders are invited to join us by making your views known through the many opportunities which are provided.
The final key component of our plan to build the best community possible is to broadly and meaningfully engage residents and stakeholders in the Town decision making process. Research shows that an engaged community is a better community in many ways including:
- more empathy by citizens for other perspectives and for the decision faced by the governing body
- greater buy in of the decision and more effective enforcement where it is regulatory in nature
- increased social capital in the community (improved trust and relationships)
- increased efficiency in municipal service delivery
- possibly even higher levels of well-being and health status, better work performance and better adjusted children and safer, more attractive and welcoming communities
Council has adopted an Engagement Strategy which includes communication, branding and engagement to help ensure the broad and meaningful engagement of the community that we desire. We have adopted the Triple C approach to engagement - communication, consultation and collaboration. This is a continuum of engagement that will increase as the complexity and impact of a decision increases. We will communicate to residents and stakeholders when we have information to share. We will consult with residents and stakeholders when there are options and alternatives available. We will collaborate with residents and stakeholders on major decisions and policies to ensure that our vision and direction reflects the will of the people.
Stratford, Prince Edward Island is a vibrant, growing, welcoming community where the best of PEI’s land and water resources blend with a mix of urban and rural living to create the balanced lifestyle people are looking for, and engaged residents actively share the responsibility of innovative governance with their elected officials.