Rossland's new OCP and how it was created
By City of Rossland
Rossland’s City Council voted unanimously to adopt the new Official Community Plan (OCP).
This OCP is the culmination of a two-year process that involved research, consultation, and policy refinement. “Council is so pleased that our new Official Community Plan has been adopted. It represents the work and vision of many individuals and groups in our community over the last two years. Our city staff and the consulting team from WSP did an excellent job bringing the community’s ideas to life. This OCP will serve Rossland as one of our most important guiding documents over the next ten years,” said Mayor Kathy Moore.
The City of Rossland last updated its OCP fourteen years ago, in 2008, as part of a larger Sustainability Planning Process. That process produced the Visions to Action–Rossland’s Strategic Sustainability Plan, along with the OCP. It is a testament to the community that many of the visions, goals and policies in those documents are still applicable, but it was time to complete a review and validation to ensure that our OCP reflects the views of the community, responds to the changes globally, regionally and locally, and is user friendly.
Guided by our robust Asset Management Investment Plan and with our limited budget we chose a grass roots, “locals are experts” approach. The process engaged community members, staff, key stakeholders, Advisory Committee and Council to define the parameters of the Official Community Plan. Engagement was challenging due to provincial health restrictions, but the team created and promoted many different engagement opportunities online and in person when restrictions were lifted.
Community and stakeholder input was solicited through the Rossland OCP website, illustrative surveys, interactive live polling presentations, in person conversation guides, a story map platform developed by City staff, ideas fairs, and stakeholder workshops to keep the community engaged and interested in the planning process.
Through active conversations with Indigenous Peoples of this area, this is the first OCP in Rossland to acknowledge and raise awareness of ongoing Indigenous presence and land rights in the territory that includes and encompasses Rossland, known as k’lwist or kmarkn by Sinixt Peoples. It invites the community to reflect on how we might be perpetuating colonial processes that are ongoing and from which we have benefited, as well as the changes we will make to honour the Indigenous peoples and their lands that we inhabit.
The culmination of this process is an OCP that offers tools to guide a Future Ready Rossland and is the City’s vision for the future growth and development of the community that reflects the ideas and input of the people of Rossland.
