Our Social Sustainability Goals and Objectives

The Township’s Sustainability Charter, which presents a vision of the community that meets the social/cultural, economic, and environmental needs of current residents, while ensuring that those needs can continue to be met for future residents, outlines the following social goals and objectives:

Protect our People and their Properties

Prevent crime and reduce the effects of crime
Prevent fire and minimize losses
Prepare for emergencies and disasters
Foster a preventative approach to personal and community safety
Provide consistent and effective bylaw enforcement

Build Corporate and Community Capacity

Commit to good governance by democratic means
Maintain a high performance work force
Recognize our cultural and ethnic diversity
Encourage and promote active volunteerism
Monitor changes in community values, aspirations and needs
Respond to community and social needs

Provide and Support Community Based Leisure Opportunities

Provide parks, open space and recreation facilities
Nourish the arts as an expression of cultural value
Improve personal well-being and celebrate community spirit
Deliver recreation programming and support community services
Form partnerships to maximize leisure opportunities

The Township’s Official Community Plan (OCP), which provides a long-term vision for sustainable growth and development, outlines the following social objectives and includes a number of related polices:

Housing

Provide tools and incentives to encourage affordable housing options, including rental, social, and emergency housing, for all who need them
Ensure each community provides a diverse range of housing types, tenures, densities, and sizes to meet the needs of the population
Address the scope of special-needs housing in the community

Inclusion and Involvement

Seek to involve all residents in civic affairs and community life
Consider the social well-being of all residents, especially the elderly, the young and those with special needs

Health and Leisure

Facilitate healthy and active living
Increase urban agriculture activity
Improve access to facilities, programs, and services

Emergency Response and Public Safety

Create communities that support personal and public safety

For more information about our various social sustainability initiatives, visit our social sustainability page.