FAQ

Strategic Planning is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, and ensure employees and other stakeholders are working toward common goals. It establishes agreement around intended outcomes or results, and can assess and adjust an organization's direction in response to a changing environment.

City Council decides what to include in the strategic plan and sets the direction the corporation will follow for their current term of office.

To achieve a longer term vision for the community, the new strategic planning process will ask Council to consider desired outcomes that may require more than four years for fulfilment. The plan will include clear steps that indicate how Council expects to make progress toward these goals.

Five themes have been identified that could be addressed during the strategic planning process. The following is not intended to be an exhaustive list of issues or factors that may be considered but is provided as a starting point for consideration.

Infrastructure that supports economic development and lifestyle expectations: Changes in demographics, how municipal assets are managed and how residents or visitors use local infrastructure can influence choices for investment.

Environmental sustainability: Decisions we make today can significantly influence our natural environment and our ability to use natural resources to support our lifestyle.

A prepared, resilient community that can compete on a global stage: External factors over which the city has little or no direct control can significantly influence its operations. Topics could include readiness for workforce management, affordable housing, municipal emergencies, alternate transportation and more.

Inclusive growth: Inclusive growth is growth that benefits everyone. It anticipates all members of the community have access to essential services and that both financial and non-financial benefits from increased prosperity are distributed across society.

Community trust and confidence: When trust and confidence exist, citizens and the municipality can work collaboratively and effectively to achieve desired outcomes.

Trends in Greater Sudbury mirror those of municipalities across the country.

Demographic changes: The population of Greater Sudbury is aging. Median age is 42.3 compared with the Ontario average of 41.3. The community is becoming increasingly diverse. Indigenous peoples represent 9.7 per cent of the population compared with a provincial average of 2.8 per cent. Demographic changes affect municipal services required for the needs of each segment of the population.

Changes in service level expectations and types of services offered: New technologies have created amplified expectations for access to information and public participation. Generational differences create new or competing expectations making it challenging to plan for future needs.

Changing legislative frameworks: Municipal services exist within a provincial framework. Municipalities are expected to adapt and keep up with a changing legislative climate, making it challenging to provide continuous quality services and to plan for the future.

Labour force shortages: The current economic and demographic climate makes recruiting, attracting and retaining skilled labour a challenge.

Application of innovative technologies: Current and emerging technologies provide almost limitless data on daily operations. This creates opportunities to streamline certain tasks, improve operational practices and maximize efficiency through the municipality.

Need for infrastructure renewal: The City of Greater Sudbury's infrastructure is aging. Today's expectations for modern infrastructure include energy efficiency, inclusiveness and accessibility. Needs and expectations do not always match existing infrastructure built to meet demands of 25 to 50 years ago.

Impact of external factors: External factors over which there is little or no control can impact the municipality. Examples include a shifting global economy, reduced or increased demand for certain products and commodity prices. Climate change, too, can create challenges in terms of how the municipality plans and delivers services.

The Greater Together: 2015-2018 Corporate Strategic Plan is attached for review.

The Plan broadly describes priorities and key action items that, together, represent the changes Council wanted to see in the community and in the organization. It includes implementation plans with performance metrics to help track and report progress.

2015-2018 Corporate Strategic Plan Performance Metrics to December, 2016.

2015-2018 Corporate Strategic Plan Performance Metrics to August, 2017.

2015-2018 Corporate Strategic Plan Performance Metrics to June, 2018.

In addition to the feedback received during this current survey, Council will consider the results of the following:

• 2018 Citizen Satisfaction Survey consisting of 1,200 telephone interviews in late spring 2018.
• Interaction between candidates and constituents during the 2018 municipal election.
• Public input gathered during the 2019 municipal budget process.
• Input from stakeholder groups.