ideas jam - hope · and policy directions for hope’s ... hosting an ideas jam means taking on the...

IDEAS JAM SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2015

Thanks to the Real Estate Foundation of BC for providing partial funding for the District of Hope’s IOCP project.

This workbook was created for “Idea Jams” – citizen-organized and led discussions that will help set directions for our community’s future. These directions will become the goals, objectives, and policy directions for Hope’s Integrated Official Community Plan and Age Friendly Plan.

YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR WORKBOOK TO THE DISTRICT OFFICE OR ONLINE

Submit online:

http://tinyurl.com/IdeasJam/

Mail or drop off in person:

Howie Choy, Planner IDistrict of Hope325 Wallace StreetHope, BC V0X 1L0

Phone: 604-869-5607 EXT. 306Email: [email protected]

Deadline for completed workbooks: October 15, 2015

IDEAS JAM | HOPE IMAGINE 2040 3

IMAGINE 2040…It’s September 2040, and The Globe and Mail has a beautiful picture of Hope on the cover. The caption says, “Hope has a vibrant downtown with a range of shops, services, entertainment, and public gathering places and many housing choices to support all people in the community regardless of age, income, or accessibility/mobility. Hard work over the last 20 years has made this community one of Canada’s best small towns.”

As you turn the page, residents and District staff tell the story of how Hope managed to reach this vision. Page after inspiring page shows how people worked together to develop implementable strategies and actions for the future. Community pride is evident in every word and photo.

This is an inspiring vision for Hope’s future. Thank you for sharing your community pride with us today and taking responsibility for creating a better future through this Integrated Official Community Plan update. Today we are grateful for your help in identifying Hope’s desired future and how we can get there. We need your help to figure out answers to tough questions!

To share our ideas effectively and to set clear directions, we would like to focus on a key question:

What must happen to make Hope an even better place to be born, grow up, and grow old? How do we make this happen?

THE GLOBE & MAIL01/27/2040

Complete shift to renew-

able energy within reach,

academics say

Canada could shift entirely to

renewable sources of electricity by

2035 and eliminate 80 per cent of its

greenhouse gas emissions by

mid-century, says a group of

Canadian academics that is aiming

to spur government action on

climate change.

To get there, they recommend a

national carbon-pricing plan, and

greater effort to move electricity

produced from low-carbon sources

such as hydro dams across provin-

cial borders .In a 56-page policy

document scheduled for release on

Wednesday, more than 70 scientists,

engineers and economists say

Canada is in a more favourable

Hope Voted

“Great Place

in Canada”

How Hope is leading the pack

Hard work over the last 20 years has made this

community one of Canada’s best towns. Hope’s

ideal location, scenic beauty and investment in its

downtown core has continued to draw new residents,

businesses and tourists over the past 10 years. A

vibrant and attractive hub, the District has something

for everyone; from retirees to young families, to

adventure seeking entrepreneurs, Hope is benefitting

4 HOPE IMAGINE 2040 | IDEAS JAM

GETTING STARTED

What is the Integrated OCP Update?

The District of Hope is starting an Integrated Official Community Plan (IOCP) update. An IOCP is a municipal plan that sets out a future vision for the community and a statement of principles, goals, and policies to guide decisions on land use management, the character of the community, protection of environmentally sensitive areas, and investment in infrastructure and spending. It is an Official Community Plan (OCP) that also includes a more complete view of where the community is today and where we could go in the future.

Hope’s OCP was last updated in 2004. Official Community Plans are typically updated every 10-15 years as communities and legislation changes. This OCP Update will check that current policies are still relevant, and will update and revise Development Permit areas and set measurable greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The Update will also take a more holistic, sustainable, and user-friendly approach that considers the community branding process as well as how to be a more age-friendly community.

We are here

THE INTEGRATED OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN (IOCP) IS HOPE’S VISION FOR THE FUTUREWhat do you like best about Hope today? How can we make the community even better?

The District of Hope is starting an Integrated Official Community Plan (IOCP) update. An IOCP is a municipal plan that sets out a future vision for the community and a statement of principles, goals, and policies to guide decisions on land use management, the character of the community, protection of environmentally sensitive areas, and investment in infrastructure and spending. It is an Official Community Plan that also includes a more complete view of where the community is today and where we could go in the future.

WHY DO WE NEED A NEW PLAN?Hope’s previous plan was created in 2004. Official Community Plans (OCPs) are typically updated every 10-15 years as communities and legislation changes. This OCP Update will check that current policies are still relevant, and will add in updated Riparian Area Regulations, Development Permit Exemptions, and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets.

The Update will also take a more holistic, sustainable, and user-friendly approach that considers the community branding process and how to be a more age-friendly community.

An age-friendly community is one that supports and enables older people to “age actively” – that is, to live in security, enjoy good health and continue to participate fully in society. An age-friendly community not only improves the quality of life for seniors, it also creates a more inclusive, safe and accessible community for everyone, including people with disabilities and families with young children.

YOUR INVOLVEMENT MATTERS! The OCP directs how our community will change in the future and provides certainty for future land use. Active community involvement is essential to create an OCP that reflects your concerns, ideas, and values.

We’ll be asking for your ideas and priorities through next March...

WHAT IS AN INTEGRATED OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN?

APR - JUNE 2015 SEPT - OCT 2015 NOV 2015 - MAR 2016

PHASE 1

Context & Vision

PHASE 2Options, Strategies & Actions

PHASE 3Plan Development

AUG - OCT 2015

&

What are Idea Jams and why are we doing them?

To plan the future of Hope together, we need to discuss some tough issues, involve lots of people, and consider many different viewpoints. This “Idea Jam” format is intended to help you have these important conversations in a way that is more comfortable and suits your schedule. Get together with your family, friends, community groups, associations, your co-workers, your school class and neighbours!

How will what we say inform and shape the IOCP?

Through the Idea Jams we hope to:

• Broaden the conversation and share your ideas with District staff and policy makers

• Collect ideas to help inform the IOCP

Your input will help inform the goals, objectives, and policy directions for Hope’s Integrated Official Community Plan.

Please use this workbook to help the District make a better plan. If you’d like to stay involved in this process and see the draft plan as it develops, sign up at http://hope.ca/OCP for project updates.

http://Sparwood.ca/ocp



How do I use this workbook?

This workbook will help you host an Idea Jam with people in your community. It is a guide for you and your circle to explore issues and answer questions to help give direction to the IOCP update. You can use this workbook to provide feedback on one of 11 topic areas that are described in more detail in the Discussion Guide. Use this workbook to record your group’s ideas.

Once complete, please send us your feedback. You can submit your workbook to The District Office or online.

Submit online:





How long will this take?

We suggest that you pick the one topic that matters most to you, and that you host the conversation over lunch, snacks, or dinner. The length of the conversation is up to you and your guests, but it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.



TIPS FOR SUCCESSHere are some tips to help you host a successful Ideas Jam:

• Make sure everyone has a chance to say something. By asking your guests to share their 3 best ideas one-by-one, you’re making space for everyone to talk. You can also say, “Bruce, I haven’t heard your idea yet. Would you like to share it?”

• Reflective time is important. Where silent time is suggested, we have done this because the best thoughts come from people when they are given time, without being influenced by the views of others. We strongly recommend allowing for the quiet time, to get more diverse and quality input.

• Don’t be afraid to cut people dominating the conversation off. It’s ok to gently remind participants that other people need to be able to talk. Say, “Sandra, I know that having a coffee shop downtown really matters to you. We wrote this idea down, but we only have 10 minutes left for this round and need to move on.”

• It’s ok to disagree. If there’s an issue that you can’t easily resolve, say: “We don’t have to decide today what the answer is. Let’s write down both points of view on page 20 of the workbook.”

• Keep the discussion on-topic. It’s ok to say, “Sandy, thank you for your story about your grandmother. Tell us why this issue is important to you and how it relates to the question we’re answering.”

• Take notes!

• Make sure you’re capturing people’s ideas as well as you can. When you write something in the workbook or the online form, be sure to say, “Ok I’m writing down the following. Did I get it right?”

• Stick with the program. Some people might resist an activity. Feel free to say, “The District made this workbook to make the best use of our time together. Let’s see what the “demo” workbook says for this activity and keep going. We can write in our feedback on pages 22-23 for how to make this better next time.”


HOW TO HOST AN IDEAS JAMHosting an Ideas Jam means taking on the role of gathering the group and facilitating the conversation.

1. Invite

Think about your friends, family, co-workers, neighbours, sports teammates, classmates, or association members who are as passionate as you are about Hope’s future. Perhaps you already meet regularly with a group that would like to talk about the future of the District. Either way, call them up and invite them over for a conversation about “What must happen to make Hope the best place to be born, grow up and grow old in? How do we make this happen?”

Feel free to invite as many people as you like. We find that conversations between 6 to 12 people usually let everyone have a chance to talk and are small enough for most people’s homes or meeting spaces. Please review this workbook before calling your guests because you have the option to convene a discussion on a specific topic of your choosing, or you can ask your guests to vote on the topics they would like to talk about.

2. Remind your guests

One or two days before your conversation, call your guests to remind them to come. It doesn’t hurt to remind your guests that you’ll probably be meeting for up to 2 hours and that you will have drinks and snacks for them (the District is offering a $30 reimbursement to help you provide refreshments).

3. Set up your conversation

Pick a location where you and your guests can easily talk to each other. Sort copies of meeting materials into sets and hand them out to guests as they arrive.

Please make a sign-in sheet available near the entrance, because accurate attendance numbers help the District understand how effective specific engagement methods are.

4. Facilitate your conversation

As the “host” of this discussion, your role is to ensure that:

• Everyone has a chance to say something

• No one dominates the conversation

• The discussion stays on topic

• Someone is taking notes on the conversation so that the workbook can be completed, and

• The group can summarize their top ideas for each question.

To help make your Ideas Jam a success, this workbook will guide you through two rounds of discussion that follow a “Six Simple Steps” process described on page 15.


5. Send us your feedback

Once complete, please send us your feedback.

Submit online:






MATERIALS CHECKLIST

Sign in sheet

One workbook per topic

Discussion Guides for each guest

Pens & markers

Sticky notes

Computer with internet access for submitting your completed workbook (Optional - not required if you drop off workbook)

FOOD COULD BE ON USPlease ask a member of the OCPAC or Community Development staff how.


SIGN IN SHEET

Host Name(s) Email Address and/or Phone Number (for $30 reimbursement)

Participant Names Email Address (if you would like to receive project updates)


HOSTING AN IDEAS JAM

Thank you for hosting an Ideas Jam!The following agenda has suggested times for hosting your 90 min to 2 hour Ideas Jam.

1. Opening and Welcome (10 mins)

2. Ice Breaker (5 mins)

3. Pick your topic (5 mins)

4. Get to know your topic (5 mins)

5. Where do we want to go? (25 - 30 mins)

6. How do we get there? (25 - 30 mins)

7. Thank you and closing (5 - 10 mins)

1. OPENING AND WELCOME (10 MINS)To start your Ideas Jam, thank your guests for coming and make sure they have grabbed some snacks! When everyone is comfortable, briefly explain that this Jam is a way to help shape Hope’s future and that the District is looking for ideas for its Integrated Official Community Plan.

The Jam will start with a quick ice breaker and will then move on to two rounds of group discussion after we pick a topic. Now, let’s get started!


Icebreakers are an easy way to warm up the discussion, because they get everyone talking and help people relax before getting to work.

Here’s an icebreaker that you may like to try with your guests:

1. Ask everyone to pair up.

2. One person in each pair will use the first 3 letters in their own name to describe themselves to their partner. For example, Emily might say she is “Enthusiastic, Magnificent, and Inspiring.”

3. Then, their partner does the same thing.

4. Finally, invite each person to introduce their partner to the whole group using the 3 descriptive words.

Have fun!

2. ICE BREAKER (SUGGESTED TIME: 5 MINUTES)

© Avril Orloff (artwork); Vince Verlaan, Myriam Laberge & Brenda Chaddock (co-creators)


You are helping to set the direction for Hope’s Integrated Official Community Plan update.

To focus the discussion, please select a topic area that your group would like to talk about. If you would like to talk about more than one topic area, please use a separate workbook for each topic.

Which topic would you like to discuss today?

1. Invite all of your guests to review the Discussion Guide.

2. Ask each participant to vote for the top 2 topics they would most like to discuss.

3. Select the topic with the most votes.

Please pick just one topic

Discuss just one topic to keep the conversation focused. Each workbook should therefore be dedicated to one topic.

If you have the time and energy you can complete more than one workbook. In fact, your guests can split up into groups to discuss the topics most interesting to them, or you can host another conversation on another day if you would like to provide more input.

3. PICK YOUR TOPIC (SUGGESTED TIME: 5 MINUTES)

© Avril Orloff (artwork); Vince Verlaan, Myriam Laberge & Brenda Chaddock (co-creators)


TopicsIndividual votes for each topicAsk each person to place 2 votes

in this column

Total votes for each topicAdd up all the votes

in this column

1. Land Use and Growth Management

2. Residential Land Use and Housing (including affordable and accessible housing)

3. Commercial and Industrial Development (including tourism)

4. Agricultural, Rural and Resource Lands (forestry, water, and aggregate operations)

5. Natural Areas / Environmental Protection

6. Parks, Recreation, Learning and Culture

7. Community Health and Safety

8. Mobility (motorized and active transportation)

9. Infrastructure and Utilities (water, sewer, solid waste and telecommunications)

10. Energy and Climate

11. An Age-Friendly Community

Other topic:

Ask each participant to select the top 2 topics that you would most like to discuss. Then select the topic with the most votes.


Take a minute to check in and see how comfortable everyone is with this topic. The purpose of this check is for you, as host, to have a quick idea about whether the level of knowledge on this topic is equal or unequal in this group. This can help you balance participation so that everyone has a chance to talk and listen.

The steps to get to know your topic are:

1. Ask your guests to take a few minutes to individually review the Discussion Guide section about this topic area.

2. Ask each guest to rate their expertise on this topic area. On a sticky note, ask each participant to write a number from 1 to 5: 1 means that this topic is new to you, 3 means that you’re comfortable with the topic, and 5 means that you’re an expert in this topic.

3. Gather all of the sticky notes, add all of the numbers up, and average the total.

4. Record what your group’s average level of knowledge in the checklist to the right.

Level of knowledge:

It’s a new area for most of us (mostly “1”)

Most of us know a little

Most of us have a comfortable level of knowledge (mostly “3”)

Most of us are quite knowledgeable in the topic area

We are experts in this area (mostly “5”)

Topic Area:

4. GET TO KNOW YOUR TOPIC (SUGGESTED TIME: 5 MINUTES)


SIX SIMPLE STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL CONVERSATIONThe focus of this Ideas Jam is on two rounds of group conversation. Follow these Six Simple Steps to help your conversation go smoothly. Following these steps should take about 25 minutes:

1. For each round of conversation, read the prompt out loud so everyone understands what you are about to discuss (prompts are numbered in the same way as these “Six Simple Steps” on pages 16, 18, and 20). Then, invite your guests to spend a few minutes silently thinking about their answer and writing their ideas down on sticky notes. This gives people time to sharpen their own ideas and allows for more diverse responses.

2. Then, ask each person to write down their 3 best ideas, with each idea on a separate sticky note.

3. One by one, ask guests to share their top 3 ideas and put their ideas in a central place where all participants can see it, like a table or wall. When you hear ideas that are similar, cluster them together. This is an initial ‘brainstorm’, so all ideas are accepted.

4. Make connections between what different people have said. Discuss what the connections mean (“What does this tell us?”)

5. As a group, pick the 3 to 5 main points that best reflect what the group has discussed.

6. Summarize these 3 to 5 main points in this workbook. Use the space provided to note your group’s answers. Please be concise in your reply, and remember that you may be submitting the answers electronically at the end.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Come back to this page to review the guidelines each time you see this icon:


Need some ideas to help get you started?

This question is all about what kind of place Hope should be in 25 years.

Will we have many successful tourism-related businesses?

Will we be a destination for retirees?

Tell us your best ideas!

When planning for the future, it’s helpful to think about where we want to go and then work backwards to how we’re going to get there. This helps us think most creatively about what our future might be like. Round 1 is focused on this big thinking.

Imagine the best possible future for Hope, looking ahead to 2040. Imagine what the community looks like, what kinds of people live there, what the natural surroundings look like, and what kind of economy we have. Silently think about this future Hope for a few minutes.

Now, thinking about the conversation topic, what should Hope be like in 2040? Write a few ideas down on a sticky note.

Then, write your three best ideas down, with each new idea on its own sticky note. Share your ideas with each other, cluster them, and discuss them.

As a group, agree on the best 3 to 5 ideas and write them down here:

Idea 1:

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Area:

ROUND 1: WHAT DO WE WANT TO ACHIEVE BY 2035?5. WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO? (SUGGESTED TIME: 25 - 30 MINUTES)

1

2-4

5

6


Idea 2:

____________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

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Idea 3:

____________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

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Idea 4:

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

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Idea 5:

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

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When planning for the future, it’s helpful to think about where we want to go and then work backwards to how we’re going to get there. This helps us think most creatively about what our future might be like. Round 2 is focused on steps we can take to make our vision happen.

Read the ideas that you brainstormed together in Round 1 out loud. Silently think about some actions that the District, partner organizations, and you could take to get there. Write a few ideas down on a sticky note.

Then, write your three best actions down, with each new idea on its own sticky note. Share your ideas with each other, cluster them, and discuss them.

As a group, agree on the best 3 to 5 actions and write them down in this workbook. Try to come up with a short title and description for each of these actions.

Action 1: ___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Description: _____________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Who’s responsible: ________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic Area:

6. HOW DO WE GET THERE? (SUGGESTED TIME: 25 - 30 MINUTES)

1

2-4

5

6


Action 2: ___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Description: _________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Who’s responsible: ___________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Action 3: ___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Description: _________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________


____________________________________________________________

Action 4: ___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Description: _________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________


____________________________________________________________

Action 5: ___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Description: _________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________


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7. THANK YOU AND CLOSING (SUGGESTED TIME: 5 - 10 MINUTES)

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you would like to share any other comments about what this topic means to you, please share them here:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

If there were any issues discussed in your group that are still unresolved, please share them here:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

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Your Ideas Jam is almost complete!

We have just a few final questions for you to help us at the District learn how well this community engagement format worked for you and your group.

Please spend a few minutes to answer the following questions, then close your Ideas Jam by thanking your guests for their time.

Don’t forget to submit your workbook!


ABOUT YOUR IDEAS JAM GROUP

1. How many people participated in your conversation?

_________________________________________________________

It is optional to send back your sign in sheet. Please return it if your guests would like to be updated about this project.

2. How would you like to be identified? You could choose your host’s name or your organization for example

_________________________________________________________

3. We’re just curious, how old are the participants in your conversation? Please mark the number of people who fit the age ranges below:

13–17 yrs _______ 55–64 yrs _______

18–24 yrs _______ 65–74 yrs _______

25–34 yrs _______ 75 yrs or over _______

35–44 yrs _______ Rather not say _______

45–54 yrs _______

4. How about your gender? Please mark the number of people in each category below:

Male _______

Female _______

Rather not say _______


not useful

poor

poor

just OK

just OK

just OKconfusing useful

useful

excellent

excellent

no somewhat yes

no somewhat yes

no somewhat yes

HOW ARE WE DOING?1. How useful did you find this activity for learning about the IOCP update process, the issues being discussed, and

feeling that your input will be heard? Please mark your answer on the scale below.

2. How well did your meeting go overall? Please mark your answer on the scale below.

In terms of everyone having a chance to talk?

In terms of having a good quality discussion?

In terms of the group being satisfied with the outcome?

3. Did you find the materials easy to understand and use? Please mark your answer on the scale below.


yes no

yes no

4. Would you host this sort of event again?

Would you recommend it to others?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What other ways would be good to get feedback on the IOCP?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DON’T FORGET TO SUBMIT YOUR WORKBOOK!Once complete, please send us your feedback.

Submit online:






FOOD COULD BE ON USPlease ask a member of the OCPAC or Community Development staff how.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONLearn more about the IOCP process and stay involved to see the draft plan as it develops. Sign up at http://hope.ca/OCP for project updates.


ideas jam - hope · and policy directions for hope’s ... hosting an ideas jam means taking on the...

Documents