OCP is residents’ chance to set city’s direction for the future
Fort St. John will be a flourishing community where nature lives, businesses prosper, families are active, and diversity is celebrated.
That’s the vision the City of Fort St. John has for itself as it continues the journey to update the Official Community Plan.
An OCP is a living document that reflects the community and its growth over the next 20 years. OCP’s are amended from time to time and generally reviewed every five to ten years. The last time Fort St. John’s OCP was updated was in 2017, before that, 2011. The document takes into account the current population, projected growth and the things the community needs to meet this growth, including housing, infrastructure and recreational facilities to help provide a good quality of life for its citizens.
The recently completed Housing Needs Assessment findings are also being incorporated into the updated OCP.
To develop an OCP, the city must consult its citizens, a process that began in September 2024.
Throughout the winter, Charly Caproff, Planner 1 with the city’s Development Services Department said that city staff conducted open houses, world cafes and had booths a local events such as High on Ice and the Moose FM Block Party, as well as an online survey to both inform residents about the OCP and gather input. Staff also met with community groups and organizations including local First Nations and School District 60.
Caproff reported the feedback gathered during this initial phase of consultation and building community awareness to council on March 24, at its Committee of the Whole meeting.
The feedback Caproff reported was gathered from the Block Party and the online survey, and was divided up into what people liked and didn’t like about Fort St. John.
Caproff said that overall, the feedback was positive overall.
Interestingly, the thing people liked most about Fort St. John was the cost of living, she said. Specifically, that the city offers more affordable housing options than other communities, and that, combined with good wages, makes it easier for people to get ahead.
But the cost of living was also one of the main things people don’t like about living in Fort St. John. Many people are feeling the pinch, said Caproff, and housing affordability for seniors, people with disabilities and low-income families was a big concern.
Other things people said they liked about Fort St. John were the employment opportunities, the friendly, family-oriented community, and the proximity to nature.
The ability to get around the city, the local economy, the state of healthcare, community safety and the city’s infrastructure and services were some of the things that people didn’t like about Fort St. John.
Healthcare was a big issue, according to Caproff who said that people are concerned about a lack of access to primary healthcare, as well as the lack of mental health and addictions supports. Caproff said they wanted to see more advocacy to improve the health services available in the community.
People also felt that road maintenance and snow plowing could be improved, as well as creating more recreational facilities and opportunities.
The project has now entered its next phase, which Caproff called the “craft” phase, where they will define and refine community goals, values and the future direction for the OCP.
As part of this phase, the city will be launching another Public Survey during the Trade Show next week from April 11-13.
“Now is your chance to help direct where we go forth on this,” Mayor Lilia Hansen said.
Hansen added that it’s important to note that the city is already working on many of the concerns mentioned by the public during this first phase of consultation.
The city is committed to working with regional partners, to build a safe, healthy community for the next 20 years.
“Here’s your chance to have a say.”