Take a pause for the cause

By Letter to the Editor on April 20, 2021.

Editor: The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) – one of the most critical documents to impact the future of Lethbridge – is currently before City Council. The MDP sets the policy direction for everything the City does for the next 10 years, which in turn dictates where our tax dollars are spent and how services will be provided. Even more specific and detailed is the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), another massive document that will govern the spending of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in identified projects.
Following are some concerns we have with the current MDP and CIP process.
First, review of these plans is taking place in too short a time period for appropriate input.
The MDP was made available to the public in early March and Council allowed for public feedback during the week of March 29. The MDP is a massive, 268-page document that no doubt took several thousand man-hours to create! Given how comprehensive the MDP is, and its role to direct decisions for the next decade, inadequate time has been provided for a serious review of the proposed policies and directions.
The CIP was made available April 14, with consultation and comments expected by April 28, but the only reference is to a capital budget allocator tool. A limitation to the means for input.
Second, the MDP was developed with minimal citizen input.
The previous MDP (approved in 2010) was led by a diverse steering committee representing a variety of stakeholder groups, and contained input from thousands of Lethbridge residents. The current MDP was developed entirely by the City of Lethbridge Planning Department without public engagement.
We recognize that COVID has restricted normal engagement methods, however input from key stakeholders and citizens could have been attained through surveys, online focus groups, and direct consultations (phone or online).
The MDP and CIP will guide what happens in Lethbridge for 10 years, so getting it right is critical!  If these plans are rushed through by the outgoing Council without opportunity for significant commentary, insights and improvements, balanced debate is impossible. Time for informed discussion and serious reflection is needed.
We respectfully request that Council extend the consultation time for the MDP and CIP until after the October 2021 municipal election to allow for serious engagement with stakeholders, and to allow the incoming Council to debate and approve these documents. 
They define, after all, the future of our City!
Mark Lencucha
Lethbridge Transparency Council