Cold Lake, AB – At its regular meeting held on December 14, 2021, Cold Lake City Council approved its strategic priorities.

Council’s strategic priorities guide its efforts, and those of administration, to ensure that municipal resources are directed towards fulfilling council’s vision for the community. The priorities were established after a two-day session held November 29 and 30. The session was guided by a third-party facilitator and attended by all elected officials, CAO Kevin Nagoya, and senior managers.

“This is an important exercise that focuses our efforts on what we consider most important for the community, while also leaving room for the City to tackle any other opportunities that present themselves,” Mayor Craig Copeland said. “There are limited resources on the street and in City Hall, and so ensuring we are focused means we make the most out of our effort.”

Progress on council’s strategic priorities is reported in the City’s Annual Report. Past priorities included finalizing the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range Agreement, completing an Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework with the M.D. of Bonnyville, completing an economic development strategy, integrating properties brought into the City through the 2019 annexation, crime prevention and updating the City’s Municipal Development Plan and Intermunicipal Development Plan. Each of these has been completed or has seen significant progress since being adopted by council.

“Just because something becomes a top priority does not mean that we will magically solve the issue, but we have proven that we can find innovative ways to make progress and allocate our resources efficiently,” Copeland said. “Focusing our efforts on our goals has allowed us to bring a police dog service to Cold Lake, target new grant programs where they are needed most in the community, and transform routine infrastructure rehabilitation into a project that will also support economic development, beautification and tourism in our community. We saw this at play when the Lakeshore Drive project was expanded to include a sea wall and a linear parkway.”

Cold Lake City Council selects five top priorities as its main focus and lists others for administration to monitor. The priorities identified by council are:

1. Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Resolution
2. Homeless/Vulnerable Population
3. Community Safety Programs
4. Medical Clinic and Medical Services Options
5. Aquatic Facility: Design Development and Feasibility Study

Other priorities are:

• Public Works Operations Centre – Funding
• Lakeshore Drive Implementation
• Social Inclusion Funding Policy Review
• Arts and Culture Needs Assessment/Concept Framework Development
• Highway 28
• Taxi Bylaw Review
• Cold Lake Regional Airport – Expansion Options – Commercial Passenger Service
• Municipal Census
• Safe Community Forum

- 30 -