Sustainable Community Plan for the Town of Collingwood

TOWN OF COLLINGWOOD SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY PLAN
Engages Citizens, Staff and Residents
The development of the SCP engaged residents, staff, partners and Council in a dialogue about
what we value about the community and what we want our community to look like in the future
(for more details on the process and the software tools used, refer to Section 1.4). The process
has been an opportunity to find innovative solutions that address social, economic, cultural and
environmental challenges today, while leaving a positive legacy for future generations.
A Plan for Collingwood with a Regional Approach
The SCP is an initiative of the Town’s Sustainability Committee, Town staff, Councillors and
residents of the community. The process has been guided by their experience and expertise
about the Town. Although this SCP is a plan for the Town of Collingwood, there has been a clear
recognition that the Town does not operate in isolation. The interconnectedness and
interdependencies of the actions of the neighbouring municipalities of Clearview, Town of The
Blue Mountains and Wasaga Beach (Section 1.3) was built into the visioning portion of the SCP’s
development.
1.3 Collingwood and the Nottawasaga Region
The Town of Collingwood
Collingwood is located on the southern shore of
Georgian Bay (Figure 2) in the heart of one of
Ontario’s year-round recreation and tourist
destinations. Over the last two decades, the
Town has experienced a significant population
increase. On weekends and throughout the
summer and winter months, the community
enjoys a large influx of tourists and seasonal
residents. The Town is celebrating its
sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary in 2008.
Collingwood continues to be a stable,
progressive community with strong municipal
leadership. This has led to infrastructure
enhancements such as extensive upgrades to the
water filtration plant and the sewage treatment
plant, development of the Collingwood Airport, and acquisition and the CN spit land. The
community has also been supportive through initiatives to develop a water line and fibre optic
line to the Town of New Tecumseth. 2
With a fast-growing population base coupled with its potentially dynamic and expanding
employment, Collingwood is in a position to develop as a sustainable community where the
municipality’s corporate direction positions Collingwood as a leader in Ontario.
Nottawasaga Region
Figure 2. Town of Collingwood, Ontario
(Source: Google Maps, 2008)
Collingwood recognizes that the actions of the municipality and its residents do not occur in
isolation. Our actions affect surrounding communities and have global impacts. Therefore, the
SCP work plan was developed using a partnership approach with surrounding municipalities,
cognizant of their own unique circumstances, needs and desires.
2 Source: NottawasagaQuest Engagement Plan, 2007
3