REGIONAL GROWTH STRATEGY ORGANIZATION

Development of a Regional Growth Strategy is a collaborative effort involving many parties. There are several groups, departments, agencies, elected bodies, and individuals involved in the process to develop a Regional Growth Strategy for the North Okanagan. Local knowledge, advice, and experience will be invaluable during the discussions of the growth issues facing our Region, and the representation of many local perspectives will provide the basis for sound, regionally-appropriate recommendations.

There are political, advisory, technical, and staff committees and teams, as well as technical working groups, that all have specific roles and responsibilities at various steps in the process.  The organizational structure of the Regional Growth Strategy process is outlined in BELOW and demonstrates the central technical role of the Working Groups in providing expert advice, local knowledge and experience, and growth issues goals, objectives, and strategies recommendations, through the Community Advisory Committee, to both technical and political elements.

POLITICAL BODIES
Board of Directors of the Regional District of North Okanagan: The Board of Directors of the Regional District of North Okanagan is the main decision-making body when it comes to approval of the Regional Growth Strategy.  The Board will provide oversight and direction for the project throughout the process by receiving regular reporting from the Community Advisory Committee and the Regional Growth Strategy Support Team, as well as the Regional Growth Strategy Coordinator.  The Board will also become involved at various key stages in a "ands-on" manner to provide specific direction to the process and to ensure consensus of direction, priorities, and strategies.  Primarily, these specific decisions will include determining the final list of key growth issues that will be focused on, approval of goals and objectives, selection of the preferred future growth scenario, bylaw adoption, and development and approval of Implementation Agreements. The Board will also be responsible for making appointments to the Working Groups.

Municipal Councils:Municipal Councils are involved with development of the Regional Growth Strategy in many important ways.  Through their representatives on the Board of Directors, they will ensure that the interests of Municipal Councils are integrated into the planning process.  Municipalities are also involved with the development of the Regional Growth Strategy through staff participation at the technical working group level. In terms of approvals, Municipal Council approval of the Regional Growth Strategy is required by all member municipalities before the Board may adopt the Regional Growth Strategy Bylaw. After adoption of the Regional Growth Strategy, municipalities must include Regional Context Statements into their Official Community Plans.

First Nations: The Okanagan Indian Band (OIB)and Splatsin Nation (SN) will be essential participants in the formulation of a Regional Growth Strategy, with both the OIB and SN bringing to the discussion unique perspectives, values, issues, and opportunities. The SN and OIB are invited and encouraged to participate throughout the process and at each level of engagement. The Regional District of North Okanagan recognizes this significant opportunity to build constructive and enduring relationships with First Nations communities through the Regional Growth Strategy process and this work provides a foundation for continued constructive dialogue into the future on regional land use and growth management issues.

COMMITTEES

Regional Growth Management Advisory Committee: This committee, made up of elected officials from each member municipality and electoral area, have been tasked with managing the Regional Growth Strategy process and provide recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Regional District of North Okanagan on growth management matters.

Intergovernmental Advisory Committee: There will be quarterly Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC) meetings throughout the Regional Growth strategy process. The role of the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee is to advise the Regional District on the development and implementation of the Regional Growth Strategy, and to facilitate coordination of Provincial and local government actions, policies and programs as they relate to the development and implementation of the Regional Growth Strategy. It is essential to maintain this contact with all levels of government participating in the regional growth strategy process, and to obtain updates from agencies on their own plans and processes.

Community Advisory Committee: The Community Advisory Committee will be comprised of the Growth Issues Working Groups chair-people and the Regional Growth Strategy Coordinator. The results of the working groups are represented, through the individual chairs, within the wider process of Regional Growth Strategy development. As a result of the discussion of issues, policies, constraints, and opportunities, the Community Advisory Committee will provide recommendations to the Regional Growth Strategy Support team regarding goals, objectives, strategies and priorities to be included in the Regional Growth Strategy. Formulating these recommendations will be based on a triple bottom line approach and will include discussion of economic, social and environmental impacts of those recommended strategies. 

Regional Growth Strategy Support Team: The Regional Growth Strategy Support Team is a working committee made up of planners from all local jurisdictions, including First Nations and the Regional Growth Strategy Coordinator. The team will function as the process support team and will be responsible for packaging recommendations and other information forwarded from the Community Advisory Committee into key categories and process stages and disseminating this information to Board of Directors of the RDNO and their respective jurisdictions.