Council approves document to guide sustainability in Wood
Buffalo

(Fort McMurray, AB – March 10, 2010) – Envision Wood Buffalo, a plan to guide future long-term sustainability in the region was approved by Council, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo announced today.

The purpose of the Envision Wood Buffalo Plan is to ensure a healthy, vibrant region that will thrive for generations to come. The Plan focuses specifically on balancing the economic, cultural, social, and environmental aspects of sustainability in the growth of the region. All municipal departments will use the document to ensure their alignment with the principles of Envision Wood Buffalo.

“The Envision Wood Buffalo Plan ensures our region will grow in a manner that is healthy and sustainable for decades to come,” said Mayor Melissa Blake. “This document is something we can take pride in as a community.”

The Plan builds on the work completed by the Municipality in the 2006 Future Forward initiative which undertook a resident inspired visioning process for Fort McMurray. The Municipality completed extensive public engagement sessions in rural communities as well as a survey in Fort McMurray in order to provide additional information for Envision Wood Buffalo.

From October 2008 until the present, municipal staff took time to prepare the Envision Wood Buffalo Plan that was approved last night by Council. The next phase of Envision Wood Buffalo begins with the development of an implementation plan in 2010.

“Our staff analyzed and integrated the data collected since 2006 to produce a strategy that will have positive, long-lasting impacts on Wood Buffalo,” said Dennis Peck, Planning and Development Department General Manager. “I am very proud of the Plan our team will now begin to implement.”

The Envision Wood Buffalo Plan can be found on the Envision Wood Buffalo website at www.envisionwoodbuffalo.com.

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