2023-2026 Strategic Priorities Plan

We are in the early stages of learning about the richness of the land’s Indigenous connections and the destruction of those connections at the hands of colonial forces. The City of New Westminster is also examining internal structures that are incompatible with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in order to create more holistic and equitable policies, processes and programs. Reconciliation will be an ongoing journey. Through the newly formed Reconciliation Working Group, staff will engage in a process that will improve upon its engagement with Indigenous people and communities and develop a reconciliation strategy, co-created with local First Nations and the urban Indigenous community which includes urban Métis and Inuit. Council priorities are people-centered with a focus on relationship, belonging, and well-being for all. These principles have always motivated Indigenous ways of life, so by committing to reconciliation and Indigenous engagement, the City will better learn from Indigenous people how to exemplify those qualities while also learning how to make reparations for past harms.

Public engagement provides community members a voice in the projects and initiatives that impact their lives – before all parts of the decision have been made. The City often hears different perspectives and a wide range of opinions and feedback from residents, and works to incorporate that input as much as possible. The City’s engagement work is guided by the Public Engagement Policy and Public Engagement Strategy. We are committed to ongoing learning and improvement, and trying new methods to hear from the community. A key focus for this term of Council is to build relationships and encourage participation of more diverse voices.

In this term of Council, progress will continue toward protecting and restoring natural areas, and minimizing the environmental footprint of our highly urbanized community, as outlined in the Environmental Strategy and Action Plan and Biodiversity and Natural Areas Strategy. Climate action refers to the efforts and measures taken to address and mitigate the impacts of climate change. It encompasses a wide range of activities and initiatives aimed at reducing carbon pollution in the form of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), adapting to the changing climate, and promoting sustainable practices such as energy conservation. Climate action involves both individual and collective actions including policies and regulations to combat climate change and its consequences. The City’s climate initiatives are driven by the 2019 Climate Emergency Declaration and associated carbon pollution reduction targets. The pathway to achieve these targets is outlined in corporate, community and eMobility strategies and needs to be rooted in Climate Justice, recognizing the impacts of Climate Action and Climate Disruption are not felt equally across the community.

The internal work of DEIAR is to recognize and celebrate difference, value contributions made by staff, identify power differences linked to social inequities, and act every day to eliminate those inequities. The application of a DEIAR lens will lead to an inclusive public service, a safe, respectful and inclusive work environment, equitable employment, and inclusive decision-making. This produces a stronger, more resilient, and more engaged workforce, which can provide higher quality services and better meet the needs of our residents. The work we do will be guided by the DEIAR Framework, which provides a vision and approach towards diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism within the City.

Through monitoring and measurement, New Westminster’s Council Strategic Priorities can be evaluated. The Senior Management Team will review the progress of actions in support of these priorities and report to Council using a colour-coded dashboard method that is simple and transparent. These check-ins will allow for adaptation as required, and will help inform budget and human resources allocation while maintaining focus.

Organizational effectiveness is the ability of the City of New Westminster to achieve its strategic plan goals and objectives by efficiently aligning its resources including people, processes, technology, work space, fleet, and financial resources. It also involves the organization’s capacity to meet customer needs and adapt to changes in the environment while maintaining high levels of employee engagement, performance, and productivity. The City will be developing three strategies to guide and support organizational effectiveness: a people strategy, an information technology strategy, and a space planning strategy.