Creating a regional social-action committee is the lead recommendation of the recently released community social plan, a document created from public ideas collected at last April’s Tapping the Groundswell community conference.
Powell River Employment Program Society executive director Lyn Adamson presented to City of Powell River’s committee of the whole on Tuesday, September 13, and provided an overview of the report for council.
“A social plan sits between an economic and an environmental plan,” said Adamson.
Adamson said that while social development has traditionally been the responsibility of provincial and federal governments, funding for programs over the years has “been drying up and social planning has fallen more to local cities and communities to be incorporated into their own plans.”
The 66-page document is broken up over 10 chapters that look at regional social-development areas including collaborative leadership, housing, poverty relief, early-childhood development, food security, transportation, health, recreation, arts and social cohesion.
The report includes 112 recommendations with about 30 repeated throughout the various sections. Adamson said a number of actions could be taken that would have ripple effects through several areas.
Adamson recently presented the plan to Powell River Regional District’s committee of the whole and said she plans on presenting it to Tla’amin Nation’s hegus and legislators at their next meeting.
“Our number one priority is to get local leadership working together to solve problems,” Adamson told city council. “We realized a regional approach is really important.”
Once a regional committee is formed, then a number of subcommittees can work on specific issues such as homelessness and housing, she said. The report calls for the committee to employ a social planner to develop an action list. It also calls for the creation of a regional housing authority.
A key recommendation of the report is the creation of a community website portal that will allow for the sharing of information on the various issues.
Other recommendations include a call for the support of BC Poverty Reduction Coalition’s poverty reduction strategy, advocacy for higher social and disability assistance rates and support for more affordable housing initiatives.
The report also calls for supporting Powell River Division of Family Practice’s work to bring more general practitioner physicians to the region and the efforts of a palliative care facility.
Councillor CaroleAnn Leishman said she was happy to see the report. “It’s all laid out here and it’s what we’ve been trying to get to,” said Leishman.
Adamson said she would like to see three officials from the city appointed to the committee if it goes forward.
City of Powell River councillor Maggie Hathaway said the document is exactly what is needed for the future. “It’s all steps in the right direction,” said Hathaway.
For more information and to view the community social plan, go to prdisociety.org.
