Strategic Plan

• The Town will focus on sustainability, growth, readiness for grants, and balancing activities against anticipated changes in provincial legislation.
• No single plan can afford to achieve all its infrastructure goals, and the Town has identified the critical infrastructure needs in this plan as the following: water reservoir storage, Wellington Street Bridge, landfill expansion, and digital fibre ducts.
• When considering investments in "discretionary" Town assets, the following Town icons will be considered of most importance: historic Town Hall, historic Water Tower; mill race dam and spillway; Carnegie Library.

Learn more about the infrastructure pillar.

• The Town will focus on proactive communication, including innovative means of establishing a more outbound place setting narrative for the purposes of tourism and growth.
• The Town will develop a comprehensive and fully integrated communications plan, including a marketing plan, tourism plan, and economic development implementation plan drawing upon existing studies that the Town has in its inventory.

Learn more about the communication and marketing pillar.

• The Town will develop a sustainable growth plan to ensure new revenue sources can meet the increasing costs of existing service demands to satisfy population growth and economic development plans, all while continuing to support existing and new industrial and commercial ventures.
• The Town will focus on attracting and retaining youth and newcomers as two key demographic groups that will further the vibrancy and culture of the Town.

Learn more about the balanced growth pillar.

• The Town will focus on culture being positioned as a vital economic driver as a means of the re-profiling of the Town and supporting economic development. This includes developing a downtown revitalization plan, integrating the waterfront into downtown events, and developing a focused park strategy.
• The Town will focus on readjusting existing recreational services to a more cost effective and scale-appropriate model. This includes undertaking a Recreation Master Plan, better use of space at the Pyramid Recreation Centre, and developing a new community granting approach.

Learn more about the culture and recreation pillar.

• The Town will view economic development is one of the essential keystones to growth and sustainability. A targeted approach in this area will focus on supporting, attracting, and retaining a beneficial mix that is realistically tailored to the strengths and needs of St Marys
• The Town will view culture as a key economic driver, and will in the future develop municipal cultural planning including: public art to economic development, from rejuvenating the downtown to offering practical ideas to save heritage properties, from integrating creative municipal concepts into the Official Plan.

Learn more about the economic development pillar.

• Given the acute local labour shortage, the Town recognizes the need for housing options that are affordable, attainable, and even include rentals.
• The Town will work towards a position where people who are employed in the Town can afford to live in the Town, including mixed use housing and a flexible housing stock, exploring alternative forms of housing, seeking public private partnerships, and prioritizing Town owned assets for lease and sale.

Learn more about the housing pillar.