Ashley Bilodeau, RPP – Town of Kirkland Lake

Name: Ashley Bilodeau, M.PL, RPP, MCIP, M.PA (student in Local Government)

Title: Manager of Planning and Land Development

Date: May 5, 2020

Where is your attention focused as a planner as we look towards recovery?

We have a couple of zoning applications that have been on hold due to our inability to host public meetings. We are working with our communications team to establish a functional method of hosting an online public meeting and reviewing additional opportunities for public engagement that will meet legislative requirements, while maintaining social distancing. It is likely that this “new way” of hosting public meetings or gathering input from the public will become a new normal. We are working hard towards implementation so that it does not delay any future applications.

We also anticipate the building season to be quiet once restrictions are lifted. We’ve seen a dramatic reduction in the amount of revenues from user fees associated with development as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve met with economic development and are establishing a marketing strategy for our community improvement plan that was implemented late last year. We will try to encourage construction by offering incentives through this program.

In more urban centres, I assume that COVID-19 will leave a lasting impact on built form; leaving more space in the design of buildings, parks, and other notable public spaces to take into account proper social distancing measures. I could imagine this playing a significant role in the post-recovery plans for larger municipalities. This may even be something the province is looking at implementing as a provincial interest through the PPS. From a building perspective, I could also see the province updating the building code to reflect better design of buildings to limit the spread of viruses.

What opportunities are you seeing to do things better or that have come about as a result of COVID-19? How do we begin to get there?

Certainly, a new public engagement strategy will be implemented that will reduce the need for the public to attend public meetings in person. It is likely that Zoom or digital meetings will take place more often, especially with applicants, department heads, and intergovernmental agencies that provide feedback for planning applications. Committee meetings could potentially move online. There may even be increasing opportunities for recruiting volunteers who offer their time on our PAC and C of A as a result of this online move. 

From a more human perspective, we’ve witnessed staff and agencies working more collaboratively. We have built better, friendlier relationships with those around us, recognizing that this is a tough time for all. We have become more understanding and our level of trust has improved.

Where are we resilient in our communities and where do you think we need to build more resiliency as a province and/or country?

Resiliency is determined by our ability to bounce back following a disruption. Planners, amid the news of the emergency orders, quickly came together to discuss solutions to reduce the disruption of service. The communities that I look to for guidance were and are continuing to work on their recovery plans. They are reaching out to local businesses to get a sense of their needs and determining how the municipality can assist once the emergency orders begin to lift.

In my community, the residents continue to come together to help by making and donating masks and dropping off groceries and other essentials to those in isolation. As a thank you to the frontline staff, gift cards for Tim Hortons were purchased and topped up by the general public for use by all frontline workers. The residents in my community, much like others throughout the country, came together.

From a regional perspective, we looked to each other to get a sense of how others were building resilience in this unchartered territory. Municipalities were quick to offer advice and assistance, to share ideas and work together. As with any other emergency, it will be essential to update our emergency management plans to reflect the lessons learnt during this pandemic. We will learn from our mistakes and hopefully be better prepared for the next emergency.

From a provincial/federal perspective, I would imagine it has been the same. We can see the province and federal government switching their gears to reflect post-pandemic plans. They are improving their resiliency daily as they narrow down the best approach to reopen. With each province tackling it slightly different, I would imagine there will be lessons learnt that the federal government will be able to note to further prepare us for the next emergency. It has been and will continue to be a delicate balance between our social well-being and our physical health.