A 15-year plan for the city of Portage la Prairie aims to create a more vibrant community. The final draft of the plan was presented to Council at Monday's meeting, with recommendations focusing on all areas of the city. About 400 Portagers were consulted in creating the document, including stakeholder focus groups and general public consultation sessions. Stantec consultants created the plan, which provides an in-depth look at the city's economy, climate, community, and even the state of the city's downtown area.

It includes a number of recommendations to improve life in the city, ranging from including art displays at the PCU centre, to the creation of additional affordable transportation opportunities, after 50 per cent of respondents indicated a lack of transportation was a major contributing factor in the city's unemployment rate. The report also recommends seeking out a public-private partnership to seek a mode of public transportation.

Mayor Irvine Ferris says he wasn't surprised by much in the report, given the lengthy consultation process that took place. However, he says the document provides a strong director for current and future councils to make Portage an ideal place to live.

"I'd had a chance to sit in on some of the focus groups, some of the working groups. I was seeing the work as it was being done. Certainly, there were many people surveyed. This is something that should get us thinking more long-term."

The report also included a number of recommendations that are already being discussed by Portage's Council. Revitalizing Saskatchewan Avenue West, filling vacant buildings, and taking on the $100 million dollar wastewater plant upgrade were all discussed.

While the report goes into great detail surrounding several steps that can be taken over the next decade-and-a-half, Ferris says it's hard to pinpoint a single item that could be put into place quickly. He says rather than a to-do list, the report acts more as a guide for councillors going into the future.

"Most of them are incremental. There's one in there addressing climate change, and adapting our infrastructure to climate change. There's everything from creating a more age-friendly community to attracting younger families. These are things where I don't see any quick fixes, but I see this as a long-term plan."

Council is set to approve the 15-year plan at their next Council meeting.

For more information:
Committee Agenda (plan begins on Page 48)