The City of Meadow Lake wants to hear from you. In an effort to gather feedback as it works toward updating its Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoning bylaw the city recently launched a public survey, particularly when it comes to the bylaw itself and the proposed rules for how land is used. This includes everything from housing to businesses and parks to green spaces. 

“(We plan to) make changes to our Official Community Plan as well as the current zoning bylaw,” reiterated mayor Merlin Seymour when contacted by Northern Pride. “Both of these documents were officially adopted by city council in September 2015. Just like anything else, however, these documents should be updated to current requirements and needs of our city.” The OCP guides the decisions of council and city staff, as well as community members, while the zoning bylaw is the legal route to put the OCP into practice on a day-to-day basis. The zoning bylaw is also comprised of various rules and regulations for the different areas of the city. 

“In the spring of 2023, the city began looking at the current zoning bylaw and OCP, and acquired the services of Associated Engineering (AE) to work alongside our administration team and council to bring forward changes to both documents to continue moving the city forward in a positive way for everyone,” Seymour continued. “Part of this included a survey to the public in 2024, and the feedback was appreciated.” The mayor went on to note, however, changes to the city’s senior administration team put a bit of a pause on moving these efforts forward. “But, with our new administration team, the process was put back into action,” he said. “Our administration team, along with Associated Engineering, worked countless hours looking at the current document and suggesting what changes could or should be implemented. 

A new survey has just been created to gather feedback on the proposed changes, and can be found on our website, yourmeadowlake.ca/ocp-zoning-overhaul, as well as through the Voyent Alert app.” Paper copies of the survey are also available at city hall, which is now located within the Meadow Lake Co-op Centre. “Take a few minutes to review the proposed changes and tell us what matters to you,” the city posted via social media. “We appreciate your feedback.” Seymour echoed this. “I ask our residents and business community to take the time to complete the survey, so our council and administration team can gather as much information as possible, which allows us to make informed decisions to these two documents,” he said. “We will also be having an open house in mid-October so residents can have an opportunity to discuss this face-to-face.” The survey closes Sept. 27.