Another workshop for 4 pm with one item –  Community Strategic Plan.

The Summary of Findings from Surveys is not exactly representative of the community with only 208 responses of approximately 23,000 residents, or less than 1%.

On the ‘positive’ side, the Strengths section of the SWOT Analysis revealed:

Strengths | Administration

• Improved, Effective Leadership Team and Administration: Overall, Council report a high degree of confidence in the Town Staff.
• Positive Workplace Culture: Staff report feeling supported by leadership and the workplace culture.

Strengths | Community

• Strong Community Identity: Amherstburg has a strong sense of identity, and the community prides itself on its “small town charm,” natural beauty, and heritage.

Oh, oh, then came the negative, the weaknesses part of the SWOT:

Weaknesses | Administration

• Legacy of mistrust between Council, the Administration, and the Community: Amherstburg suffers from a tension arising from years of real and perceived mismanagement and breaches of public trust. Despite significant turnover among staff and Council, this continues to act as a barrier to decision making.
• AODA Compliance: The Administration is not currently prepared for the coming AODA legislative deadlines. While steps have been taken to increase accessibility within the administration, some barriers still exist among the Town’s services, physical environment, and communications.

Weaknesses | Community

• Amherstburg is Divided over its Future: There is a clear divide among the community in Amherstburg over its future and identity – especially as it relates to tourism and managing growth. While the majority is not opposed to growth in the abstract, tensions remain as to the “type” of town Amherstburg is becoming or should become.
• Tensions over Diversity and Inclusion Efforts (DEI): While the Town has taken steps to advance DEI within the administration and Town, there remain unresolved tensions in some parts of the community over diversity and inclusion issues.

The result of the workshop will be this DRAFT Strategic Framework.

My feedback on the survey to Strategy Corp was that there is no mention of accommodating people with disabilities if pop up events pose barriers, as does the online survey. it was disappointing to see accessibility as an item separated from the DEI, but a number of the disability community know too well that accessibility is not usually a part of DEI.

Strategy Corp answered, While I do understand that accessibility is considered a key part of DEI, our previous engagement up to the survey development has indicated that accessibility, in particular, is a concern and priority for the Town. We therefore thought it appropriate to include it as a distinct option for residents to prioritize. As you rightly point out, not everyone realizes accessibility is a key part DEI efforts.

I wrote back that I would have to emphatically disagree that ‘accessibility, in particular, is a concern and priority for the Town’ based on history.

My actual survey answers do not appear to be included, but Strategy Corp did note, ‘It is not an exhaustive list of everything we heard.’