Sturgeon County is committed to a stronger environmental ethic to help promote ecological protection and preservation efforts and reflect recent national and provincial trends in recreation. Healthy ecosystems support greater ecological diversity which not only benefits flora and fauna but also provides for more substantive human-nature connections.
The provision of public open space and recreation can play a significant role in the economic well-being of a municipality. Through the availability of natural areas for people to enjoy to recreation programs and activities, a well-planned open space network can entice and invite people to visit a community, invest in it or choose to call it home. These same assets are also instrumental in attracting and retaining residents along with the businesses with which they are affiliated. Open space and recreational assets draw visitors and provide a positive economic impact to municipalities. Additionally, quality open space and recreation amenities in communities improve overall community image which in turn makes Sturgeon County an ideal place to live, work, play and visit.
As Sturgeon County grows any new open spaces, parks and trails in the planning, design, construction, and operation, including redevelopment, to the County’s statutory and non-statutory plans, policies, studies and guidelines. Developers, residents, and County Administration are involved in working through the process to transform undeveloped land into the park spaces that are used by residents and visitors throughout the County.
Sturgeon County has prioritized the following policies for making open space capital investments over the next five years:
- Create development guidelines and policy that includes principles of biodiversity and low-impact development to help prioritize the protection of the natural environment
- Ensure there is a cross-section of open space initiatives and acquisitions that are representative of the diversity of open spaces identified in the inventory
- Support the environmental conservation, protection and enhancement of County-owned open space for present and future generations
- The following principles shall be used to prioritize open space projects:
- strategic importance
- environmental ethic
- community well-being and investments are a leading practice
- contributing to a sense of place (contributes to local identity, history, culture, and design
Plans, Policies and Guidelines
Sturgeon County plans, policies and guidelines related open space, parks and trail include the following:
- Open Space Plan, 2016
- Open Space Plan Update and Review, 2022 (Appendix Report to Open Space Plan, 2016)
- General Municipal Engineering Standards for Open Space and Landscaping (TBD)