Oyen conducts strategic planning sessions

By Joan Janzen

The Town of Oyen conducted three strategic planning sessions on Tuesday, November 22nd. Town Council was seeking the public’s input in an effort to establish some priorities for the town of Oyen over the next ten years.

“You can’t plan for the future if you don’t know where you are headed” was the motto they suggested. This is why they were collecting information from the community, who were invited to share their vision and ideas for the future of Oyen in order to prepare a new strategic plan.

Debbie Ross, CAO at Oyen, took up her new post in March 2022. She began investigating when the last strategic planning had been done and realized it was long overdue. “I was looking for ways to help move the community forward; it was one of the top priorities as a CAO,” she said.

PHOTO: The Town of Oyen held three strategic planning sessions throughout the community on Tuesday, November 22nd. One of the sessions involved the junior high school students at Oyen.

The town hired a facilitator to help with the meetings. “The goal is to identify ten opportunities and then narrow those down to three that can be done in the next three years,” Debbie explained. She called it “strategic doing” because the process includes getting the community involved in whatever those plans will be. Focusing on three opportunities makes the goals more achievable for the community.

The town conducted three sessions on November 22nd: one at the junior high school in the morning; visited the seniors in the afternoon, and one invited the general public and businesses to an open house at the FCSS Community Centre in the evening. “It was very interesting, and we received tons of suggestions,” Debbie said.

They spoke to 144 students at the school. “We were looking at what it would take to bring students back to the community after they’re done their schooling,” she said. They also handed out candy to students who participated, which helped sweeten the creative pot of ideas.

In the afternoon, they approached a group of approximately twenty seniors who were treated to homemade baking, tea, and coffee. “It was interesting to have the whole spectrum, from youth to seniors,” she said.

The evening meeting resulted in approximately thirty individuals attending and entering their names for a door prize. “The major scenes revolved around education, the medical field, industry and business,” Debbie said. However, she noted that the three final ideas selected could come out of one category. “It’s up to the community as to what the top three priorities will be.” One thing is for certain: the three priorities will pursue long-term prosperity for residents and businesses.

There will be an online survey available for anyone who was unable to attend the open house. The online survey will summarize some of the ideas that came up. “It will be on the same line as the in-person session to capture ideas,” Debbie said.

A follow-up session will be held on January 5th, 2023. “At the end of that session, the community will vote on the top three priorities,” Debbie said. In February, an additional meeting will occur, where work groups will be developed to move the projects forward. “I think small communities need to have a buy-in from the whole community,” she observed.

Debbie expressed her gratitude to everyone who showed up for the open house and sessions. “We really appreciate you taking the time to help identify opportunities that the town can pursue to provide economic benefits to our community.”