Sustainable Sackville

Sustainable Sackville Implementation

After more than a year of work on various activities several key outcomes have been realized as a result of Sustainable Sackville.

TEAM logo
* TEAM - Habitat Project is an exciting community project that will see a Habitat for Humanity House built by Tantramar Regional High School Construction students in 2012. Various fundraisers are being planned, and the community will be invited to participate in many ways. Watch the Tribune for details. For more information, contact Tracey Wade, TEAM-Habitat Committee Chair at tracey.wade@tantramarplanning.ca

Green Development Standards in Sackville
The Town of Sackville received an Environmental Trust Fund grant to research options for "green" development within the town. FACT sheets and a full report are available for the public to consider.

Sustainable Sackville

This is an initiative undertaken by the Town of Sackville in partnership with the Tantramar Planning District Commission. Using extensive public consultation, we developed a number of recommendations on how the town can become sustainable over the course of a 30 year period, beginning in 2010. A sustainability plan includes environmental, social, and economic goals for the community.

Sustainable Sackville report approved by Council.

Following six weeks of review time, a Council-staff workshop and public open house, the Sustainable Sackville report is completed. It was presented to the public on October 12, 2010. The document covers the entire process, as well as a compilation of findings under twelve themes. These themes were identified repeatedly by community participants in the Sustainable Sackville process. Under each theme, you can find a number of topics which include recommended strategies and actions for each topic. We have also tried to identify key players in the municipal process, indicators of success, as well as some suggestions for residents to move forward on in their own lives.

Sustainable Sackville Report (6.9 MB PDF)
Appendix A - Sackville Profile (371 KB PDF)
Appendix B: Community Engagement (205 KB PDF)
Appendix C: Community System Discussions (202 KB PDF)
Appendix D: Sackville Strategic Plan 2009 (99 KB PDF)
Appendix E: Framework for Assessing Actions and Projects (166 KB PDF)

Systems Discussions

Throughout May and June, a series of systems discussions were held with community members, municipal staff, and guests. All meetings were open to the public. Following those discussions, a series of summaries were compiled. An analysis over the summer resulted in the identification of 12 theme areas for the Sustainable Sackville draft report. The summaries of these discussions can be found in Appendix C noted above.

Background Information Available:

Tantramar 2040

The Town of Sackville, along with the Villages of Memramcook, Port Elgin and Dorchester, Fort Folly First Nation and rural communities in between took part in a regional sustainability initiative. Facilitated by Tantramar Planning District Commission and EOS Eco-Energy, the goal of the initiative was to identify common issues of sustainability that can be best addressed from a regional perspective. This work built on municipal sustainability and green plans. For more information, go to www.Tantramar2040.ca.

Sustainable Sackville Vision for 2040

Sackville embraces sustainability as the foundation for our environmental, social and economic well-being.

Our quality of life is rooted in Sackville’s healthy natural environment and resilient local economy and is enhanced by significant cultural opportunities. As a vibrant University town, Sackville celebrates diversity, compassion, and a sense of local pride in our safe, walkable streets, our well-used parks and green spaces, and our wide range of social, educational, and recreational opportunities for individuals and families.

As citizens, we work actively to achieve community improvements that are measured against sustainability principles. We are recognized, young and old, for our commitment to charitable, volunteer and stewardship efforts.

Our legacy to future generations is a community that is cleaner, greener, healthier, and more prosperous than ever before. To that end, we work tirelessly to reduce waste, diminish pollution, conserve energy and encourage healthy, active living.

Adopted by Sackville Town Council, May 14, 2010

Principles for Sustainable Sackville Endorsed by Council

1) Balanced Approach - Provide a balanced long-term vision for Sackville based on the three pillars of sustainability - economic, social and environmental - and their interrelationships.

2) Build on Strengths - Recognize and build on the distinctive characteristics of Sackville, including human and cultural values, history, and natural ecosystems.

3) Quality of Life – Focus on enhancing quality of life based on social, economic and environmental indicators.

4) Respect for Nature – In decision making and actions, the Town will strive to minimize its negative impact on the environment.

5) Community-Based – Strive to engage as many community members as possible establishing the vision and goals to meet collective needs.

6) Focus on Relationships and Communications - Foster communication and build relationships among community groups, organizations, institutions and other municipalities to emphasize sustainability and resiliency as a common goal.

YOUR Seven Wonders of Sackville

The community has selected the top 7 "wonders of Sackville". 215 votes were received with all 14 nominations receiving support. Many thanks to those who contributed nominations or voted.

And the Winners are (in no particular order):

Waterfowl Park
Mount Allison University
Tantramar Marshes
Mel's Tea Room
Covered Bridge
Silver Lake
Swan Pond

These 7 Wonders all contribute to our community's quality of life and have impacts socially, economically, and to our local environment. If you haven't yet experienced one of our 7 Wonders, we encourage you to check them out!

Focus Groups and open discussions

Our thanks are extended to all who participated in focus groups and open discussions for the Sustainable Sackville initiative. Groups included:
* Many non-profit representatives
* Municipal staff
* Tantramar High Students
* Salem School students
* Marshview Middle School students
* Parents from the Parent-tot group
* Parents at Family Literacy Day
* Informal social groups
* Mount Allison geography classes
* Mount Allison staff
* Rotary
* Business community members
* Community members at our community breakfast