Business View Civil & Municipal Apr-2023

21 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 policy framework to promote and encourage sustainability efforts within the community. She describes a rain barrel sale, which is a collaboration between Stony Plain, the city of Spruce Grove, Parkland County, and the village of Spring Lake in partnership with a local Rona. “That’s a fun one. We encourage people to reuse water instead of using potable water for watering plants and that sort of stuff. It’s a nice initiative that gets us together with our neighbors and works collaboratively together,” she shares. Mayor Choy conveys that one of the town’s municipal buildings also acts as a rainwater collection system, collecting rainwater in barrels to be used for watering sports fields, while water at a pumping station is used by staff and contractors for road work, and on the community sports fields, all in an effort to maximize the use of non-potable water in the community. On the social sustainability side, the town has recently introduced a housing strategy, which prioritizes inclusivity, affordability, and diversity. “We have something for everybody, and are very family oriented. So, we definitely want our policy and our developments to reflect that,” Rudolph acknowledges. Stony Plain has recently approved an urban agriculture plan, something she says is necessary for a community that is rooted in agriculture but identified as a metropolitan municipality. “We need to figure out what our agriculture looks like moving into the future,” she suggests. “Urban agriculture is a super interesting topic, and we’re probably going to see a bit more from that later this year as we start implementing that plan.” In addition, on the social side, Rudolph has organized a community walk, known as Janes Walk, encouraging residents to get out and get to know each other, while sharing education about the community. She elaborates, “Each year we pick a different topic, and we encourage people to come and do a guided tour throughout the community. It’s really fun. We also do an annual Arbor Day celebration where we get residents to volunteer STONY PLAIN, ALBERTA to help the town plant trees and we educate people on the importance of vegetation in urban environments and what that means for the future.” A strong relationship with regional networks such as Edmonton Global, and Invest Alberta is all part of doing business in Stony Plain, and part of the investment attraction strategy. Supporting existing businesses is also a priority, and the town partners with groups such as Community Futures to assist business owners as Levasseur relays, “We work with them from the entrepreneur side in terms of supporting businesses with resources, guidance around business planning and financing right down to marketing.”