The RDEK has released the draft Columbia Lake Management Plan so the public can offer comments and reviews.
“The draft plan is the culmination of an extensive planning process and the next step is to share the draft with the public and get feedback,” said RDEK Planning Coordinator Karen MacLeod.
“To help gather that input, we have set up an online comment form on the project page along with a places tool, which allows people to drop pins on a map and make comments on the draft or recommendations within the plan.”
RDEK officials said the draft plan, and comment form can be found on their website and comments can be given until November 30th, 2021.
“This is an important milestone in the project as it gives the public the chance to look at what has been included in the plan and let us know where they feel we’ve hit the mark and provide suggestions for areas that could potentially be improved
upon,” added MacLeod.
According to the RDEK, there have been two rounds of online engagement since the spring of 2020 and consultation with First Nations and stakeholders, and input from a Technical Review Committee.
Once the comment period ends, the suggestions will be reviewed and considered before the final plan is prepared and presented to the RDEK Board and Village of Canal Flats Council for adoption early in 2022.
When approved the plan will replace the existing 1997 Columbia Lake Management Strategy and guide local government decisions affecting Columbia Lake and its shoreline.