Healthcare, arts, housing and more: Public feedback on Official Community Plan analyzed

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — City staff are hard at work taking resident feedback on the guiding document of changes that will shape the next two decades of Fort St. John. 

Work is continuing on the Official Community Plan (OCP) at the City of Fort St. John, with staff focusing on community check-ins regarding the next 20 years. 

According to the timeline set by staff, the project has just completed step two of five; it started in the fall of 2024 and is scheduled to end a year later in the fall of 2025. 

Thus far, staff have received feedback from multiple public events, community group meetings and open houses and from social media posts and the OCP Lets Talk page. 

In a presentation to council during the March 24th committee of the whole meeting, Charly Caproff, a planner with the city, and Charlene Jackson, the planning manager, showcased what residents like, dislike and want changed about the city in the coming years. 

They said people like the cost of living, convenience and employment opportunities in Fort St. John, with many praising the “friendly, family-oriented community” and “rural life and access to nature.” 

Residents noted they did not like the local economy, healthcare, level of community safety, current city infrastructure and services, or travelling around the city. 

In the report and presentation to council, staff detailed the issues and topics the updated OCP would focus on, including increased visibility of arts and culture in the city, increased economic development for social and economic benefit, and advocating for increased access to healthcare.

The OCP will also concentrate on increasing housing choices for residents, with a focus on accessible, affordable housing and future improvements to parks and recreation services. 

The next steps of the OCP will feature draft policies and strategies “based on community feedback” throughout the next several months, which will be refined in step four throughout the summer and finalized near the end of 2025. 

Once the draft policies have been reviewed, refined and honed, the OCP will be adopted by council. 

Feedback is still being accepted for the current OCP, with city staff set to launch the second public survey at the Fort St. John Trade Show from April 11th to 13th.

Staff will also be attending Canada Day celebrations on July 1st, as well as the Moose FM Block Party in September 2025.

The next OCP public hearing has yet to be scheduled and will occur sometime in the fall of 2025.