Ganges Gathers Engagement Summary

Extracted text (beginning)

APRIL 2022
Ganges (SYOWT/Shiya’hwt)  
Village Area Plan
Engagement 
Summary



Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
COMMUNITY SURVEY
IN-PERSON VILLAGE ACTIVITIES
VIRTUAL SESSIONS AND IN-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
EVALUATION AND NEXT STEPS
APPENDIX: CENTRE SCHOOL STUDENT IDEAS FOR THE VILLAGE 
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Issued: April 2022Ganges (SYOWT/Shiya’hwt) Village Area Plan Engagement Summary
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Executive 
Summary
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Issued: April 2022Ganges (SYOWT/Shiya’hwt) Village Area Plan Engagement Summary

Who We Reached
Over 800 participants provided input in 
a far-reaching engagement process that 
sought community input on the future of 
Ganges (SYOWT/Shiya’hwt) Village. What was 
heard will be used to help create a vision, 
objectives, and policies in a Village Area 
Plan that will guide future development and 
change.
The process reached out to the broad public 
as well as specific agencies and community 
groups, including some of the demographics 
whose voices can go unheard in planning 
processes. The process heard from people of 
all ages, renters and home-owners, business 
owners and employees, and people belonging 
to equity-denied groups. 
How We Reached Them
In addition to extensive outreach and 
promotions, engagement activities included 
an online survey (with hard/physical copies 
also available for participants), walkshops, 
online sessions, a drop-in “Ideas Fair”, pop-
up engagement around the village, and 
a conversation circle with underhoused 
residents.
Evaluations by participants on the quality of 
their experience with the engagement were 
largely positive.
What We Heard
Input was plentiful and diverse, however 
several themes emerged across the various 
engagement activities. The strongest themes 
are as follows:
Walkable Village 
Some of people’s favourite attributes of the 
village are its walking connections and the 
way they connect residents with places of 
nature or gathering. People enjoy bumping 
into neighbours and others while on foot. 
At the same time, the village is currently seen 
as car-oriented and hostile to pedestrians. 
Participants want to see parking better 
managed, less congestion, and less 
vehicular traffic overall. People want the 
village to prioritize travel by foot (or bicycle 
or wheelchair) so that the experience is 
safe, accessible, and delightful, and better 
contributes to public life. 
Affordable Housing
Affordability overall is a real concern on the 
island, with locals expressing fear that the 
village is decreasingly accessible to working 
families, seniors, young people, artists, and 
others. People see affordable housing as 
being a top priority, which could include 
rental, non-market, low-income, and seniors 
housing, and more. People who are currently 
inadequately housed have underscored this 
as a priority as well.

Village Housing
Related to the topic of affordable housing, 
people want to see more housing generally 
in the village – including above commercial 
spaces – to provide ho

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