Growth & Settlement/Servicing Strategy
Prince Edward County

Date: 2001-2003
Partner-in-charge: Peter Smith

Bousfields was retained by the County of Prince Edward in 2001 to undertake a review of growth and settlement patterns within the County (population 25,000), with a particular focus on the seven settlement areas within the County which were serviced with full or partial municipal sewer and water services.  The assignment also included the preparation of a comprehensive Amendment to the County’s Official Plan to reflect the strategic directions resulting from the Strategy.  The study process included an extensive public consultation program conducted by Bousfields (Laurie McPherson), which included public open houses, stakeholders’ meetings and written comments.

The Strategy broke new ground by fully integrating decision-making for land use planning, engineering and financing.  The results of the Strategy were tied together by a computerized financial model prepared by Environmental Strategies that was provided to County staff as an ongoing decision-making tool.  The model incorporates the inputs that were derived from the Growth & Settlement/Servicing Strategy (i.e. the growth targets and the associated servicing infrastructure requirements) and calculates the water and sewer rates that must be charged in order to finance the targeted growth.  The financial model is interactive - - that is, it allows the County to revise and adjust the inputs in the future based on actual experience and to conduct sensitivity analyses.

The Strategy resulted in the endorsement of the “Water and Sanitary Sewer Long-Term Infrastructure Needs and Financing Report” by County Council in February 2003, which sets out a 20-year plan for infrastructure investment and financing, and the adoption of Official Plan Amendment No. 17 in June 2003.