Souris CAO Shelley LaVie points out the old rail bed on a map of Souris to resident Carlos Consejo and others during a public meeting on the community’s Official Plan review. Charlotte MacAulay photo
Souris CAO Shelley LaVie points out the old rail bed on a map of Souris to resident Carlos Consejo and others during a public meeting on the community’s Official Plan review. Charlotte MacAulay photo
As the Town of Souris embarks on a review of its Official Plan, input at the first public meeting brought out priorities including the importance of ways to entice more young families to put down roots and grow the existing infrastructure for the large population of seniors.
Councillor Frankie Chaisson said all levels of government need to do something to keep youth from leaving.
The fishing and farming industries are big employers but, he said, having the government put more emphasis on employment building in rural PEI will help grow the town.
Resident Hennie Hoogerbrugge said if there were more ways to involve youth in the planning that in itself could give them a reason to want to stay and grow the community.
2021 data shows the 55 and over population is more than twice that of the 14 and under. The median age is 51 while the national median age is 41.
Patsy MacInnis, member of the planning board committee, said economic growth is key.
“I would say Souris is more of a convenience town as opposed to a destination,” Ms MacInnis said.
“People shop locally out of necessity, but go to bigger centres (more often).”
She said providing opportunity for a variety of housing options could bring a broader demographic to the area.
Moving forward the fact there is ample room for expansion when it comes to well water and sewer capacity puts Souris in a good place, said Samantha Murphy, the planning consultant hired to carry out the review.
An abundance and variety of recreation facilities in the town is another asset for attracting new residents and keeping families in the area.
Even so, resident Carlos Consejo said, there is always room for more.
Mr Consejo, who is secretary of Bike Friendly Communities, an Island-wide group that advocates for safe, accessible biking pathways, said connecting current pathways would allow more active transportation users to feel secure when travelling throughout the town.
Ms Murphy said knowing what is important to citizens helps council make decisions when it comes to land use in the town.
Another public meeting will be held in the fall and the final draft of the plan is expected in the spring of 2023.
In the meantime anyone looking for more information can contact town hall.
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