The Community Excellence Awards recognize and celebrate UBCM members that demonstrate excellence in meeting the purposes of local government. This week we are highlighting the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, the 2019 winner in the Excellence in Service Delivery Category, for their approach to offering advance polling for the 2018 municipal elections. The 2019 Honourable Mention in this category is City of Surrey and its integrated sustainability education program.
The Excellence in Service Delivery category acknowledges UBCM members that provide effective service delivery in a proactive manner, demonstrate benefit to the community, and utilize performance measures, benchmarks and standards to ensure sustainable service provision.
During the 2018 local general elections, TNRD’s legislative services and library services departments developed a plan to utilize a new mobile library vehicle to support advance voting. This service enhanced advance voting opportunities for electors with restricted mobility or limited travel options that made voting at conventional polling stations problematic.
The TNRD serves over 130 rural unincorporated communities within a 45,000 square kilometre service area. Advanced polling via the mobile library demonstrated inter-departmental collaboration in the delivery of electorate engagement in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The TNRD’s outreach through the mobile library allowed 153 voters - 7% of the total in the TNRD – to cast their vote the last election.
In 2015, the City of Surrey’s Sustainability Office worked with the Engineering Department to develop an Integrated Sustainability Education Program geared to students in grades 2 through 10.
This program embodies a comprehensive approach to sustainability education by integrating energy, water, and waste concepts across grade levels that are aligned to BC curriculum objectives. Now in its fourth year, this free program is offered in partnership with local schools and reaches 16,000 students across the city every year.
The City of Surrey is proud to have provided a well-regarded and systems focussed program that cultivates a culture of sustainability through community education and engagement. Consistent feedback from students demonstrates how their new understanding of these energy, waste and water issues allows them to take pride in being part of the solution.
The integrated sustainability education program empowers youth and newcomers to take environmental stewardship into their own hands, with knowledge they can take back to their families and carry into the future.