Richard Quail, Municipal Manager of the town of Okotoks, AB will be in Kamloops on Saturday, November 20 to share with us the journey that the people of Okotoks embarked upon when they decided to make sustainability a key criteria for municipal development.

The Town of Okotoks became one of the first municipalities in the world to establish growth targets linked to environmental carrying capacity and infrastructure development when it adopted its ‘Legacy Plan’ in 1998.   By choosing to respond to rather than manipulate the natural environment, growth was achieved in an environmentally, economically, socially, and fiscally responsible way.

The presentation will provide an overview of how this sustainable community initiative came about in the mid-nineties and the elements and components of the “Legacy Plan”, including monitoring and measurement.  Richard will discuss the evolution of Sustainable Okotoks in conjunction with dramatic population growth (from 8,500  in 1997 to nearly 24,000 in 2010) and the effects of five municipal election cycles.

This presentation will inspire everyone with an interest in sustainability in general, and water and energy conservation in particular.  Please share news of this event with your friends and colleagues.

Richard Quail –  Sustainable Okotoks:  Where to from here?

Presented by BCSEA Kamloops Chapter & Thompson Rivers Dept. of Environment & Sustainability

Date:              Saturday, November 20

Time:             1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Place:            TRU International Building, Room 1010 (ground floor)

Admission:  Free

Contact:        Gisela Ruckert at 250-374-1472 for more info