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Cambridge Connected Strategic Plan

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Consultation has concluded

It is time to update the strategic plan for the City of Cambridge, and we want to hear from you!

Why do we need a strategic plan?

A strategic plan provides a foundation for decision making, priority setting and ongoing performance management. Creating a strategic plan requires connecting with the community, to ensure the City’s services reflect the priorities of the people who live, work and play here.

The Cambridge Connected Strategic Plan will: connect the community’s vision and goals with the corporate mission, values and actions of the City; guide decision-making; help direct tax dollars to

It is time to update the strategic plan for the City of Cambridge, and we want to hear from you!

Why do we need a strategic plan?

A strategic plan provides a foundation for decision making, priority setting and ongoing performance management. Creating a strategic plan requires connecting with the community, to ensure the City’s services reflect the priorities of the people who live, work and play here.

The Cambridge Connected Strategic Plan will: connect the community’s vision and goals with the corporate mission, values and actions of the City; guide decision-making; help direct tax dollars to community priorities; and allow the community to measure progress.

Where we’ve been:

In January 2016, Cambridge City Council approved the first four-year community strategic plan, Cambridge Connected: Our Voice. Our Vision. Cambridge Connected brought together stakeholders in an extensive engagement process to develop the vision, mission and values that provide a starting point for the City’s priority setting.

The 2016-2019 plan identified 7 goals and 26 objectives. We reported on the implementation of the plan using our strategic plan dashboard (cambridge.ca/strategicplan) and annual business plans (cambridge.ca/businessplan)

What are the next steps?

We are now updating the strategic plan for the 2020 - 2023 time frame. The resulting plan must meet the needs of all stakeholders – community, Council and staff – in terms of decision making, priority setting and ongoing performance management in the City of Cambridge. We will approach this project in three phases:

  • Phase 1: Understanding where we’ve been (January to March) – This will include a community satisfaction survey, orientation for the project team and Council, and a public launch event.
  • Phase 2: Where do we want to go as a community? (April to November) - This phase will involve significant public engagement and will be focused on understanding community priorities. A summary report will identify the goals and strategic objectives that will be further explored in Phase 3.
  • Phase 3: Moving forward (December to March 2021) – This phase will focus on action and implementation planning, and will look at opportunities for measurement and reporting. 
Consultation has concluded

  • Heading into ‘Phase 2’: Understanding where we want to go

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    The month of March marks the beginning of our second phase of Cambridge Connected strategic plan development.

    We are now moving from reviewing the past four years and understanding where we’ve been, towards refining our goals and understanding where we need to go in the future. All of the feedback received to date will be part of this process, and a full summary report of all Phase 1 activity will be brought to City Council in April.

    We are also pleased to announce that Openly Inc. has been awarded the contract to assist with the strategy development, data analysis and community consultation for Phases 2 and 3 of this project. This is the result of a competitive process following a request for proposals that was issued in January 2020 to seek consulting services. Openly is a certified B-Corp company based in Guelph, with experience in strategy, stakeholder engagement, research and evaluation.

    Stay tuned for more engagement opportunities and information in the coming weeks!


  • February Wrap-up

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    We've come to the end of our first month of sharing this project through EngageCambridge!

    Thank you to all who came out to the Cambridge Connected launch event on February 26th at the Old Post Office. We were very pleased to see more than 55 people in attendance, despite the snowy weather. If you missed it, don't worry -- this was just the first of many opportunities you'll have to connect with us in the coming months.

    Speaker Sylvia Cheuy of Tamarack also shared her keynote slides from Wednesday's presentation with us, which you can find as a PDF download in the 'Document Library' on the main project page.

    We also wrapped up the community satisfaction survey on Friday, February 28th and will be analyzing the results and sharing them in the next month. We received more than 540 responses to the online survey, as well as 400 hundred results in the telephone survey conducted by Forum Research. Thank you for your participation!

  • Join us for the Cambridge Connected launch event on February 26th

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    Event Details:

    • Date Wednesday, February 26, 2020
    • Time 6:30PM to 8:30PM (Speakers start at 7:00PM)
    • Location Old Post Office - IDEA Exchange, 12 Water St. S., Cambridge
    • RSVP This event is FREE, but please register through Eventbrite to help us plan

    Join us for this free event to learn more about the process for updating the Cambridge Connected strategic plan and how you can get involved!

    Featuring keynote speaker Sylvia Cheuy from the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement. Sylvia is Consulting Director of the Tamarack Institute’s Collective Impact Idea Area and also supports Tamarack’s Community Engagement Idea Area. She is an internationally recognized community-builder and trainer. Over the past five years, much of Sylvia’s work has focused on building awareness and capacity in the areas of Collective Impact and Community Engagement throughout North America. Sylvia is passionate about community change and what becomes possible when residents and various sector leaders share an aspirational vision for their future. She believes that when the assets of residents and community are recognized and connected they become powerful drivers of community change.