Strategic Plan
The City of Morden extends its gratitude to residents and stakeholders for their enthusiasm and input in developing this roadmap to help our community progress toward its goals. This Strategic Plan will guide decision-makers as they shape the City’s annual budget, departmental action plans, programs, and policies. This document is a summary of the full Strategic Plan, which is available for review here.
As Morden continues to make progress, City Council will revisit and refine this blueprint. We recognize that our Strategic Plan must remain a living document, responding to new opportunities and challenges as they arise. For this reason, we encourage residents and stakeholders to share feedback to ensure this plan reflects the community’s evolving needs.
Mission, Vision & Values
Mission: “A city dedicated to fostering a thriving, inclusive, and naturally beautiful community.”
Vision: “A vibrant community cultivating innovation, growth, and prosperity.”
Values:
- Respect: We actively listen to our community, stakeholders, and staff to understand diverse perspectives.
- Collaboration: We work with local, provincial, and federal governments, regional partners, stakeholders, private businesses, and the community to achieve common goals.
- Accountability: We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, ensuring that our actions are transparent, our decisions serve the public’s best interests, and we remain answerable to the community.
- Active Living: We provide a vibrant and healthy community accessible to all, with first-rate recreational facilities, green spaces, a lake, and a campground.
- Heritage and Culture: We preserve our storied heritage while embracing the rich cultural landscape of our growing community.
- Innovation: We encourage creativity and innovative solutions for city challenges.
- Inclusivity and Diversity: We welcome and celebrate diverse cultures and perspectives and seek input from various viewpoints on projects.
- Sustainability: We are committed to fostering the city’s growth in a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable manner.
Strategic Priority Areas
Quality of Life
- Promote initiatives that contribute to a safe and healthy community.
- Sustain, enhance, and expand local recreation, community services, and active living opportunities.
- Promote existing local amenities through collaboration and investment.
Municipal Services and Infrastructure
- Achieve water security in terms of availability, accessibility, and sustainability of freshwater and wastewater resources.
- Sustain, renew, and enhance municipal infrastructure.
- Increase resident engagement with municipal services.
- Elevate climate action opportunities.
Economic Growth and Development
- Support the retention and expansion of existing businesses.
- Attract new businesses, with an emphasis on new industrial employers.
- Support access to skilled labour for employers and skills development for employees.
Leadership, Partnership, & Collaboration
- Enhance City communications.
- Renew partnerships with local stakeholders.
- Establish regional cooperation across key areas.
Action Plan
Quality of Life
A dynamic city with an exceptional quality of life
Sustain, enhance, and expand local recreation, community services, and active living opportunities:
Action Items:
- Support City recreation programming to serve residents and increase participation.
- Enhance and expand walking and biking paths according to the Parks and Urban Forestry Master Plan.
- Offer expanded winter active living programmes.
- Collaborate with local community service providers to broaden available programming.
Promote initiatives that contribute to a vibrant, healthy, and safe community:
Action Items:
- Increase accessibility of local amenities and services.
- Become an “age-friendly community” by completing the Milestone Recognition Program.
- Support the growth of the health sector by attracting medical services, retaining healthcare workers, and facilitating educational opportunities.
- Ensure Police and Fire Services have the resources needed to deliver effective and innovative safety services.
- Collaborate with stakeholders, including developers and non-profits, to ensure suitable housing options for various needs.
Promote existing local amenities through collaboration and investment:
Action Items:
- Attract world-class events to maximise use of existing amenities.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to promote events, attractions, and unique opportunities.
- Identify investment opportunities to enhance existing amenities.
Municipal Services and Infrastructure
Proactively sustain and enhance municipal infrastructure and amenities with a focus on longevity, efficiency, and community enrichment.
Achieve water security:
Action Items:
- Increase wastewater capacity through major infrastructure development.
- Identify long-term options to secure access to a reliable freshwater supply.
- Conduct lifecycle assessments of service lines and lift stations.
Sustain, renew, and enhance municipal infrastructure:
Action Items:
- Invest in infrastructure projects and planning to balance lifecycle costs and future community needs.
- Update key planning documents such as the Community Improvement Plan and long-term infrastructure plans.
- Ensure equitable access to new and renewed capital infrastructure, including parks and playgrounds.
Increase resident engagement with municipal services:
Action Items:
- Introduce public feedback tools for tracking response times and results.
- Strengthen community engagement by sharing updates on events, projects, and programmes.
Elevate climate action opportunities:
Action Items:
- Develop a climate action plan addressing adaptation and mitigation strategies.
- Promote climate action initiatives such as clean technology, a low-carbon economy, green infrastructure, and active transportation.
- Assess the feasibility of public transport options.
Economic Growth and Development
Elevate Morden as a driving force for regional economic vitality, creating a fertile ground for investment and nurturing local businesses.
Support the retention and expansion of existing businesses:
Action Items:
- Engage employers to identify growth opportunities.
- Support workforce development through training and education initiatives.
- Partner with the Community Driven Immigration Initiative (CDII) to address labour needs.
- Ensure an adequate supply of shovel-ready land for business expansion.
Attract new businesses, focusing on industrial employers:
Action Items:
- Develop a marketing strategy promoting commercial and industrial development.
- Launch Phase 1 of the industrial park expansion and have Phase 2 ready by summer 2027.
- Secure an “anchor” development for highway commercial lots and sell remaining lots.
Support access to skilled labour:
Action Items:
- Initiate training and education projects to boost skills development.
- Consult businesses to align training with employer needs.
- Sustain the success of Morden’s Community Driven Immigration Program.
Leadership, Partnership, & Collaboration
Position Morden as an innovative leader and active regional collaborator.
Enhance communication with residents and stakeholders:
Action Items:
- Develop an enhanced communications plan for events, notices, and emergencies.
- Introduce feedback tools such as work management software.
- Update the City’s website to integrate these tools.
Renew partnerships with local stakeholders:
Action Items:
- Collaborate on strategic projects addressing the plan’s goals.
- Expand City staff roles to support community partnerships and grant writing.
- Celebrate partnership successes.
Establish regional cooperation across key areas:
Action Items:
- Build on Tri-Council meetings between Morden, Winkler, and Stanley.
- Partner on healthcare, education, and infrastructure projects.
- Strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities and organisations.