Port McNeill Official Community Plan

2020-2022 | Port McNeill, BC

Located on the north end of Vancouver Island, Port McNeill’s economy had shifted in the last two decades, and the community’s population decreased as well. These changes caused the Town to reconsider its vision and goals. Port McNeill recognized that an updated Official Community Plan (OCP) would establish guidelines for the future of the community.

McElhanney was engaged to provide an OCP and Zoning Bylaw review for the Town of Port McNeill to help capture the Town’s vision, set the community up for success, and create policy documents that would be accessible to all users. The project included reviewing growth management scenarios, key discussions regarding housing, and how to address future growth of the community.

“The McElhanney team was involved with the community and made themselves available, ensuring the voices of all groups were heard.  The project was completed successfully on time and within budget. This was during Covid19 which presented additional challenges, but McElhanney was able to pivot and consult and engage with the public. The team was professional and approachable and I would recommend McElhanney to other communities that are reviewing their OCP.”

– Brenda Johnson, CPA

Port McNeill CAO, CFO

To collect the input of the public and interested parties, our team of planners, engineers, and technicians launched a comprehensive community consultation process. Due to the onset of COVID-19, McElhanney teams modified traditional in-person engagement process with innovative techniques like small, socially– distanced dialogue sessions and online forums.

McElhanney developed a community profile / baseline assessment to determine existing conditions, and conducted public and interested party engagement by running a community values survey, regular meetings with focus groups, and an open house. A mail-out questionnaire on the draft plan was also included in the overall strategy.

McElhanney’s Vertisee platform was used to broaden access to the engagement process to community residents. Vertisee empowered residents and interested parties to comment on key issues in their community through an interactive, map-based format.

The Town of Port McNeill’s new OCP was adopted on March 22, 2022. The plan reviewed growth management scenarios, challenges around housing, and how to address the future growth of the community.

Learn more about the scope of our digital public engagement services here.

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