Burnaby adds two OCP events for public feedback on city growth

Here’s your chance to tell Burnaby what you want the city's future to look like

Did you miss out on one of Burnaby’s Official Community Plan visioning events? There’s now two more opportunities for the public to share feedback.

Have your say on the development of Burnaby's Official Community Plan.Jennifer Gauthier/Burnaby Now

Burnaby's Official Community Plan (OCP), one of the most important documents a municipality uses to guide its growth, is under review.

And now, there's two more opportunities for local residents to share their thoughts on the city's future.

After four open houses in June, some Burnaby residents criticized the city for limiting the events to 100 people.

Each event in June was sold out, according to the city.

At the July 10 council meeting, Mayor Mike Hurley directed staff to add two OCP visioning events in the Lougheed and Burnaby Hospital areas.

The locations were chosen because there was a "gap identified geographically" in serving those neighbourhoods with public engagement events, said Ed Kozak, the city's planning general manager, at the same meeting.

The public engagement events are "an evening of entertainment," according to Hurley's motion, courtesy of local artists, storytellers and keynote speakers on civic development.

The events include facilitated workshops "designed to capture the vision and values" of the event attendees.

Burnaby notes later stages of the OCP development will include more public engagement opportunities for interested residents.

Online registration for the free visioning events is required by Sept. 13.