Chair Leonard Hiebert recently shared his thoughts on the Peace River Regional District’s journey through 2024, highlighting key challenges, achievements and priorities. He also outlined the district’s vision for 2025.
Community Engagement and Leadership
The Community to Community (C2C) sessions emerged as a significant focus, fostering stronger relationships between local governments and First Nation communities. These sessions proved instrumental in addressing shared concerns and developing collaborative solutions.
2024 saw changes in leadership at the Regional Board, with the election of Leonard Hiebert as Chair and Darcy Dober as Vice-Chair. Former Director of Area B, Jordan Kealy, transitioned to a new role as MLA for Peace River North.
Enhanced Communication and Accessibility
Chair Hiebert emphasized the importance of maintaining an open door policy, ensuring transparent and open communication with residents. The PRRD is committed to making information more accessible to the public, recognizing the evolving needs of the community.
Key initiatives include:
- Introducing quarterly video updates from the Chair published through the PRRD’s channels and local networks
- Improving digital platforms through a new website for easier access to regional information and engagement initiatives
- Bridging the gap between the public and the Regional District by encouraging an open door policy
- Hosting regular town halls and community meetings
- Continuing to utilize diverse communication channels to reach all residents
Personal Reflections and Future Connections
Chair Hiebert reflected on the challenges that agricultural producers have weathered this year with sustained drought, and all residents have shouldered with an aggressive wildfire season. A strong recognition of the resilience, resourcefulness and positive attitude of Peace region residents is consistently referred resilience and positive attitude of the Peace region is a consistent theme and find resourceful ways to persevere.
Looking ahead to 2025, the Peace River Regional District aims to:
- Strengthen communication between the Regional District and residents
- Advance emergency management initiatives
- Create a more accessible and transparent website
- Promote partnerships between the Regional District and First Nation communities
By focusing on these areas, the PRRD hopes to create a more resilient and connected region.