(Brampton) – Peel Regional Council recently approved the Region of Peel Strategic Plan V: 2007-2010, continuing its strong tradition of leadership and strategic planning. With goals solidly built on extensive consultations with community stakeholders and employees, the plan guides Council and staff in setting priorities and delivering programs to address the changing needs of more than one million citizens who live and work in Peel.

“We are pleased to have developed a plan which addresses the key issues identified by our stakeholders and staff,” said Regional Chair Emil Kolb. “By focussing on the distinct needs of our community, we’re working to provide responsive services to our residents and continue earning their trust and confidence as a caring and responsible level of government.”

Priorities identified during the consultation sessions and highlighted in the plan include: delivery of citizen-focussed services, protection of the environment, responsive human services, growth management, and a continued quest for excellence.

 “This is our strongest Strategic Plan yet, largely because of the consultative process which involved Regional staff and the community” said Brampton Councillor and the Region’s Management Committee Chair Gael Miles, who presented the draft plan to her fellow Councillors. “As Peel continues to grow and change, this new plan will help us build on our leadership role in delivering quality services and will enable our community to prosper now and in the future.”

The Region of Peel is a model of successful Regional government. In 2006, the Region became the first government in Canada to receive the National Quality Institute’s (NQI) Canada Award of Excellence (CAE) Gold Trophy. The prestigious CAE is the highest level of recognition awarded by NQI to organizations that have successfully maintained a focus on organizational excellence, quality and continuous improvement. To achieve this status of excellence, the Region was part of a comprehensive independent review by representatives of the Institute, who examined the government’s approach to leadership, customer service, employee satisfaction, process management, planning and partnering.

The Region of Peel’s strategic planning tradition began in 1994, and has gained momentum with every term of Regional Council.

The Regional Municipality of Peel was incorporated in 1974 on the principle that certain community and infrastructure services are most cost-effectively administered over a larger geographic area. The Region of Peel serves more than one million residents in the Cities of Mississauga and Brampton and the Town of Caledon. For more information on the Region of Peel, please call 905-791-7800, or visit our website at peelregion.ca.

For more information about the Strategic Plan, visit peelregion.ca.