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An Example: Evaluating a Local Government Official Community Plan Using Planetary Health Lenses

13.1 Introduction

Astrid Brousselle and Kai Mountfort

As of 2021, 73.7% of Canada’s population resides in urban environments (Statistics Canada, 2022). Municipalities are important sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and they often are the first to experience the disastrous impacts related to climate change (Affairs, 2019; Dale et al., 2020). In Canada, 653 jurisdictions from all levels representing 100% of the Canadian population have declared a climate emergency (Climate Emergency Declaration, 2024). Municipalities are critically positioned to respond to climate change and other environmental challenges due to rising populations in urban areas, as well as the tangible nature of municipal jurisdictions (Statistics Canada, 2022, see section 1.2). Municipalities, as key actors in local governance, are well positioned to play a significant role in addressing these challenges through the implementation of effective policies and initiatives aligned with the Planetary Health Framework (Statistics Canada, 2022, see section 1.4).

Under British Columbia’s Local Government Act (2024), municipalities can choose to enact an optional bylaw entitled an Official Community Plan (OCP) (District of Sooke, 2022), which is a long-range (20-30 years) visionary document that guides municipal decision-making. Once an OCP is adopted, municipalities must ensure their bylaws and actions are aligned with the plan. The OCP establishes policies that guide the locations of “homes, businesses and industry, agriculture, and parks and other public spaces” while directly affecting “transportation choices, housing affordability and options, community character, protection of ecological and agricultural areas, resource management, economic vitality, and financial costs associated with paying for District services such as pipes and streets” (District of Sooke, 2022, p. 18). Once enacted, all Sooke municipal policy formulation and implementation must align with the OCP.

The OCP applies to the whole Sooke municipal area and “supports areas of mutual understanding between the District of Sooke and the T’Sou-ke Nation”(District of Sooke, 2022, p. 19). The partnership with the T’Sou-ke Nation was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding in 2007 and represents a nation-to-nation relationship in areas of the “provision of services, land use planning and development, heritage sites and cultural protection, shared and cross-boundary issues, shared services, and economic opportunities” (District of Sooke, 2022, p. 23). T’Sou-ke Nation, as represented by the Te’mexw Treaty Association, is in modern treaty negotiations with the federal and provincial governments since 1994 regarding matters of governance, harvesting, lands, resources and fiscal issues(District of Sooke, 2022).

The objective of this project is to assess whether and under what conditions the OCP will contribute to planetary health. This evaluation used a theory-based approach relying on a mixed-methods approach, that combined document analysis, focus groups, and questionnaires. This methodology provided a comprehensive understanding of the OCP’s strengths, potential risks, and areas for improvement.

About the authors

name: Astrid Brousselle

institution: University of Victoria

Astrid Brousselle is a professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria. Her expertise relates to the approaches, theories and evaluative methods that she applies to the field of health and to Planetary Health. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Montreal. Before joining the University of Victoria as the Director of the School, she held a Canada Research Chair in Evaluation and Analysis of the Health System at the University of Sherbrooke (Prov. of Quebec).

name: Kai Mountfort

Kai holds a Master of Public Administration, a Bachelor of Science (Biology and Earth & Ocean Sciences), and a Diploma in Business Administration, all from the University of Victoria. His academic pursuits included a directed study on Chinook salmon population dynamics and a thesis on planetary health evaluation of the District of Sooke’s Official Community Plan.

His professional journey began with co-op placements at the Canadian Wildlife Service, followed by a role as a wildlife biologist, where he contributed to biodiversity conservation programs and developed guidelines for Indigenous conservation requests. Transitioning to the Government of BC, Kai now serves as a conservation policy analyst, focusing on wetland protection, regulatory amendments, and Indigenous capacity funding.

Dedicated to protecting Earth’s habitability, Kai is driven to make an impact on biodiversity and climate change through policy and advocacy. He lives in Sooke, BC, with his family on the traditional unceded territories of the T’sou-ke Nation and the Scia’new Nation. He is actively involved in the local agricultural community and enjoys outdoor activities, envisioning a future off-grid homestead.

 

 

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Foundations of Evaluation for Planetary Health Copyright © 2026 by Astrid Brouselle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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