As the Region of Waterloo embarked on a strategic planning process, it needed to take into account its diversity and anticipated growth by 2051, and a number of other external changes that bring opportunities and challenges. As such, the Region of Waterloo engaged Creative Futures to lead a series of strategic foresight engagement activities to inform their 2023 - 2027 Corporate Strategic Plan.

Our Approach:

• Research and analysis of key trends impacting the future of Waterloo Region in 2050;

• Trends workshop with the Council to identity key trends to frame the design of the strategic plan;

• Scenario development workshop with 20 youth aged 14 - 25 from across the Region to describe possible futures of Waterloo Region in 2050;

• Five Immersive Futures workshops with Council, youth, front-line staff, senior leaders, and a community roundtable to explore four provocative scenarios of Waterloo Region in 2050, and identify a preferred future and key action areas;

• Online survey to engage the public in identifying key challenges and opportunities facing Waterloo Region in 2050;

• Synthesis of key themes, insights, and emerging priority areas into an Interim Report;

• Session with Council to present the Interim report and clarify key priorities;

• Refinement session with senior leaders to inform key actions aligned to the priorities;

• Feedback loop with youth and community to ensure perspectives are incorporated in final report;

• Delivery of a final report outlining recommended strategic priorities, actions, and metrics;

• Translation of products created throughout the project into a strategic foresight toolkit to support future decision-making.

Results:

Using a strategic foresight approach resulted in the identification of four strategic focus areas that were not only future-oriented, but also supported greater collaboration between departments. Unlike past strategic plans, the strategic focus areas were not directly connected to specific service areas, creating the conditions for holistic and systems-level actions. Additionally, using this approach supported active engagement among a range of stakeholders (residents, staff and Council), with many reporting that the strategic planning process was actually fun.

In August 2023, the Region of Waterloo Council formally adopted the strategic plan.