In September 2019, City Council approved the City’s 2019-2023 strategic plan Guelph. Future Ready. An aspirational and ambitious plan with a vision to make Guelph an inclusive, connected, prosperous city where we look after each other and our environment.

But a plan is just a plan until we make it happen. It’s what we do next that matters. It’s whether we live up to our values and how much progress we make towards our vision.

So, we started updating how we measure and report on our progress. Being honest and open about our results is the only way we can get better and truly reach our aspirations. Then 2020 happened, and the world tipped upside down.

The organization refocused its resources on supporting people and business through COVID-19. We’ve also been working to set the community standard for the elimination of systemic racism with a community-led, City supported approach. We paused certain projects, accelerated others. We engaged and collaborated with local agencies, community partners, other municipalities and other orders of government to provide the best possible service and support for our community.

Throughout this unprecedented change, we stayed committed to our goal of better measurement and transparency. This is Guelph’s first Future Ready Progress Report. It’s data-driven and results-focused. It’s integrated with the City’s budget so it’s easier to see how our investments align with the goals of City Council and our community. It’s an important step toward becoming a more performance-oriented and data-driven organization.

We know there are gaps we need to address and areas where we need to improve our knowledge of organizational performance. We’re working across the organization to create common practices and a shared culture around performance management. We want to be able to celebrate progress and act quickly to adjust and support where needed.

I am impressed by every single thing we accomplished during this remarkably challenging year. I am grateful to work among such talented, caring and dedicated public servants here at the City of Guelph.

Our renewed focus on data and performance measurement will help the community understand the quality of service we are providing. Demonstrating value and being transparent about where we have opportunity for growth and improvement will build trust and accountability.

This is only the beginning of our future ready journey; so keep watching as we continue to share our stories, identify new opportunities for growth and improvement while we report on our progress.