Canadian Urban Institute

In February St. Elizabeth Parish of Jamaica celebrated the start of its sustainable development planning process and the opening of the new office of the Parish Development Committee (PDC). This event marked the beginning of a new phase of CUI’s partnership programming in Jamaica funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). In this phase of programming, St. Elizabeth will be the second parish to undertake local sustainable development planning (LSDP) based on the participatory model piloted in Manchester Parish through an earlier phase of CUI support.  The St. Elizabeth PDC is a citizen advisory group that is leading the planning process together with the St. Elizabeth Parish Council, the local government authority.

St. Elizabeth begins its LSDP process with a strategic focus on the ecologically sensitive economic growth zone of the parish. This area stretches from the Great Pedro Bluff known for its fertile farmlands, through the coastal Treasure Beach area with its fishing communities and pristine beaches, and up to and including the Town of Black River and the surrounding lower Morass, which includes the largest estuary in the Caribbean Region. By focusing on this region, the parish aims to capitalize on its potential for economic growth in key sectors such as community-based tourism and agri-business, while protecting the region’s sensitive ecosystem.

The launch of the “Greater Treasure Beach Sustainable Development Plan” event was hosted by the St. Elizabeth PDC and its Chair, Jason Henzell (second from the left in the photo) and the St. Elizabeth Parish Council headed by His Worship, Mayor Jeremy Palmer (third from the right). The Canadian Urban Institute was represented by Andrew Farncombe, Vice President of International Partnerships (fourth from the right) and Edward Sajecki, Member of CUI’s Board of Directors and Commissioner of Planning and Building with the City of Mississauga.

The event brought together a wide spectrum of parish stakeholders – local government officials, local business and community organizations and area residents – who came out to express their great enthusiast to take part in guiding the future of their community. Among the participants were also political leaders of the parish, including, Dr. Christopher Tufton, Member of Parliament (second from the right), for South West Elizabeth and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Custos Wilfred Nembhard (first on the left); as well as representatives from the national government – Senator Warren Newby, Parliamentary Secretary – and national agencies responsible for planning and local government reform. The participating agencies committed support to the planning process through technical expertise and in-kind contributions. During the event participants learned about the planning area and heard a motivational presentation from Edward Sajecki, who shared some lessons and success factors from Canadian local planning experiences. The event concluded with a signing ceremony of Memoranda of Understanding between project partners.

With funding from CIDA, CUI has been active in Jamaica for over 10 years supporting the advancement of Jamaica’s local government reform agenda, with a particular emphasis on the participatory democracy elements of that agenda: local sustainable development planning (LSDP) and strengthening of the Parish Development Committee (PDC) system. With land use planning authority centralized with the national government, LSDP is taking root in the country as a key mechanism for local governments to engage with their communities in a conversation about the future. It is also a key tool for the implementation of Jamaica’s National Development Plan, Vision 2030, which is guiding the country through the next stage of its development.  Established just over 10 years ago, PDCs are gaining importance in the country as a non-partisan forum providing citizens and communities with a voice in local affairs and planning. In the new phase of our programming, CUI continues our partnership with Manchester Parish, turning focus from planning towards implementation of the LSDP and building capacity within the parish local authority, the Manchester Parish Council and community, represented by Manchester PDC, for implementing the development goals and policy solutions outlined in its plan.

For more information on CUI's programming in Jamaica, please visit the CUI website.