Working Group Mandate

Roles & Responsibilities:

• To support the vision, values and mandate of Headwaters Communities in Action
• To be an advocate for trails with various levels of government and other organizations
• To promote and support existing trails throughout the region
• To develop a shared vision for Trails development and promotion within the region
• To advance that vision by creating a shared plan that will:
  • Develop an inventory of existing trails and who manages them
  • Research and share best practices with local trails groups
  • Identify priorities for future development
  • Identify key issues to be resolved and explore and recommend strategies to address them
• To link trail bodies to possible funding sources
• To foster collaboration amongst partners, community groups, agencies and governments to support trail development and maintenance.
• To challenge partners to see the opportunities in collaboration to realize our shared vision.

Geographic Boundary of Our Work

Our geographic boundaries include:

• Dufferin County
• North Caledon
• Eastern Wellington (including Erin, Orton & Hillsburgh)

We are prepared to work collaboratively around the “edges” of our region and
acknowledge that these boundaries are flexible depending on what is happening in neighbouring jurisdictions.

Decision Making:

The Working Group makes regular reports to the Leadership Council of Headwaters Communities in Action.  In developing its recommendations, the Working Group will:

• Establish a “resource group of local experts” to provide us with additional advice and perspectives
• ensure members have an opportunity to share their perspectives and speak their concerns
• strive for consensus whenever possible
• agree to abide by majority rule if no consensus can be reached

Time commitments:  tbd by the work plans of the working group

HCIA Mandate:

The purpose of Headwaters Communities in Action is to engage the residents of Dufferin County and surrounding communities to mobilize their collective assets to ensure the highest possible quality of life for all residents.

We fulfill our mandate by:

• engaging individuals and organizations throughout the Headwaters area in sharing their ideas and perspectives about what is needed to enhance social prosperity  – broadening and deepening commitment to a shared vision
• facilitating opportunities for collaboration that will strengthen the community among diverse sectors within the Headwaters area
• creating and implementing a community plan with specific goals, activities and action plans to achieve measurable results that demonstrate our shared vision of social prosperity

HCIA Vision

“Our communities will speak with one voice as we establish an integrated mechanism for social, economic and environmental planning in a way that respects historic continuity, maintains and protects the natural environment, coordinates and promotes services and establishes a sense of community for the residents of the Headwaters region, so that we can enhance and celebrate the prosperity, health and well-being of the diverse citizens of our communities.”

Project Values:

1. Inclusion and Accessibility – We recognize the intrinsic value of all people and are committed to engaging all citizens in building the region’s social prosperity
2. Multi-Sector Collaboration – We recognize that collaborating across various sectors in new ways is key to addressing complex community issues
3. Sustainability – We are committed to building upon existing community strengths and designing sustainable initiatives
4. Innovation –We will model and nurture creativity and innovation throughout the Headwaters Region
5. Effectiveness – We will monitor our progress, continuously learn and apply and share our learnings to ensure we are maximizing our resources