Developing another major attraction to bring in more tourists and ensuring the downtown remains viable are some suggestions residents want the new Official Community Plan (OCP) to address.
The City of Moose Jaw has been hosting stakeholder sessions to acquire feedback about what people want to see in an updated OCP and zoning bylaw. One recent workshop — held at the Grant Hall Hotel on Feb. 9 — focused on tourism, services and shops.
Consultants Brenda and Allan Wallace with Wallace Insights hosted the workshop and explained how Moose Jaw could look in the future. Afterward, attendees viewed interactive display boards and offered suggestions on affordability, transportation, natural resources and future trends.
The tourism and visitor economies are vital to Moose Jaw’s economic well-being and are the biggest employers here, David Wood, general manager of Temple Gardens Mineral Spa and member of Visit Moose Jaw, told the Express.
Tourism is one reason people come here for the first time, while the industry is a small ecosystem where all businesses hurt if one suffers, he continued. The community is worse off when a shop or café sits vacant or closes. Conversely, coffee shops, restaurants and stores usually flourish when Temple Gardens is full.
It’s important for the OCP to address tourism and the service industries because that process shouldn’t be haphazard, Wood stated. A new tourist-focused hotel should be constructed where there are attractions, while space should be set aside for another major anchor attraction. Thus, the zoning bylaw should help facilitate those issues.
When asked what major attraction he wanted to see, Wood chuckled and said that’s for more creative minds to determine, considering he’s more of an accountant.
“If there is a great idea out there that somebody has, Moose Jaw is a great place to bring it. You’ve got the spa, the casino, the tunnels, but another anchor attraction would help,” he added.
Moose Jaw is already a great community, so the municipality should ensure the updated OCP doesn’t lead to unnecessary wholesale changes, added Wood. Furthermore, discussions about having higher population density would require the construction of tall tower blocks, making Moose Jaw look quite different and requiring a community discussion.
Jacki L’Heureux-Mason, executive director of Tourism Moose Jaw, thought it was great that these stakeholder meetings were future-focused. One comment from the Wallaces that caught her attention was how city council believes the population is unlikely to grow anymore.
“I completely disagree. Just because we haven’t doesn’t mean we can’t. And I think that conversations like this really allow people to start thinking about ways we can really, seriously grow our population,” she said.
“I don’t think any of us want an 80,000-person city, but a 50,000-person city sounds like a lot of infrastructure that gets done instead of piecing it out like it is now.”
Discussions about future trends also interested L’Heureux-Mason, who noted the community no longer has the luxury of being left behind.
“I think we have to be rowing the boat in the same direction,” she remarked, noting focusing on industry is important since the community could attract more young people by offering $50-an-hour jobs.
While transportation may not be important to tourists since they drive here, what is important is their ability to walk downtown, which is one of the community’s best assets, said L’Heureux-Mason. She normally tells visitors they can park their vehicles all day and not have to move them while wandering downtown.
Besides building up the downtown, city hall should consider developing more attractions on Thatcher Drive so tourists can enjoy that area if they stay in nearby hotels, she added. Also, by improving tourism-employed workers’ lives, they will enjoy their jobs more and develop new ideas to benefit the city.
