By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
On July 30, a city-led event was held in Sherbrooke, where City Liaison Officer Olivia Letendre engaged with local day campers to discuss the city’s new urban planning initiative. The event aimed to involve the community’s youngest members in shaping the future of their city. The meeting also featured Geneviève La Roche, Chair of the Land Use Planning Commission, and Stéphanie Côté, Urban Planning Project Manager, who explained the importance of urban planning in accessible terms.
Letendre opened the event by expressing gratitude to everyone involved and emphasized the significance of the children’s input, stating, “The City of Sherbrooke wants to hear from you because you are our citizens today and our citizens of tomorrow as well.”
The children were encouraged to share their thoughts. Letendre posed thought-provoking questions such as, “What do you like about your city, what do you dislike about your city?” and “If you were mayor for a day, what would you change?”
La Roche explained her role as a municipal councillor, saying, “I work, I am elected. That means people in my district voted for me to represent them at City Hall with our mayor.” She outlined how decisions are made about various community amenities, such as parks and pools.
