Within a week, the city could have a process in place to begin the planning of each of its five regional parks.

At Monday's city council meeting, planning manager Pat Ross and consultant John Glynn-Morris brought forward the proposed Regional Parks Plan that will serve as a framework for the planning of future parks.

As Ross told council, the city's Official Community Plan (OCP) outlined five larger park areas around Chadburrn Lake, McIntyre Creek, Paddy's Pond/Ice Lake, McLean Lake and Wolf Creek.

"Since the OCP's adoption, the public have regularly asked for management plans for these areas, in order to better define them,” Ross said.

While decisions are already being made that impact the parks plan, Ross stressed the importance of the proposed document.

"... without a framework, it is difficult to know whether these decisions are having the intended consequences. A decision-making framework helps avoid ad hoc decision-making by providing a mechanism. The framework is structured to give clarity on guiding principles, vision, goals, strategies, actions, outcomes and roles, responsibilities and partnerships,” he stated in his report to council.

A draft policy was released in May for public comment.

It stressed the importance of public parks in maintaining regional ecosystems, enhancing natural space and the education component that parks space provides to the public.

Changes to the draft were made including edits to the decision-making section to recognize the history of use First Nations have in the regional park areas; some edits to the vision statement; clarity to sections on infrastructure; emphasizing the importance of partnerships in seeking leverage for funding; clarifying that council has final decision-making authority and minor edits to the background.

There are also several additions to the plan, including:

• recognizing heritage as a separate value under the guiding principles;

• using the "limits of acceptable change” model in understanding and describing ecological character;

• working with other governments in considering connectivity of the natural systems which cross boundaries;

• education to dog owners on bylaws and mitigation for "harmful dog-caused impacts” to parks;

• connecting with local scientists;

• emphasizing the need for participatory planning;

• greater guidelines for future commercial operations within the parks;

• using a "place-making concept” that would help create better connections between people and places;

• emphasizing the need to determine priorities when implementing the plan; and

• the measuring of healthy ecosystems and environment by looking at key landscapes, ecological features and sensitive ecosystems.

There were also some additions to the glossary coming out of the other changes.

While council won't vote on the plan until next week, members voiced their support for the document.

As Coun. Betty Irwin pointed out, many of the suggestions put forward by the public were incorporated into the plan.

The document, she said, looks long into the future and will help the city move forward.

"It really is important we have that vision,” Irwin said, after complimenting Glynn-Morris on his work.

"I think it's really well done,” she said. "Let's keep the wilderness wild.”

Coun. Dave Stockdale, as well, said the plan is comprehensive and reflects that Whitehorse is a "fantastic place to live.”

"I'm really, truly blown away,” Mayor Dan Curtis said.

If it's adopted next week, the city will begin implementation work and working on plans for each of the five regional parks.