Town of High Level Municipal Development Plan Update

The Town of High Level is seeking proposals from qualified planning consulting firms to undertake a review and update of the Town's Municipal Development Plan (MDP), Alberta's primary statutory planning document for guiding long-term growth, development, land use, infrastructure investment, and municipal decision-making. The current MDP was adopted in 2018 and requires updating to reflect current community priorities, development trends, provincial legislation, and contemporary planning practices.

The successful proponent will be responsible for completing all aspects of the MDP update process, including background research and analysis, public and stakeholder engagement, preparation of draft and final plan documents, development of an implementation framework, and support through statutory adoption and public hearing processes.

Key project components include: - Review of existing statutory and non-statutory planning documents, studies, strategies, and policies. - Preparation of a Context Analysis and Background Review examining growth, housing, economic development, infrastructure, environmental considerations, community resilience, and regional planning matters. - Development and implementation of a public and stakeholder engagement program, including engagement with residents, businesses, regional partners, and Indigenous communities. - Preparation of a Draft Municipal Development Plan, including supporting mapping, graphics, and policy recommendations. - Preparation of an implementation framework identifying priority actions, timelines, responsibilities, and future planning initiatives required to implement the Plan. - Support through Council review, public hearing, and statutory bylaw adoption processes.

The Town intends the updated MDP to be a practical, implementation-focused document that addresses growth management, housing and workforce attraction, economic diversification, infrastructure planning, environmental stewardship and resilience, and regional and Indigenous relationships. The anticipated project schedule includes consultant selection in November 2026, project commencement in December 2026, and project completion by October 2027.

Proposals must include a technical submission outlining the proponent's qualifications, project team, relevant experience, methodology, engagement approach, and project schedule, together with a separate cost proposal. The Town encourages proponents to identify optional value-added services that may enhance project outcomes; however, such services must be clearly identified and separately priced. The Town's maximum project budget is $200,000, excluding GST. Proposals exceeding the available budget may be deemed non-compliant.