Mission & Core Values

Mission Statement

A corporate mission statement defines an organization’s purpose. Our corporate mission is:

The City of Courtenay proudly serves our community by providing a balanced range of sustainable municipal services.

Core Values

City of Courtenay Staff Video 2016

Core values are the highest priorities, deeply held beliefs, and fundamental driving forces of an organization.  Core values define who we are as an organization, guide our decision making, help us recruit, hire, engage, manage and retain quality employees, and inspire good relations with the people we serve.

Our core values are:

  • People Matter
  • Be Accountable
  • Depend on Each Other
  • Pursue Excellence
  • Celebrate Success

Our organization’s mission statement and core values were developed from the ground-up.

In 2015, employees were asked for their feedback on working for the City of Courtenay – including their level of job satisfaction, what they thought our organization did well, and where they thought we could improve.

An organization-wide employee survey, plus individual interviews and a focus group helped identify the City of Courtenay’s employee culture and priorities.

This information was used to develop the five core values you see above. These core values were unveiled at a launch event in March 2016 for all staff. A second, smaller launch was held in June 2016 for employees that weren’t able to attend the first one, including new and seasonal staff.

Following the first launch, team meetings were held with every City of Courtenay department. Staff from each department volunteered as “champions” to represent their team and coordinate suggestions on how the core values can be embedded throughout our organization, providing recommendations to senior management.