The Basic Planning Statement is intended to guide and facilitate development and land use decisions in the municipality for a period of five to ten years. The objectives and policies contained in this plan apply to the entire area within the corporate boundaries of the RM of Grayson.

The Rural Municipality of Grayson is bordered on the south by the Qu'Appelle River Valley. Resulting from this unique geographical feature are forms of development and land use along lakeshores and valley slopes that are different from the agriculture land uses prevalent on the land above the valley and the cultivated land within the valley.

To facilitate and ensure effective, long-term development and land use management, lands within the municipality are divided into two areas: a Rural Planning Area, which is primarily agricultural, and a Valley Planning Area which is primarily resort development with mixed residential densities.

Council recognizes that the Valley Planning Area is premised on historical records and experience with The Pheasant Hills Planning District. Therefore, changes that have occurred in this area have resulted in policies which are very similar for both the Valley and Rural Planning Area.

The Basic Planning Statement for the RM of Grayson is based upon the results of studies and surveys undertaken throughout 2003. These studies included a community questionnaire, an open house barbeque, public informational meetings, consultation with provincial agencies and residential hamlets, site inspections, meeting with Cowessess First Nation, and numerous meetings with Council.

This municipal community has people living on farms, ranches, and in resort areas. The rural population has seen a decline, although the valley is seeing a transition from seasonal to year round residential especially for retirees who are attracted to the scenery and amenities of the region.

The RM of Grayson is experiencing a new dynamic due to the Treaty Land Entitlement Process. To date, this has changed the ownership of land in the municipality, but not the land use.

This Basic Planning Statement is an attempt to stay current with the challenges of development and the diversification of land use in the RM of Grayson. Agriculture remains the dominant land use; however, there is pressure from residential development. There is a need for economic development including tourism, home-based and agricultural commercial businesses with an overriding concern for the integrity of the valley and all its tributaries and the need for environmental management.

The goals in the "Plan" recognize these development concerns and have been established to keep pace with the exciting changes facing the RM of Grayson.