The City agreed to a GCL Focus group of 8-12 citizens to be conducted on the evening of Nov 26th - GCL extended invitations to its member organizations and city-wide membership. 12 people registered and 9 were able to make it on the night. MacMillan Marketing group lead us through a series of 6 questions seeking input on the "Corporate Communications Plan" (one suggestion was to find a more community-friendly name for the plan) Email tara.sprigg@guelph.ca if you're interested in seeing a copy of the focus group report.
_________________________________________________________________________
Prior to the focus group, GCL asked how citizens could take part in the communications/engagement
review if their command of English or literacy level was not conducive
to written surveys. Here is the reply from Tara Sprigg:
Annie, we're relying on our key informant interviews with the Executive
Director of Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington, the United Way, the
Volunteer Centre, Neighbourhood Support Coalition, Guelph Community
Foundation, the Accessibility Advisory Committee, and your organization
to represent those who use their services, including those in the groups
you reference below.
In addition, much of the secondary research we spoke about last week
yielded good information on these questions. So too is the LIP (Local
Immigration Partnership) exploring how residents' whose first language
is not English wish to receive information (not only from the
municipality but from other service delivery agents) and be engaged. We
believe that leveraging other reports, best practices research, and
other consultation processes is an extremely useful supplement to our
primary research process.
Unfortunately, not every consultation the City does allows the time and
budget to offer surveys and/or face-to-face sessions in languages other
than English. We recognize that opportunities exist to partner with
these organizations and others to help facilitate this -- it's something
we've done in the past and will no doubt do more of in the future.
Tara Sprigg
________________________________________________________________________
For a review of how the City communicates, the City hired MacMillan Communications as consultants and planned a series of council, staff and community workshops, 25 stakeholder interviews and conducted best practice literature review/research. The community workshops were cancelled one day prior due to low registration numbers and are replaced with surveys. It is not yet apparent how citizens, who's command of the English language or literacy levels are not sufficient to complete surveys, will participate. GCL has posed this question with Tara Spriggs. GCL has also asked for a focus group to provide feedback on the communications and engagement review process.
Below you will find the City's invitation to citizens to take part in surveys and following that the approach that the City of Vancouver is taking to review citizen engagement.
Guelph residents invited to weigh in on how the City communicates
Residents have until November 20 to complete online survey
GUELPH, ON, November 6, 2009 – A survey to explore residents’ preferences for receiving information and participating in the municipal process goes live at http://www.guelph.ca/survey today.
The survey is one of the ways the City is gathering information to inform its Corporate Communications Plan. It consists of 12 questions which will help test the findings of the public consultation process to date.
Hard copies of the survey are also available at ServiceGuelph in the main space at City Hall, at the Victoria Road Recreation Centre, and at the West End Community Centre.
Results of the survey will be tabulated and analyzed by MacMillan Marketing Group, the firm retained to develop and facilitate the consultation process for the City’s Corporate Communications Plan. The online survey replaces three focus group-type sessions, originally scheduled for mid-October which were cancelled due to low enrolment.
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About the City of Guelph's Corporate Communications Plan
The City’s Corporate Communications Plan will guide the City of Guelph’s efforts in building awareness of City services and initiatives, foster participation in City programs, (such as curbside sorting or voting) and encourage public participation in the municipal process.
Public consultation for the Plan is being supplemented with best practices research, including new approaches in municipal communications, and secondary research analysis of recent public input reports.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tara Sprigg
Manager, Corporate Communications
Information Services
T 519-829-0981
E tara.sprigg@guelph.ca
VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL MOTION ON NOTICE
4. Citizens’ Summit
MOVED by Councillor Reimer
SECONDED by Councillor Deal
WHEREAS the City of Vancouver is committed to bringing the community into City Hall
by engaging citizens, and soliciting their ideas, input and creative energy;
AND WHEREAS Vancouver faces many economic, social and environmental challenges
AND WHEREAS the City has a unique ability to convene a dialogue amongst the many
diverse communities in Vancouver, both geographic and demographic;
AND WHEREAS although the City has a strong history of good consultation, increasing
diversity and increased community expectations for engagement necessitate constant
improvement in how to engage citizens in policy and planning decisions
AND WHEREAS part of the City’s role is to provide opportunities for citizens to learn
and exchange on urban issues;
AND WHEREAS the City Manager is reviewing the many processes used by different
departments and staff in the city to consult the public in advance of City policy and
planning decisions.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
1. THAT the City Manager be asked to facilitate a citizens’ summit series
as part of an ongoing process of improving citizen engagement on public
policy and planning decisions in Vancouver.
2. THAT the City Manager be tasked with determining appropriate budgets
and staff resources to support such an initiative and to work with the
Mayors office to ensure that there is appropriate citizen leadership
involved in the design of the series.
3. THAT the City Manager be asked to integrate the plan for the citizens
summit series into the on-going review of consultation and engagement
strategies, to ensure the goal of producing a plan based on best
practices.
THIS WAS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY BY COUNCIL
* * * * *
Supports Item No. 4
CS&B Committee Agenda
July 28, 2009
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