City hall seeks to improve public engagement

From mom’s groups to mosques, Edmonton and university officials have compiled a list of all organizations connected to each neighbourhood as they push city bureaucrats to go a little deeper into communities.

For years, Edmonton’s typical public consultation plans started and ended with the community leagues and a town-hall-style open house.

Now they’re realizing that’s not good enough, said Coun. Michael Walters, talking up a new public engagement policy approved by committee Tuesday.

“The effort is to reach as many people as possible,” he said, adding the city needs to allow a full range of citizens to shape their city. “Edmonton isn’t just your white, middle-class city anymore.”

The plan still needs council approval. It’s been in the works since 2013, and city officials say more work needs to be done before the policy brings the full culture shift the city needs. But they’ve experimented with different forms of engagement and meeting styles while writing the policy.

Kristen Goa, a community member who helped write the plan, told councillors people react in fear when they have no say in changes that affect them. That’s evident in poorly run city meetings where the goals aren’t clear and the discussion is dominated by a few angry residents.

“Underneath that anger is deep fear and frustration,” said Goa, adding it can feel risky to speak up with an alternative point of view during those meetings.

But she’s already seen a change, she said, naming several recent open houses where information was presented in a variety of ways and everyone had the chance to share their views. It was energizing and gave her the answers she needed, she said. “There were angry people, but they didn’t dominate the discourse.”

But Elaine Solez, another participant,

said she’s waiting to see if city officials truly embrace the new approach “and not just go through the motions.”

A new engagement branch within the new communications department will be responsible for the policy — it will be up to all departments to implement it. The list of nearly 1,000 community organizations is a prototype. City staff said it will be updated and officially launched by the end of this year.