Civic Engagement Forum May 1, 2010 ... - City of Burlington

Civic Engagement Forum May 1, 2010 APPENDIX A Break-Out Session Notes, City of Burlington Page 1 of 28

Community Problem Solving Session Questions

1. How can a commitment to community problem solving be encouraged and supported?

2. How can we ensure that diverse perspectives are included in community problem solving?

3. As new groups are brought into formal structures of civic engagement, how are the relationships between existing and newer groups affected? Do communities work co-operatively and champion newer groups?

4. What are the main issues facing the community groups within the city in the next 5 years? Do these issues provide entry points for citizen engagement?

5. In what ways might we ensure community members establish joint working groups (i.e. inter-faith, diversity, senior, youth and women‟s groups) to promote collaboration among communities? How can we improve their effectiveness among communities? How can we improve their effectiveness and success?

Community Problem Solving Session Content

COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION SHARING:

Hard to get diverse perspectives because it is hard to reach all people. We need to learn how to engage everyone

Possibility explored by “Shape Burlington” community web portal made by the community rather than the City of Burlington

Education about community events on diversity is not good enoughand we need to go beyond food and culture in order to let people feel welcome

Media: Shape Burlington failure of Burlington Post to cover community issues and only covers advertisements etc

Get back into the public schools and high school with a lot more focus on educating youth about volunteerism, scholarships, encouragement to be involved and monitor what is happening politically

o This approach would also help encourage voting at all levels among the youth

People don‟t notice things that are not on the front page of the paper changing the format of the page to advertise information on community meetings

When people have issues or problems they do not know where to go not everyone has ability to figure out the information they need to know


o More education needs to be available so that people can have their questions answered

Possibly create the position of a coordinator to be able to direct people to the information they need to know – 311 and 211 do some of it, but when dealing with older people or people who don‟t speak English this service is not always effective

The community needs to be made aware of what is going on with citizen groups. Whether it be through the local newspaper or a community newspaper, the public needs to know what is going on with the various committees. Change City Talk to add a section to talk about sessions and issues the City wants people to attend to.

Encourage the use of community databases like Halton Community Services Database, Creative Burlington cultural directory on website, City of Burlington and Tourism Burlington event web pages.

Media - Burlington Post has little room for community issues.

Social media - not everyone has access to computers.

Public in Burlington never hear about what is happening at the Region.

Lack of communication to residents

Develop innovative ways of communication.

COMMUNITY ISSUES/PROBLEMS:

Burlington does not recognize that it has problems. Therefore, before Burlington can solve its problems it must acknowledge that it has problems. In order to support problems is a whole other matter a lot of people feel they don‟t have time to engage

Concern: when a problem is being tackled by a community perspective it almost becomes a turf war among groups (i.e. seniors, multicultural, etc.) – don‟t scope problems properly in order to make “the tent bigger”

What mechanisms are there in existence to get people‟s attention and prioritize things that are issues?

too frequently things go along until people strongly object to them

People are not engaged in priority setting measures

Need to constantly develop levels of awareness

Visible decisions get attention – too late for engagement, needs to happen before


Transit strong sense that no one takes transit, but many people do and in order for any community to serve its citizens well it needs to have a good transit system

Need to change mindset around transit so that people think of it as better and ridership increases – more value out of the money

Cars should not need to be used all of the time – shift the prevailing attitude

Sometimes we need to suffer for the benefit of the good - Burlington has improved

Transit is linked to everything – housing and economy

Public transportation – costs too much money – need small flexible transit unlike the current system

Idea that we can‟t have good public transit in Burlington because there aren‟t enough people

Possible solution is to cut transit so decrease costs

Much discontentment expressed with current transit system

Big government transit solution – i.e. Metrolinx Ontario Wide transit implies Burlington is a commuter city to Toronto and Hamilton

Shift in attitude needed towards sensitivity to local needs

Employment – Burlington is a bedroom community

We have a lot of homes but not a lot of business

Limits sense of community

Youth – parents who are working need a place where their children can stay and be safe

New plan for the city – currently at the start of a new cycle

Should be as broad based as possible – issues of equity and opportunity for people need to be taken into account

Access to opportunity is important

Need to be able to blend old and new community to create something that benefits all

Applies to everything (transit, jobs, etc)

Continuous struggle with environment interconnected to other issues and all need to be brought together. Recent The City‟s environment event had limited attendance– no “environmental colleagues”. Had to pay to be part of City May 6th environmental forum; such an event should be offered free-of-charge.


Affordable Housing

People are currently displaced from our sense of community because they cannot afford to live here

Good citizenship is the understanding that people need help

Affordable housing is not available as needed and need is only going to grow

Service industries in Burlington are staffed by people who cannot afford to live in Burlington being addressed in part by intensification

Intensification of downtown – people do not understand how important it is – is a compounding problem

Citizens see it as more and more condos – are not affordable for people

Need to better educate the public because when affordable housing is available people accuse council of supporting people on welfare to an unfair degree

Healthcare

people need to be educated to understand the dire situation the healthcare system is in

when people are involved in the community on one specific item, they need to be able to look at the whole picture

reality of aging population has implications for healthcare

Education

needs to be given to people so that they understand what people‟s tax dollars actually pay for because people have no idea

Not dealing with religion very well – need to have it more in the schools so that diverse religions can be celebrated

Tax levels and economy in general

spending and debt by government at all levels probably going to affected in next 10 years by tax increases and reductions in service and lifestyle

going to have huge effects on people in Burlington

Issues and entry points – maybe do a survey across the city and evaluation of the city “Do you have an interest in participating in groups?”

Strategic planning process needs to have an engagement process in the beginning – need to find ways to get people to participate in the strategic plan. Take advantage of those that are already organized (through other groups).

No ability to finance ideas – need to get finance

Need to better prioritize issues so that finance can match them


DIVERSITY:

How do you include diverse perspectives? Decision makers get the benefit of diverse consultation

o One improvement would be to have diverse decision makers will help the community

o Community leaders need to be a reflection of the community – but until profile of decision makers is moved then same issues will exist

Diversity is more than just skin colour and language includes youth, senior, attitudes, etc.

Institutions are wired in the past but not wired to fit in new diversity: how do we include diversity and newcomers into old institutions? Maybe we need new institutions in order to encourage diversity?

o Birth of new institutions (I.e. PAC) could allow for having a new opportunity for inclusion and diversity

Have to have a diverse committee or diverse groups of people for diverse perspectives to be included. Not all ethnic communities came out to participate in the forum and that limits engagement.

If a need is not represented then we need to go out and find people to fill a role - but reaching out is difficult

o Have to go to their newspaper or their form of media so that you can reach that group of people – can‟t use outlets that they don‟t use

o Do people in a particular community not represented here today feel excluded? Maybe they don‟t feel excluded?

IDENTITY – TRANSPARENCY:

many people living and working in Burlington don‟t associate themselves with the City of Burlington

electronic social media makes it harder to be part of any local community

people don‟t take ownership of their community

People go outside of Burlington to socialize. The public needs to be educated about community problems. For example, seniors – the Mayor‟s Seniors Advisory Committee collects information from seniors and understands the challenges that are facing them. This information then needs to be shared with the community and they need to be identified.


Educate the public on poverty; the city hides the issue well so no one believes it to be an issue. Show how difficult it is to live on minimum wage.

The public needs to feel empowered and worthy of input – need to be listened to and be heard. People need to know HOW to put in their input. People are not involved because they do not know. People don‟t care about transportation because they have cars.

Burlington is a laid back, „sleeping city‟

The issues need to be broad, not specific. The broader the issue, the greater the interest from the public.

The media plays a big role in public persuasion. The Burlington Post does not cover community issues in a comprehensive way. Writers and editors lack the knowledge and expertise.

Is it not important enough for councillors to clear their schedule to come to events like the forum?

Don‟t look to the City to solve all issues – neighbourhoods need to get involved. Community groups need to get involved

Outreach is important. Resources need to be made available to community groups and it should be updated.

FUNDING:

Funders don‟t understand well the communities; not interested in community building

o Therefore, the step from providing very local service to funding some of the infrastructure needs that allow groups to link together has not been made yet

Administration pieces to link different groups is difficult as funders fund specific projects and not creating linkages

o This makes meaningful collaboration among groups with similar goals difficult (i.e. coordination of service is not happening but duplication is occurring because coordination does not exist)

How can we create linkages between groups in order to encourage collaboration when we are cash strapped Non-Government Organizations relying on project specific funding?


Question around who should be targeted? Need to define the community by bringing more groups to the table

o Need to better frame what the discussion questions are so that all are interested

o Local funders are not here at the event which is unfortunate because they don‟t experience the silo effect as we do – they may not be aware that it even exists

Municipalities should provide more funding support though a grants program to assist community not-for-profits

GOVERNANCE:

Paradigm shift need to mesh new ideas in new institutions and look at altering the structure of old institutions institutions are hard wired in the past and the structure needs to be changed

Burlington is a 2-tier municipality because we have roles & responsibilities divided between the municipal government and the regional government – Diversity is a 1 tier government responsibility – and this makes it more difficult for Burlington to engage – but is a challenge that needs to be overcome

o Being a 2-tier municipality often can lead to duplication in work o Region has a Diversity Advisory Committee and Accessibility Committee o City has an Accessibility Advisory Committee (BAAC), Seniors Advisory

Committee, an Inclusivity Advisory Committee (BIAC) and a Mayor's Youth Advisory Committee

Challenge: determining jurisdictions

Citizens have the option of phoning, emailing, writing to or meeting with their ward Councilor and/or the Mayor or appearing as a delegation to committees and/or council. Having noted this, some participants mentioned the process of appearing as a delegation to be intimidating; requested to be encouraged and educated on the process.

How do you go beyond silos? Encourage neighbourhood councils. I.e. Aldershot – partnering Aldershot – organize things in community groups – lunches for the isolated seniors.

It is the responsibility of the individual citizen to get involved. Citizen / community groups have a responsibility to engage themselves. If you are a new group you need to fight for your place in the community. Groups are not created by the government, but are created by the community. For example, Burlington Green successfully fights for their place in the community.


Regardless of your group, there is still a power structure - and it is hard to get in. Seems that there are always the same 50 people who go to meetings and sit on committees. People still have insecurities about joining a community group or approaching Council and Standing Committees as they feel that they don‟t have the relationship with City Council or staff.

NEWCOMERS:

Newcomers need to know how they can be engaged in the community

Newcomer groups can help people know what is available and how they can be involved. New people to Burlington are not aware of what the community has to offer

Most „cultural‟ events are focused on food and dance, but we need some level of input that is beyond food and dance

o Which is more focused on neutral things like library, police, hospitals and spreading knowledge and sharing information (i.e. set up meaningful dialog between services and culture)

o Canadian culture has failed we don‟t celebrate culture in a meaningful sense but focus on soft culture like food and dance

How do we take all of our diversities and evolve ourselves into our new society? it‟s all about how we come together and create something that is for all of us

Need to educate population to let them know that services are available (i.e. that Halton Multicultural Council provides a diverse range of services to newcomers)

OUTREACH – INCLUSION:

The City needs to find ways to reach out to community leaders instead of waiting for people to come and volunteer

Some people may not have the confidence to come out and volunteer or get engaged.

There seems to be the same group of people who attend meetings and are on committees. Diversity goes beyond government‟s comfort level. For example, having a senior on a committee does not mean that they are representing all seniors.

People feel that City Hall is the biggest problem – people cannot speak, cannot ask questions and cannot engage with council when delegate. They feel that Council has already made up their minds so there is no point in expressing their opinions.


Meetings and forums needs to be publicized more efficiently.

If you don‟t know who your customer is…how can you run a business?

City Hall needs to encourage and develop trust among the community.

If they don‟t come to you – you need to go to them.

Groups need to work within their own groups. When members are engaged and educated they will be more involved in the community and have more responsibility.

Engagement is also about being involved in civic duties. For example, educate the public about the resources that are available to them, such as housing facilities, public services, etc.

PARTNERSHIPS:

People work in silos – not-for-profit sector does not talk to the business sector. Therefore, cross fertilization of silos needs to occur. Need to think about how to create mechanisms for cross fertilization

New groups have to find out who the other groups are in the area are and try to make connections

o Need to find out the mandates of each group so that there is no duplication

o Relationships could be affected if unaware of mandates of committee o Possible room for partnerships

Not-for-profit – can have 2 organizations that do the same thing but are funded as silos protect own interests do not fully explore collaborate relationship possibilities

Community Councils – can help to integrate and collaborate sectors and silos o Brought under one umbrella – a partnership once a month in order to

collaborate without infringing on each other mandates o Just the networking often improves service – facilitated by a chair who is

elected o Currently no very good connections exist

Capacity Building – not-for-profit groups have overworked and often underpaid staff and need community support and expertise to build both strategic and business plans; deliver/receive professional development; and build capacity

Ensure inclusivity of groups that they are representing. The group representing may not actually be representing the groups‟ new people at the table and assess what you‟re doing.


Encourage more public forums like this one to exchange ideas and build partnerships.

Capacity building. It is important to train community groups on leadership skills, how to write communications plans, and web tools etc. By providing the resources and training tools community groups have a better chance at being successful.

EVENTS:

Culture events at City facilities/parks are focused on food and dance and is not presented in a meaningful way to citizens (note: no examples given)

The range of events & festivals supported by the City needs to reflect the traditions and arts of various cultural communities.

SPACE AVAILABILITY:

The City needs to make space available.

Primetime availability of meeting spaces is limited

Community spaces at a minimal cost because not all groups can afford facility space. By providing these facilities at a lower rate, the public has better access to meetings.

Subsidizing rent between groups – share space/resources (staff, administration Xerox, space etc.) Ask the Rotary Club to develop a facility for community groups.

VOLUNTEERISM:

Giving back through volunteerism used to exist in communities but is becoming less common this issue is largely connected to community problem solving.

Many people do not feel able to volunteer and become involved. Therefore we need to reach out to these people in order to ensure that groups are inclusive

o It is intimidating to start to be involved o Things need to be simple and often processes, rules, etc are complicated o Need to get in touch with grass roots all over again so people can

contribute on a basic level

Naive to think that people can be reached out to, and added to, a board of directors

o Need to create better citizenship should touch when people are young – build confidence and interest in people at a young age


o Information is powerful o Issues: how do we reach in and support people to develop? Needs to be a

commitment of involvement

Offer support to volunteers so volunteering is more manageable/possible (e.g. the not-for-profit should subsidize child minding, costs of transportation for volunteers, etc.)

Best practices/Research: Could look at worldwide examples of encouraging volunteerism new societies, how did they reach back to the community? o Worldwide there has been much success in creating grassroots

neighbourhood communities (Chile, Cuba, etc) so that people could voice their issues and concerns at a basic level

o Therefore, maybe need to create a “local space” for discussion so people can feel safe to discuss issues provides people with information

o Is it possible for the Burlington to create and sustain such a “local space” and all for free? Do you not think that the taxpayer and City of Burlington are at arms length.

UN-CATEGORIZED INPUT:

Currently society has discouraged people from seeing themselves as the agents of change in their own community

There needs to be a culture shift so that people can take responsibility to be involved; we are all citizens in the “political science definition” in order to participate in decisions that affect our lives

Opportunity to create new best practice that others can learn from – will help teach those of us that are not as active in culture about it and its importance

Many people are too opposed to change; discussion about change and community needs to happen so that all groups can engage effectively so that it is not a case of new replacing old but rather a case of new and old groups meshing and working together

Politicians often think in silos “because they report to bureaucrats” o Limits in the way things are structured – criteria with limiting factors by

definition limit interaction o Don‟t frame the question in a way that everyone is part of the solution

How can a commitment to community problem solving be encouraged and supported?


Open Forum Session Questions

1. What are the main issues facing the community groups within the city in the next 5 years? Do these issues provide entry points for citizen engagement?

2. In what ways might we ensure community members establish joint working groups (i.e. inter-faith, diversity, senior, youth and women‟s groups) to promote collaboration among communities? How can we improve their effectiveness and success?

3. Voter turnout for the last municipal election was low (34%). How can the community work to increase voter turnout for unengaged individuals and/or groups?

4. Are there groups left out of local governance? Who are they? How can you include them?

5. How can community organizations in Burlington encourage citizen engagement and develop relations between people of diverse abilities, social, cultural, faith and linguistic backgrounds to work together on issues of mutual concern?

Open Forum Session Content

COMMUNITY ISSUES:

Alienation

Lack of understanding for newcomer issues

Diversity expanding but is not reflected in the institutions

Old established institutions are not blending with the new ones; how to make the two sets work together? Clarification: “old” refers to formal institutions and new refers to informal institutions

o E.g. Burlington Arts Centre: operating the way it has always been done; not including art from newcomer groups

o Could approach the management [of the Burlington Arts Centre] to ask but feel intimidated; who and how to approach?

o Also need to have something to identify with – something that is welcoming [to the particular cultural group]

o Promote cultural holidays and festivals to be welcoming

Poverty/low income and access to services

Parking at Spencer Smith: people who use/ would like to use the park can‟t afford to park but the City gives free parking to restaurants in the area

Parks & recreation programs costs are prohibitive for low income people

City hall has restricted the use of the City by the citizens by not having free use to basic services e.g. parks

Problem: no development charges – city is going to be looking everywhere for revenue; citizens do not understand this


Not-for-profit Sustainability

Groups established for a specific purpose and fulfillment and move to build on benefit.

Membership growth. Need to build on what‟s common, do we use the same vendors etc. Get groups together and amplify their collective voice. Cultural level is there a need to transfer from one generation to the next, integrate. Collaborate and address those needs at the municipal level. How many groups are there and what is their mandate and come together with their commonalities.

The dynamics are going to change at the community group level. The city needs to rapidly respond to the needs of the community groups. How do you keep people engaged? How do you meld with what the city is doing and keep it going? Need to compel the politicians to be more involved in the community groups. They have such a focus on election year. Need the politicians to be more engaged and look to long-term.

Healthcare

For seniors huge issue. Over 60% senior women living on $21,000 per year. Need to address long term.

Duplication of Services

Community groups trying to do essentially same thing. Some do it better than others, need some sharing of resources and information. Developing information and support portal for community groups and charities – non-profit (i.e. shared calendar, event planning etc.). Hamilton has a few organizations informing on how to establish a group and what‟s needed – Spectator is behind it. Tap into tools they have.

Lack of Communication Channels

Having community based organizations in touch with all the resources available to them. Linking them to language, healthcare, and community services. Is there a portal or 1 information centre to assist?

Communication is key. We have new and already groups formed, need to network with similar topics, real newspaper, different forms of communication (i.e. Facebook, newspapers, flyers etc.).

There are many issues that each group are working on their own (i.e. affordable housing). Could collaborate with all groups as I‟m sure they are finding the same issue. Education is a factor for all. The public at large needs to know what the issues are. Aldershot has a self led community group to address the needs of their community.


Affordable Housing. Concern for lack of low income housing: need to make newcomers aware of what is available

Large disparity of income between haves and have nots. This displays in lack of affordable housing; people spending 75% of income on housing, especially seniors

Need to change by-laws e.g. to allow more than one family to share a house; “we have legislated ourselves out of [allowing affordable options]”. This (sharing housing) is an option for low income housing. One person concerned about how to ensure neighbourhoods stay liveable if laws are changed

Suggestion to reserve some low income housing for newcomers

This is not just newcomers. There are other low income people, especially seniors

Disabled must leave this community because accessible housing does not exist;

Need help to refit their own homes so they can stay in their own houses; comment that help exists but most do not know about it

There is provision for granny flats but only if occupied by family members.

Support resources [not just housing] are not all in the same place. Agencies exist but people are not aware of them.

Needy people often need advocates: they are not aware they need help, especially the elderly

Transit

Very lacking especially for seniors and disabled

Big buses that are empty: smaller buses? How do we redistribute the funds to increase access to transit?

Wheel chair and walker access is a problem on transit

PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATION:

Sometimes silos are necessary in order to grow to look outside silo and reach out and serve the community. For example soccer is huge. Over 6,000 kids play soccer in this community.

Who are the community groups and have they established themselves into the community?


Divergent groups may look at common issues (i.e. aging black population issues are applicable to every group) and work together. There is a problem to identify common issues and come together to work on them and establish solutions.

Definition of community to me is what we have in common, issues and interests. Common communication piece allows issues or interests where all people can get involved. Agree we need a communication vehicle to get out the information.

Transit, an important part of a good community, environmental, seniors, youth and accessibility. Groups are forced to use who do not have a lot of money. Buses are empty. Marketing the service better, making the service better. City Council increased fares even though recovering in economy. Try to involve youth in transit and what are their concerns and what would make it better for them.

People are living below the poverty line – give them free transit (and volunteer somewhere in return). Increase the citizens active and more appreciative and employed…..later on pay for it when they can. Mentorship and open the door to different community groups and involved in problem solving. Break barriers.

Goal of Caribbean Connection is sharing information of culture (i.e. cooking different foods) and inclusive to anyone who has an interest in Caribbean culture. Fundraising activities are promoting inclusive thinking (i.e. Nina‟s place, scholarships etc). We look for ways to partner. Build alliances and commonalities.

What does it mean to be Canadian, what are our values? Integrate within our community.

Have a policy framework and have resources available to support community groups. Reduce adhoc requests.

Have priorities and consistency when approaching community groups for support. Elected officials knowing what the priorities are in the community groups – get out there and know with your presence and not wait until election year. Build an awareness of what is going on. Shouldn‟t be the community groups issue to bring the issue to the Council – it should be Council to outreach and represent the community – shared responsibility with emphasis on Council.

Why couldn‟t we have a multicultural festival to know what‟s out there. Communications, don‟t know what‟s out there. Ribfest – would have been a great start to have something there that points out what is going on in our community.


City can be more proactive in its own promotion of information e.g. send brochures with the tax bills

Remember seniors do not “check the website!” Also –poor people do not have computers

Low-literacy people: often fall into all the disadvantaged categories. Literacy Council supports in many ways (transit, etc.) Most do not use computers, won‟t have one at home. Won‟t/can‟ t read info that comes with a bill.

Need info in plain language especially with government forms

Capitalize on associations and activist groups o [transit] engage neighbourhood associations and condo associations in

discussion on how to solve the lack of/empty bus policies. Have councillors work with these associations; engage the activist groups

o Get activist groups to look outside of their own issues to embrace the whole community

o Need to decrease silos o Form partnerships between groups ; get out of your niche o On the other hand: bringing together people with the same issue helps a

group define the issues and gives them a way to bring them forward o Does this lead to small voter turnout? People don‟t feel it applies to them

[if their issue is not being talked about at election time.]

Need to reach out to youth – youth do not feel engaged in Burlington; tend to get involved when they go to university, not before, because the City does not reach out

Need an “engagement officer”: a person to oversee or bring various agencies together and put callers in touch with the right organization – more active role than Information Burlington – does reaching out. Perhaps an Engagement Champion [there was discussion that the information exists but the group stressed that this champion needs to be actively connecting people with groups, not just giving out the information.]

o This officer needs to be more than one person: need continuity when this person leaves, gets ill etc.

o Need to be available in evenings. Most people work in the day. o Can we use volunteers? Some said yes and some felt there would not be

enough continuity or expertise.

Take Information Burlington to Burlington Mall and Mapleview Mall. Need to find a way of making people aware that the information exists.


Need an adult conversation about raising taxes: many of these problems could be avoided or solved by raising taxes

Need public input to community planning

Need interactions between the various neighbourhood associations, as well, to avoid many “mini cities”

Each councillor : establish local community committees – not following ward boundaries - base on logical neighbourhoods; need serious input not token “listening”

Take the community talks and make them into bigger forums

Community consultation for all neighbourhood projects is a must

Breaking down silos: e.g. like the Hamilton Round table on poverty reduction – the round table represented a wide range of groups and agencies. Need same for Burlington

Need to find a way of creating interest with what is going on

Gear to the group, e.g. provide child care if forum is on issues that concern families, translation for newcomers, etc., to reach the groups needed for the input

Comment about the BIAC forum attendance: few young people

Use social media to reach the young demographic

People must feel that the City is interested in having people live here. Now it is “cold as ice.” [person felt he was invited to a community meeting but not allowed to say anything]

Need capacity building for these community groups: they need to know how to be effective, how to promote themselves

DIVERSITY:

Getting harder, as diversity increases, to “put our arms around everyone else”; don‟t know the other religions holidays, festival days. Don‟t know when to extend special greetings

Afraid of losing traditional Christian holidays and values


Is Islamic community doing enough to fight back against extremists?

From one participant: o Born in Canada but made to feel as if she is a newcomer o Need to address this at the education level : no one group should be

dominant

Too many apologetic Christians (apologizing for saying Merry Christmas) – does that put other groups in position of saying “no, we are not offended?”

Public institutions need to be kept public and secular

“If we want to come together, we need to do it in a way that I don‟t feel my history is being taken away”

Need to acknowledge these feelings (insecurity); Muslims do not have a problem with people saying Merry Christmas; observation that this comes from the lapsed Christians

One participant expressed a concern with all community groups is that there is no black community group reaching out to black seniors. Need black community groups with proper focus on community and culture related to them as well as communication channel to government and assistance.

VOTER TURNOUT:

Hamilton takes such a different role on media enrichment. We don‟t have media communication here in Burlington. There is a major lack of media coverage out in the community.

Same concerns in Hamilton as in Burlington. Awareness and education needs to happen on massive scale. Newspapers are not going to be enough.

We need a more informative media outlet for seniors etc.

Information and dissemination; we need to find out various sectors (i.e. ethnic, age) what is their method of information gathering. Papers, web etc. We need to find out the various needs of community members and centrally getting the information and disseminating out.

The way we are going to find out and realize how they like to receive their information.

If you don‟t know about the candidate how can you attend their meetings or know when they are occurring.


Hope that somehow councillors involve the community more. Encourage citizens to get involved. Maybe councillors should take positions on how the strategic plan in Burlington could be more involved in voting.

Problem with last election was lack of high profile issues that would engage people

Need more councillors

Look at innovative ways to vote

Need to be able to get there. Are voting places accessible?

Two sectors that are untapped are youth and newcomers

Need to stress the fact that if you vote you can make changes

Need online campaigns, kiosks in the community, reaching out to schools

Do a survey to find out how many university/college voted last time and, if not, why not?

Resources for candidates is a problem: costs – must raise the money; prohibits translations and alternate methods of communication

Tell people how City Hall works and how it affects their life [feeling that people need to be educated about municipal government]

Have to convince people that it is in their interest to get involved

Need to convince people that municipal elections are the most important [of all the elections]

Word of mouth is the most effective way of communication

Use the neighbourhood groups for communication

People are selfish: need to identify their needs [to form the issues groups, neighbourhood groups]

Need effective communication e.g. social media for young people/ Expand City Talk / Use various media

Get to leaders of community groups to have them disseminate info


ENGAGMENT IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE:

Main concern of communication and would like anyone to access this information. Public forum needed where people could listen in.

Feel we have similar issues and information geared to everyone and pull from what applies to you specifically.

Burlington has too many frustrations, stumbling blocks on the overall volunteerism. Communicate more and need a one point of central information system. Civic update is bigger than the newspaper.

Take the politics out of community and you will get engagement. People are passionate about where they live and we will have success.

Interested as the community as a whole however focused on my culture but they are not going to be part of anything political because it does not represent them. BIAC and Mayor, are serious about image and stop selecting people who they think represent. Go out to the community and see the real people who are passionate and care about where they live and issues at hand. Role models.

There has to be demand from residents for change to politicians. More inclusive (i.e. Ribfest, more ethnic foods).

High cost of rentals within the City. Difficult to go beyond your own group because you can‟t afford the rental – bring together groups. Recommendation to Council bring more affordable rentals for groups to come together.

Recognizing the officials need to understand their constituency.

The citizen needs to know more to demand more. Education and communication.

Politicians need to go out and meet with constituents. Community needs to know how to interact with the politicians.

Groups left out of local governance: youth, newcomers, seniors

How to include them? o Need an issue to bring people out; issues that interest people o If you bring them in for one issue, they will stay for others o Issues: raising taxes to build capacity; limits on development (height by-laws);

sticking to city Official Plan. “they keep breaking the rules and no one knows about it beforehand to be able to comment”

Need to be willing to invest in the city to have free parking in the parks and save the green spaces


Four year struggle to save the green space. No one at the city was listening [example of not listening]

Citizens need to be informed before the issues are decided; need to seek feedback. Needs to be put in context and options given so they understand. (e.g. need to raise revenue: choice A or B?)

Sometimes residents‟ suggestions are not workable/feasible. So when doing community consultation, we need to give choices and clearly outline the reasons behind them; give lots of information Will be hard to increase the trust; feeling of lack of trust in City Hall now

City needs to be more open on spending – accountability

Capacity building: o Give people the tools to be good leaders o How do they approach city hall or run for an election? o Need practical skills, e.g. how to fundraise, how to lobby with the City

Volunteerism Session Questions

1. How do not-for-profit organizations contribute to the quality of life in Burlington? What needs do they address?

2. How can community organizations in Burlington encourage citizen engagement and develop relations between people of diverse abilities, social, cultural, faith and linguistic backgrounds to work together on issues of mutual concern?

3. Is it clear among Burlington community members which organization(s) are responsible for community engagement and volunteering in the city?

4. How can we collectively support not-for-profit organizations and their volunteers? What strategies can be used to increase the number of volunteers in the community?

5. What barriers do not-for-profit organizations and their volunteers face in building an active healthy community?

Volunteerism Session Content VALUE OF NOT-FOR-PROFIT (NFP) SECTOR

Promote – children‟s issues; arts; visitors; health issues; seniors; etc.

Volunteers have passion and are engaged

Frees up people in paid positions to accomplish their business

Provides good resume information

Provides opportunity to learn about life experiences of others

Assists newcomers to Canada


Transfer of values between cultures and generations

Builds social capital

Advises public sector

Can add a revenue stream in community

Vehicle for engagement in community

Accomplish much work for little pay

Assists displaced workers and NFP organizations

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT

Position the value of civic engagement to bottom line of organization budgets

Be more flexible in recognizing and understanding

Ensure that students are fully aware of needs, diversity, etc.

Discuss the allocated volunteer hours for students with board of education – should they be more or less?

Make available opportunities with varying time requirements

Think outside the box – less focus on keeping volunteers

Provide opportunities for students to find their passion

Provide better support to fringe students

Get into schools to engage youth – need a champion within the school system

More accessible information

Link to Volunteer Halton on the City‟s web page

Provide transportation/parking information

WAYS TO SUPPORT NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (NFPs) AND THEIR VOLUNTEERS

Free bus passes for youth

Can the City offer economies of scale to NFPs - for facilities, etc.

Public discussions are a great way to engage business

The City and business organizations need to create and support employee volunteer programs

Internal discussions and training around inclusivity/diversity

Sessions for NFPs on budgeting, healthy food on fixed budget to build new customer base

Assess needs and gaps



Local Governance Session Questions

1. Voter turnout for the last municipal election was low (34%). How can the community work to increase voter turnout for unengaged individuals and/or groups?

2. Are there groups left out of local governance? Who are they? How can you include them?

3. How effective are individuals/organizations and community groups in influencing the City to change policies and programs? Does this need to be improved?

4. Are there opportunities for community members to be mentored in leadership and/or community issues? Who could be mentored? Who could be their mentors?

5. If one wanted to serve on a local Board, Committee, or community group where would this information be found? Is this information readily available to the public? If not, how can access be improved?

Local Governance Session Content

VOTER TURNOUT

Traditionally apartment buildings have been ignored in an election, tenants do not pay direct taxes, therefore are not engaged. Suggestion to engage apartment building dwellers by providing voting locations on site.

Can‟t just look at apartment owners, then must look at condo owners, or other groups of citizens. Identifying polling locations needs to be unbiased, removed from the political process and come from staff.

Help (apartment owners) and others see themselves as „citizens” not „taxpayers‟.

Create a public awareness campaign around the election in order to get people more engaged/involved. Publicize results of an election, highlight important issues along with the impacts of these issues.

Candidates are responsible for presenting the issues but the City could build networking opportunities (handle logistics) for bringing candidates together within their respective communities. The locations should be schools or community centers that are accessible and familiar.

Create awareness of municipal government , municipal services and the high accessibility of our local politicians. Citizens struggle with understanding the difference between municipal, provincial and federal government. Many citizens don‟t realize that municipal government has the most direct impact on their lives.

Keep language simple. Do not use terms like „local governance‟ that individuals may not understand or relate to.


Identify communities with low voter turnout and analyze. Was voter turnout low in an area where a candidate was acclaimed or an area where there was a heated race? If the latter, then determine why and how to improve.

Internet voting may help to increase voter turnout.

Look at non-traditional means of engagement. Determine the target audience and appeal to them in a meaningful way. Change current processes.

Need a systems overhaul – create a mechanism for gathering input by creating a grand communication plan. Include youth and newcomers in conversation.

Need burning issues to increase voter turnout.

Create a community communication plan, not ward specific. Need to communicate to city as a whole and have people see themselves as part of a greater community.

Voter turnout on a downward trend at both provincial and federal levels as well. 34% voter turnout not a crisis. Need to look at broader picture – social cohesion and issue across all levels. The City needs to put more dollars into promotion and advertising to engage individuals.

Physical ability of seniors to get to the polling stations is an issue.

The issues need to be important, meaningful and personal in order to get them out to vote. The City has a story to tell but is not doing it well.

Make voting mandatory.

LOCAL GOVERNANCE ENGAGEMENT

It is a challenge getting young people to vote. Decisions at the local level should include the opinion of youth. How do we get them engaged to participate in the process? Need to get them involved today as they are the voters of tomorrow.

Boards and Committees should target youth and ages 30-50 when recruiting. Offer meetings at more convenient times to appeal to different generations of individuals.

There is a group of people who don‟t vote, have never voted, and need to educate them. Perhaps a step by step video in plain language on how it is done and what is involved. Some may feel intimidated or embarrassed by not having participated before. Could be new citizens, youth, elderly, etc…

Need to attract more candidates in an election. This would lead to more candidates in the community engaging citizens about the issues.

There is a blandness to information received during an election. Work with existing organizations to arrange un-biased meetings with candidates. Use existing connectors or mechanisms to engage people.


Take advantage of 4 years between elections. Don‟t just focus on voter turnout. Focus on 30-50 year olds, hold meetings in public places like libraries that are familiar and comfortable. Use these opportunities to educate and engage and gather input from the public.

Need to gain access to gated communities to engage, education, inform and gather input. Condo corporations do not generally allow politicians in to community to speak. These communities do not receive the Post.

1 in 6 individuals in the City are seniors. Need to look at this group. Why are they not voting? Look at messaging and language to include them. Look at how to get them access to public meetings as many of them don‟t drive or are frail.

Who is representing children in this community? Go to schools and see what they are thinking.

Unfortunately, parent/teacher councils and the school board do not allow discussions beyond the curriculum – this is a problem.

We know about youth and seniors, need to determine what other groups have been left out or are leaving themselves out.

Voting is the very last step in the democratic process. Why do people not see voting as important? Determine this and change their perceptions.

Create a community where everyone feels that they belong.

Use the community to reach the community.

Ensure marginalized groups are included in the process.

INFLUENCING CITY POLICIES AND PROGRAMS

People can come and make a difference, the opportunity is there.

When are citizens most effective in influencing the City? (question posed by a participant to a politician). Citizens are most effective at the beginning when bringing an idea forward, and working with staff/politicians to make things happen. When recommendations are generated internally, if the public has their finger on the pulse, they can also participate, comment and affect change. A good example is when changes to traffic are proposed. Staff brings the issue to the public to gain input at the beginning, then a report is formulated and a recommendation made. This process should be used in other areas.

Single issue groups are necessary and effective because they engage citizens. However, they are usually trying to affect a decision too late in the process.

City and staff should try to identify those with opinions and engage them early in the process. The current delegation process is flawed – too little, too late. Need to review this process and get people involved and providing input early on.


The process to participate in decision-making is too long. Should not respond to 1 individual just because they are loud, boisterous - not appropriate. One individual should be encouraged to connect with their neighbourhood or other stakeholders first to see if their views are felt by others and then start the process. Communicate to the public that there is a process and what it entails.

Need to create a feeling of citizenship in the community. This needs effort by all levels and all stakeholders. Communicate responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. Create harmony between groups.

MENTORSHIP

Halton Multicultural Council could mentor and work with people to take leadership roles.

Politicians, professionals, etc…could seek out other individuals in the community, see their potential and mentor them.

Need to develop and nurture women in the community. Representation in this group is very low.

Representation from women not low in all communities. (i.e. Peel and Mississauga)

City of Toronto held an election boot camp recently (Toronto Star article). Perhaps Burlington could do something similar. Ensuring that the costs to attend are not prohibitive.

Engage the community throughout the year, not just during an election year.

Use existing vehicles to connect with individuals. For example, federal Citizenship Court held in Burlington several times of the year. Have a captive and eager audience of newcomers that can be engaged early on. Citizenship Court may be an entry point for conversations with this group.

Build capacity within the community by providing courses and workshops on governance, leadership, working on board and committees, etc…

Use existing organizations (United Way, Community Halton) to mentor individuals.

SERVING ON LOCAL BOARDS

The information about where and how to serve is not readily available. Ads may appear in the Post one week and be gone the next. The City‟s website difficult to navigate. Suggest using local places where people congregate to advertise for these positions. (i.e. churches).

Target associations and umbrella organizations to filter information through to many organizations throughout the community. (i.e. sports associations, art councils, etc..)


Are we hanging out where people are hanging out? Need to determine what our target group is, understand them, determine where to find them, and create specific information materials to appeal to them. Could be social media, written materials, electronic displays, etc…

Let individuals know their input is wanted and will make a difference.

Need to manage expectations as well. If you tell people that their input will make a difference then they need to see that it does or they will be further disengaged.

Children are great communicators and their hub is computers, social media, etc.. Sit down with Creative Burlington and similar organizations to see how we can connect better with the younger generation. In addition to City resources, work with the organizations that already have networks and „reach‟ in the community.

Where are 25 year olds getting information? They are not reading the Post or City Talk.

Need to look at the current Board/Committee structure. Is it working? A 2-3 year commitment, every month may not be appealing to a younger generation or 30-50 year olds busy with family and careers. These groups may prefer working on 4-6 month projects (task teams) with specific timelines and deliverables. The new generation loses interest quickly but willing to participate on short tasks with meaningful outcomes. Have task teams work with Boards and Committees.

Documents

Civic Engagement Forum May 1, 2010 ... - City of Burlington