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SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

August 27, 2013


This report captures the input generated from in-person and online consultations that were held between March 25 and April 26, 2013. All comments have been reviewed, analyzed and summarized to inform the City as it formulates its Public Engagement Strategy.

PACE`s mission is to help advance sustainability by understanding how governments, businesses, organizations and communities work and more importantly how they work together.

PACE PUBLIC AFFAIRS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT is a bilingual consulting firm that specializes in developing meaningful engagement programs, notably in the area of sustainable municipal affairs. With a solid understanding of government policy-making and programs, we help our clients successfully move their initiatives forward, reaching out to a wide range of audiences on the local, regional and national levels.
Launched in Ottawa in 2002, PACE has established itself as one of Ontarios leading experts in community and stakeholder engagement, creating innovative twoway dialogue opportunities for targeted audiences, the general public and key affected communities. PACE is committed to meaningful engagement. We have designed, planned, managed and executed a great number of discussions on community issues, ranging from very targeted small table workshops, to focus groups, charrettes, World Cafs, summits, online surveys and Crowdsourcing campaigns. We have a proven ability to communicate complex technical information in commonly understood terms in fact, we believe that PACEs strength in communications, together with our consultation expertise, is a niche offering that ensures that all participants to our engagement programs begin with a common understanding of the project. Our assignments typically require that we submit extensive outcome reports to ensure that valuable participant input has been captured and presented in a way that can legitimately inform and influence the ensuing policy- or decision-making process for our clients. Our values-based approach to consultation is paved with significant experience designing and facilitating large scale, often complex, bilingual public and stakeholder programs. We have worked on several projects in the National Capital Region, with all three levels of government, on both sides of the River. Our roster of experienced engagement experts collectively offer a wealth of experience in strategic advisory services, from high level counsel, to project management, design and execution, and full service communications.

THE PACE TEAM ASSIGNED TO THIS PROJECT

Grgoire Jodouin
Partner and Owner

David Sherwood
Senior Associate and Lead Facilitator

Paul Dombowski
Owner, Ideavibes and PACEs Crowdsourcing Partner

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
1.0 Executive Summary__________________________________________________________________________________ 1 2.0 Project Overview_____________________________________________________________________________________ 9 3.0 Methodology ________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 4.0 What We Heard Analysis _________________________________________________________________________ 16 5.0 Considerations for the City _________________________________________________________________________ 29

SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

1.0 Executive Summary


PROJECT OVERVIEW AND METHODOLOGY
Given that the City of Ottawa conducts over 100 consultations per year, Council identified as one of their Strategic Priorities the need for a Public Engagement Strategy. This Strategy will apply to all City staff and provide guidelines and tools to support staff when conceptualizing, designing, implementing and evaluating public engagement activities. Tasked with this mandate, the City initiated a public consultation process to find out how residents want the City to engage with them. PACE worked with the City to develop consultation activities that would tap into the ideas of Ottawans, with a view to shaping the final Public Engagement Strategy according to the publics expectations of meaningful engagement. Consultation activities were designed to obtain direct feedback on the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy, including a set of draft core values and principles that were based on a best practice review of other municipalities, as well as materials developed by the International Association for Public Participation (www.iap2.org). While the draft values and principles themselves may be viewed as motherhood, the consultations were designed to extract specifics for how these should be put into practice by City staff. This report provides a summary and analysis of the input resulting from the following in-person and online consultation activities that took place in the Spring of 2013: 1. 2.

EXCERPT FROM THE CITY OF OTTAWA DRAFT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY:

The City values resident input and recognizes that its decisions are enhanced by resident involvement. Staff shall adhere to the following draft core values for public engagement: 1. The public should be provided with the information they need to be informed about City decisions and initiatives that affect them. 2. The public should have an opportunity to express their views about decisions that affect their lives. 3. The public should have an opportunity to contribute to the development and implementation of City decisions and initiatives. 4. The public should be informed about the outcomes of their input.

Five public consultations held between March 25 and April 16 (total of


74 residents in attendance); Seven targeted focus groups as well as three sessions with community service groups (City for All Women Initiative; Federation of Community Associations; and Business Improvement Areas) held from April 4 to 18 (total of 116 residents in attendance);

3. 4. 5.

A bilingual online questionnaire which was made available from March 28 to April 26 (generating an average of approximately 350 responses per question); An online Ideas Campaign which was made available from March 28 to April 26 (generating a total of 33 ideas; 1020 votes, and 13 comments); Ongoing opportunities to provide general comments (such as comment sheets, edits to the values and principles, or briefs) submitted by mail, fax, email or by hand (65 submissions).

1 | SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

WHAT WE HEARD ANALYSIS


Participants in the consultation activities demonstrated a high subject matter and were able to clearly articulate what they expected when it comes to meaningful engagement. Most of the attitudes and opinions expressed were closely aligned with the draft Core Values and Key Principles of Public Engagement that were presented to them as part of these consultations and they had much to offer in terms of fleshing out the details for how these should be put into practice by City of Ottawa staff. The most prominent theme indicated by participants was the strong desire to have the ability to influence the outcomes of a City project or policy matter that was of interest to them. For the most part, this can be summarized as requiring three elements: a. Having sufficient time and notice to become educated about a subject matter in order to participate in a meaningful way and to provide informed input; Having the ability to participate early enough in the process, before a decision or concept is too far developed to be modified; and Having their input considered with the same weight as that accorded to other sectors, i.e., developers or other business interests. level of understanding of the
EXCERPT FROM THE CITY OF OTTAWA DRAFT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY:
The City aims to engage residents in a timely, open, and transparent manner. By adhering to the following seven principles, staff shall ensure trust and credibility in engagement processes: 1. Inclusive and Accessible: To the greatest extent possible, City staff shall plan and develop engagement activities that respond to the unique needs of residents (e.g. low income, with disabilities, newcomers, youth). 2. Open, Informative and Transparent: Staff shall provide clear and complete information, and shall communicate constraints clearly. 3. Accountable: Staff shall ensure that public engagement is meaningful, by clearly explaining what impact the publics feedback will have on the decisions being considered as part of the engagement process. Staff shall provide residents with information on how their feedback will be used, at the end of the public engagement process. 4. Timely: Staff shall ensure public engagement is conducted in a timely manner.

b.

c.

Several participants indicated that they do not believe they 5. Responsive: Staff shall ensure that the currently had the ability to influence the outcomes of a City of engagement approaches are responsive to the Ottawa-led public engagement activity, resulting in growing nature of the issue being discussed, and to the needs of the audience. cynicism and a lack of trust in the municipal process. Many expressed a high level of dissatisfaction with past engagement 1. 6. Continuously Improving: City staff shall activities because they had the impression that the City had preevaluate all public engagement initiatives, and determined the outcomes and that public input, although evaluations will seek input from residents about the process and the content. City staff shall solicited, was disregarded. continuously evaluate public engagement Many participants also noted that an essential element of initiatives, in order to improve the quality of meaningful engagement was the clear articulation of the areas public engagement. or topics where public input can influence the outcome. In this 2. respect, there was a strong perception that the City was not a 1. 7. Collaborative: Staff shall make every effort to build and maintain positive and co-operative very effective communicator when it comes to public relationships with residents in order to increase engagement, whether this meant the promotion of an
the effectiveness of public engagement.

2 | SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

engagement activity, or explaining its objectives, how the input will be used, and the parameters of the discussion. For example, if an activity is intended primarily to inform the public of a particular project, this intention should be clearly stated so as to not raise expectations that public input will be considered in an impactful way. Once adopted, the Strategy will help ensure that when City of Ottawa staff seek input on issues, that they do so in a manner that meets public expectations. Comprised of guidelines and a supporting toolkit, the Strategy will be an essential component to promote trust and credibility in the engagement process by ensuring consistent practices among staff.

IDENTIFIED ELEMENTS OF MEANINGFUL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT


The following is a detailed compilation of what participants identified throughout the consultation process as the elements required for future City of Ottawa public engagement to be meaningful: PROVIDE AMPLE INFORMATION, EARLY IN THE PROCESS PARTICIPANTS WANTED A SOLID KNOWLEDGE-BASE BEFORE ATTENDING EVENTS: Better publicize engagement activities; Provide as much detail as possible, as early as possible (not just a primer); Make it accessible and easy-to-access on the Citys website (keep information together in one place rather than having to search for it); Include detailed staff presentations; Use plain language. START ENGAGEMENT EARLY IN THE PROCESS PARTICIPANTS WANTED REAL OPPORTUNITIES TO SHAPE THE OUTCOMES: Begin at the conceptual phase and build-in opportunities to share ideas (e.g., ideas fair; community visioning exercises); Dont present pre-conceived decisions that are too far developed to review; Allow for a diversity of opinions. BE OPEN AND TRANSPARENT PARTICIPANTS WANTED THE FULL PICTURE: Be clear about the true intent of the engagement; Provide real scenarios for consideration; Provide all information whether it is positive or negative. PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE PROCESS FOR CONSULTATION PARTICIPANTS WANTED CLARITY ON WHAT THEYRE BEING ASKED TO DO AND WHERE THEY CAN HAVE AN IMPACT: Be clear on the parameters; dont call it a consultation if the objective is only to inform; Be clear on where public input can have a real influence in the process; Be clear about the project timelines and how it will unfold.

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CREATE THE CONDITIONS FOR MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE PARTICIPANTS WANTED REAL OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE ON THE TOPICS OF IMPORTANCE OR INTEREST TO THEM: Consultation questions must be relevant to the project and tied to a decision-point (i.e., so that responses are clearly related to the subject matter/outcome); Plan for frequent and several phases of consultation; Ensure equal weight is accorded to all input (community, rural, developer, businesses, etc.); Allow for community engagement on the decisions that will have a significant impact on peoples lives (i.e., not just the smaller projects). BE RESPONSIVE TO PUBLIC ENQUIRIES PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO BE RESPECTED AND FEEL THEY ARE BEING LISTENED TO: Staff should be neutral and attentive; All enquiries from the public should be responded to in a timely fashion; Staff should be courteous, interested and engaged; Staff should be prepared and knowledgeable about the issues being consulted on; Promote identification (e.g., name tags). REPORT BACK PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO KNOW HOW THEIR INPUT SHAPED THE OUTCOMES: Report in a detailed fashion how public input influenced the project outcome; Provide the analysis or justification outlining how input was used or not used; Post summary reports on the Citys website and provide access to comments and materials. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY AT THE NEIGHBOURHOOD LEVEL PARTICIPANTS WANTED A MORE COLLABORATIVE, COMMUNITY-DRIVEN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY: Work collaboratively with community leaders and associations support and enhance their ability to reach out to their networks; Provide resources to communities so that they can properly be engaged on an issue; allow them to lead some of the engagement processes (e.g., town hall sessions); Create welcoming, safe, and comfortable spaces for participants to provide input; When appropriate, target consultations to select neighbourhoods or relevant stakeholders; Plan consultations at the local, neighbourhood level (i.e., not always downtown); Tap into the expertise of local residents (such as retired subject-matter experts or community leaders that have the pulse of local residents); Allow community members to work more closely with staff and the experts. BE MORE INCLUSIVE PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO BE INVOLVED: Go to the people, especially in rural areas (e.g., malls, coffee shops, community centres and sports arenas); Respect the language rights of Francophones to allow them to become fully engaged and productive in the process; Encourage all sectors to work together (communities, businesses, staff).

4 | SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

COUNCILLOR INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO KNOW THEIR INVOLVEMENT WAS CONSIDERED: City Council support for staff-led consultation processes is important; Improve the process for public delegations at Committee meetings, for e.g., by allowing more time for presentations and greater debate; Provide increased resources to Councillor offices to promote and lead engagement programs.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CITY


The following is a list of considerations for the City as it develops the proposed Public Engagement Strategy. These considerations are based on the analysis of the participant feedback captured in this Report and an environmental scan of the online engagement policies and practices of other Canadians municipalities.

GOVERNANCE:
A number of municipalities in Canada have some form of central office to provide on-going advisory services to other departments such as: Continuously researching and looking to implement best practices in public engagement. Working with client departments to develop engagement strategies prior to initiating consultations (see Methodology below), and ensuring adequate resources are provided for meaningful public engagement activities. Providing assistance and oversight in the drafting of a Statement of Work (such as those included in Requests for Proposals) that have a public engagement component to them. A senior champion within the organization would assist in ensuring all staff are compelled to follow guidelines and procedures and adopt meaningful and appropriate engagement practices.

MEANINGFUL PROCESS/METHODOLOGY:
It is important to develop a solid engagement strategy prior to initiating public engagement activities. Communications staff should be brought in early in the strategy development to be able to provide input into positioning and awareness-raising for engagement activities. A central office, as described above in Governance, could also play a supporting role in the development of these strategies. Staff should clearly articulate the type of engagement they are planning prior to going to the public and stakeholders. Consider developing boilerplate material that clearly outlines to the public the type of engagement they are being asked to participate in. For example, standard-form statements could be developed that indicate where a given engagement lies on the

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Spectrum (for e.g., This is for information only. Decisions on this project are near final because.) Staff training on respectful/meaningful engagement and accessibility practices would help ensure consistency in how the Strategy is applied. At the outset of an engagement program, stakeholders that may be affected by a project or policy decision should be identified and outreach programs developed to target them. Policies on bilingualism and accessibility should be easily accessible to staff. Guidelines that specifically relate to public engagement should also be provided (what needs to be translated; how presentations are to delivered; whether simultaneous interpretation is required; whether bilingual staff need to be present at events and if so, how many; etc.). Resources should be provided to accommodate transportation and attendance needs for members of the public with disabilities or living on low-income, etc.

INFORMATION:
Guidelines to instruct staff on the type and depth of information that needs to be provided at the outset and throughout engagement programs would help improve communications efforts. These guidelines could include information on: timeframes; depth of the content; legibility and readability; accessibility requirements; bilingual requirements; etc. A protocol/guideline should be considered whereby staff are required to post all engagement information on the City website. Boilerplates and templates for all consultation materials would help ensure consistency in the Citys public engagement programs. For example: Promotional media advisories and releases; e-blasts; councillor communications; twitter feeds; etc. Consultative surveys; comment sheets; evaluations; various exercises, etc. Reporting media advisories; summaries; full reports; etc.

The Citys website should be enhanced to facilitate the posting of information (see below). The use of more visuals (graphs, 3D renderings, etc.), video postings to Youtube and the City website, etc., should be encouraged.

PROMOTION:
A protocol should be considered to ensure the early, consistent and adequate promotion of consultation events (traditional and online). For example, a protocol could be adopted whereby all engagement activities require a minimum of three weeks notice, with reminders. The use of online and social media tools should be promoted, for example by drafting a corporate protocol and by providing adequate resources to properly manage the tools.

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Communications staff should be involved earlier in the process and sufficient resources should be allotted to allow for the promotion of engagement programs. A listserve (email database) should be created for City engagements. Recipients should be permitted to self-select the types of consultations for which they want to receive notices. City staff should work more closely with community associations and councillor offices to develop processes to promote consultations. Consider publishing notices in the appropriate community papers (this may require a reassessment of the need to publicize in local dailies, with a view to directing funds to the most effective vehicles).

CITY WEBSITE:
Consider developing a consultation portal (see Online Engagement, below). The portal should meet accessibility requirements, and be focus-tested at the early development stage by community organizations and unique need residents. A protocol should be adopted whereby staff are required to post on the Citys website/portal all information related to an engagement program (similar to the City of Edmonton). The City should consider enhancing its website to make it easier easy to browse and search.

IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT:
The City should hold more consultation events in public centres, such as malls and community/sports centres. Complement online engagement activities with in-person engagement. Consider doing both (similar to the City of Calgarys approach where online consultation should never be the only method of engaging the public on projects).

ONLINE ENGAGEMENT:
Online engagement guidelines should be developed to clearly outline how and when to conduct online engagement. Similarly to the City of Calgary, the guidelines should also instruct staff on the limitations of online engagement (i.e., that in most circumstances, online engagement should complement traditional consultation rather than replace it). Consider developing a consultation portal to provide a one-stop access to all current and past consultations. Build-in multiple tools to allow flexibility in online campaigns, such as: Survey tools, listserves, crowdsourcing, forums, social media, etc. Consider calendar, GIS-features, etc., to allow browsers to see when and where consultations are taking place in the City. Allow for future innovations and the ability to incorporate external plug-and-play services.

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Consider building or purchasing access to an online panel (a community of pre-selected respondents that have provided their consent to participate in online surveys over an extended period). Guidance and resources should be made readily accessible to support the development of appropriate surveys and questionnaires (for example, survey methodology).

REPORTING:
A protocol should be developed for how to report the outcomes of an engagement program. For example: a summary plus in-depth reporting; justifications for how input was used or not used; access to all comments and submissions. The protocol should also provide guidance on how and when reports are shared with the public and stakeholders (e.g., within four weeks of a consultation; on the City website; emailed to participants; etc.). Develop templates and how to materials for reporting, such as matrixes to capture and report on comments; executive summaries; full reports on analysis; etc.

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2.0 Project Overview


Given that the City of Ottawa conducts over 100 consultations per year, Council identified as one of their Strategic Priorities the need for a Public Engagement Strategy. This Strategy will apply to all City staff and provide guidelines and tools to support staff when conceptualizing, designing, implementing and evaluating public engagement activities. Tasked with this mandate, the City initiated a public consultation process to find out how residents want the City to engage with them. PACE worked with the City to develop a consultation process that would tap into the ideas and creativity of the Ottawa public (residents, stakeholders, community groups, businesses, etc.) through a combination of in-person and online consultation activities. Broadly, the consultation was an opportunity for members of the public to: become fully informed about the Citys draft Public Engagement Strategy and the research that supported its development; share their ideas and opinions on how City staff should engage with them; and shape the final Public Engagement Strategy according to their expectations of meaningful engagement. More specifically, consultation activities were designed to obtain direct feedback on the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy, including draft core values and principles. City staff developed these draft values and principles based on a best practice review of other municipalities, as well as a review of the International Association for Public Participations wellestablished Core Values of Public Participation and other associated materials (www.iap2.org). A key criteria for this assignment was the design of a program whereby the City could lead by example, offering participants inclusive, transparent and meaningful opportunities to provide input, at various times and over a sustained period. The intent was to provide maximum flexibility and to engage new voices that might not participate in more traditional consultative formats. This report captures the input generated from the following in-person and online activities that were held between March 25 and April 26, 2013: five public consultation sessions; seven targeted focus groups; three discussion sessions with community service groups; an online questionnaire; and an online Ideas Campaign.

9 | SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

All comments and input has been reviewed, analyzed and summarized to inform the City as it formulates its Public Engagement Strategy. While a more thorough analysis of the key themes is provided in the following sections, the most prominent theme to emerge was the strong desire by participants to have the ability to influence the outcomes of a City project or policy matter that was of interest to them. For the most part, this can be summarized as requiring three elements: a. having sufficient time and notice to become educated about a subject matter in order to participate in a meaningful way and to provide informed input; b. having the ability to participate early enough in the process, before a decision or concept is too far developed to be modified; and c. having their input considered with the same weight as that accorded to other sectors, i.e., developers or other business interests. For the most part, participants indicated that they do not believe they currently had the ability to influence the outcomes of a City of Ottawa-led public engagement activity, resulting in growing cynicism and a lack of trust in the municipal process. There was also a strong perception that the City was not a very effective communicator when it comes to public engagement, whether this meant the promotion of an engagement activity, or explaining its objectives, how the input will be used, and the parameters of the discussion. Once adopted, the Strategy will help address these public concerns by ensuring that when City of Ottawa staff seek input on issues, that they do so in a manner that meets public expectations. Comprised of guidelines and a supporting toolkit, the Strategy will be an essential component to promote trust and credibility in the engagement process by ensuring consistent practices among staff.

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3.0 Methodology
3.1 APPROACH
The Public Engagement Strategy consultations were launched on March 25, 2013, and were comprised of the following in-person and online activities: 1. 2. Five public consultations were held between March 25 and April 16 (total of 74 residents in attendance); Seven targeted focus groups as well as three sessions with community service groups (City for All Women Initiative; Federation of Community Associations; and Business Improvement Areas) were held from April 4 to 18 (total of 116 residents in attendance); A bilingual online questionnaire was made available from March 28 to April 26 (generating an average of approximately 350 responses per question); An online Ideas Campaign was made available from March 28 to April 26 (generating a total of 33 ideas; 1020 votes, and 13 comments); and Ongoing opportunities to provide general comments (such as comment sheets, suggested edits to the values and principles, or briefs) either by mail, fax, email or by hand (65 submissions).
EXCERPT FROM THE CITY OF OTTAWA DRAFT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY: The City values resident input and recognizes that its decisions are enhanced by resident involvement. Staff shall adhere to the following draft core values for public engagement: 1. The public should be provided with the information they need to be informed about City decisions and initiatives that affect them. 2. The public should have an opportunity to express their views about decisions that affect their lives. 3. The public should have an opportunity to contribute to the development and implementation of City decisions and initiatives. 4. The public should be informed about the outcomes of their input.

3.

4. 5.

The main objective of the consultations was to get a clear sense from the public for how they wanted the City to engage with them (i.e., the dos and donts) and to obtain direct feedback on the proposed Public Engagement Strategy, with an emphasis on the draft core values and principles (see inset). While the draft values and principles themselves may be viewed as motherhood, exercises were designed to extract specifics for how these should be put into practice by City staff. As such, questions were asked with a view to capturing the expectations of participants for how these should be applied in a meaningful consultative setting.

For the in-person consultations, PACE developed, in close collaboration with City staff, a Methodology and Facilitators Guide. The Guide was conceived such that it could meet the consultation objectives of both the public meetings, as well as the more targeted focus groups. Participants at the sessions could speak in general terms about their experiences and

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expectations, delve deeper into discussions around meaningful engagement, and also comment directly on the draft values and principles and whether they resonated with them; whether any were missing; or whether any should be removed. Participants could also suggest an improved wording or edit. For the online activities, a set of broad questions were asked to capture overall attitudes and opinions, while another set of more specific questions sought to obtain details for how the Strategy should be put into practice by City staff.

EXCERPT FROM THE CITY OF OTTAWA DRAFT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY:


The City aims to engage residents in a timely, open, and transparent manner. By adhering to the following seven principles, staff shall ensure trust and credibility in engagement processes: 1. Inclusive and Accessible: To the greatest extent possible, City staff shall plan and develop engagement activities that respond to the unique needs of residents (e.g. low income, with disabilities, newcomers, youth). 2. Open, Informative and Transparent: Staff shall provide clear and complete information, and shall communicate constraints clearly. 3. Accountable: Staff shall ensure that public engagement is meaningful, by clearly explaining what impact the publics feedback will have on the decisions being considered as part of the engagement process. Staff shall provide residents with information on how their feedback will be used, at the end of the public engagement process. 4. Timely: Staff shall ensure public engagement is conducted in a timely manner. 5. Responsive: Staff shall ensure that the engagement approaches are responsive to the nature of the issue being discussed, and to the needs of the audience.

3.2 ACTIVITY OVERVIEW


3.2.1 PROMOTIONS:
PACE was responsible for providing an independent analysis of all comments collected as part of the consultation program, as reported in this document. City staff were responsible for all logistics for the in-person activities, and for marketing and promoting all engagement activities. Promotions included: An email notice and poster to community partners as well as to the Citys internal staff group tasked with developing the Strategy, requesting their assistance in promoting the consultation program via their own networks; Ads in community newspapers; Posters in City facilities (7 Client Service Centres, 33 libraries, 4 community hubs); A banner on the Citys website; and

3. 6. Continuously Improving: City staff shall evaluate all public engagement initiatives, and A Twitter campaign. evaluations will seek input from residents about the process and the content. City staff shall continuously evaluate public engagement The consultation program also generated media coverage, initiatives, in order to improve the quality of including articles in the Ottawa Citizen and EMC, and public public engagement.

exchanges on Twitter.

4.

2. 7. Collaborative: Staff shall make every effort to build and maintain positive and co-operative relationships with residents in order to increase the effectiveness of public engagement.

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3.2.2 PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS:


Over the period of March 25 to April 16, 2013, City staff led five public consultations, in the various locations noted below: Date
March 25, 2013 (7-9 pm) April 3, 2013 (7-9 pm) April 10, 2013 (7-9 pm) April 15, 2013 (7-9 pm) April 16, 2013 (7-9 pm)

Location
City Hall Orleans Client Service Centre John G. Mlacak Community Centre City Hall Walter Baker Sports Centre

Participation
20 13 12 17 12

TOTAL

74

These in-person sessions were structured as public events, with a facilitator leading participants through a two-hour workshop. The sessions included a staff presentation on the draft Strategy and small group discussions which were led by a table host. Bilingual staff were present to lead the discussions or to respond to content-specific questions, and all materials were available in French and English. A total of 74 participated in the public sessions.

3.2.3 TARGETED FOCUS GROUPS:


City staff also worked with partnering community organizations to jointly deliver 10 additional sessions with targeted audiences, such as seniors, youth, Aboriginal residents, people on low income, people living with disabilities, community associations, etc. The sessions were held on the following dates: Date
April 4, 2013 April 4, 2013 April 8, 2013 April 9, 2013 April 11, 2013 April 15, 2013 April 17, 2013 April 17, 2013 April 18, 2013 April 18, 2013

Location/Partner Organization
Council on Aging City for All Women Initiative Ottawa Independent Living Resource Centre Youth Ottawa Rural East (Orleans Client Service Centre) Entraide Budgetaire Minwaashin Lodge Federation of Citizens Associations Business Improvement Areas - BIAs Rural West (Ben Franklin Place)

Participation
17 28 8 10 2 7 9 20 11 4

TOTAL

116

The additional focus groups were intended for groups of residents who may not self-register and participate in public sessions or who may have very specific needs and expectations related to successful engagement with the City.

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The partner community organizations were responsible for all logistics and promotion for the events. City of Ottawa staff led the workshops using modified versions of the Facilitators Guide developed for the public consultations. All documents were made available in French and English, and discussions were held in either language. A total of 116 participated in the focus groups.

3.2.4 ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE:


The online campaign ran from March 28 to April 26, 2013. A bilingual questionnaire was posted on the City of Ottawas website and took approximately 10 minutes to complete. Questions were categorized into three main parts: general impressions on past City of Ottawa engagement programs; expectations for meaningful engagement; and a minimal set of demographic questions. A total of 499 browsers reviewed the questionnaire. Not all respondents chose to complete every question. As such, the participation rate varies from question to question, generating between 310 and 440 responses. Note that the quantitative reporting included in this Report is not meant to be scientific or statistically representative; rather, it is intended to provide a snapshot of the attitudes and opinions of those that participated in the consultation activities.

3.2.5 AN ONLINE IDEAS CAMPAIGN:


Several residents also participated in an Online Ideas Campaign, where they exchanged ideas with other residents on how to improve the Citys engagement activities. Specifically, participants were asked to submit ideas for how the Strategys draft Principles of Public Engagement could be put into practice by City staff. The Ideas Campaign was designed using a Crowdsourcing platform supplied by Ideavibes (www.Ideavibes.com). Crowdsourcing is a cost-effective methodology that enables organizations to tap into the wisdom of crowds. Browsers can submit ideas or vote on those they consider the most valuable. The technology allows for the most salient ideas to percolate up as top ranked. Participants can also use social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to help bring awareness to the online discussions and solicit support for various ideas. The campaign generated a total of 33 ideas; 1020 votes, and 13 comments.

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3.2.6 OTHER SUBMISSIONS:


Members of the public were also encouraged to submit their input by various other means, at their convenience. This included briefs, general comment sheets and written exercises made available at all workshops and focus groups. A total of 65 written submissions were submitted by hand, fax, mail and email.

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4.0 What We Heard Analysis


PACEs role included the review and analysis of all input received as part of this public consultation process. The analysis below presents the main themes and trends that were distilled from the public input, and captures the insights and recommendations provided by participants to inform the final Public Engagement Strategy. Public input will be reviewed by City staff and will be used to inform the Strategy and guidelines for public engagement that will assist staff when they engage with residents on issues that affect them.

With regards to the analysis below, the use of the expression most participants represents a very strong support or an impression of near unanimity for an idea. Similarly, the term many indicates predominance or support by a large amount of respondents (for example, over half), while the expressions several indicates a frequent but not predominant theme (for example, one third). The expressions a few and some represent a small but notable amount of likeminded comments (for example, under 1 in 5 responses). Even though a comment may have only been made once, it is sometimes reported in the analysis if found to be innovative or highly relevant to the Strategy.

4.1 OVERALL FEEDBACK/THEMES


Participants throughout the consultation activities showed a high level of understanding of the subject matter and were able to clearly articulate what they expected when it comes to meaningful engagement. Most of the attitudes and opinions expressed were closely aligned with the draft Core Values and Key Principles of Public Engagement that were presented to them as part of these consultations and participants had much to offer in terms of fleshing out the details for how these should be put into practice by City of Ottawa staff. The most prominent theme that emerged was that participants strongly desired the ability to influence the outcomes of a City project or policy matter that was of interest to them. For the most part, this can be summarized as requiring three elements: a. having sufficient time and notice to become educated about a subject matter in order to participate in a meaningful way and to provide informed input; b. having the ability to participate early enough in the process, before a decision or concept is too far developed to be modified; and c. having their input considered with the same weight as that accorded to other sectors, i.e., developers or other business interests. Several participants indicated that they do not believe they currently had the ability to influence the outcomes of a City of Ottawa-led public engagement activity, resulting in growing cynicism

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and a lack of trust in the municipal process. Many expressed a high level of dissatisfaction with past engagement activities because they had the impression that the City had pre-determined the outcomes and that public input, although solicited, was disregarded. Many participants noted that an essential element of meaningful engagement was the clear articulation of the areas or topics where public input can influence the outcome. In this respect, there was a strong perception that the City was not a very effective communicator when it comes to public engagement, whether this meant the promotion of an engagement activity, or explaining its objectives, how the input will be used, and the parameters of the discussion. For example, if an activity is intended primarily to inform the public of a particular project, this intention should be clearly stated so as to not raise expectations that public input will be considered in an impactful way. Some participants commented that an informed public leads to better input, which in turn leads to better decision-making. In this regard, they felt the City could benefit greatly from the technical expertise of residents (such as retired professionals) or from the deep knowledge they have of their communities and the wants and desires of those that live in them.

4.2 GENERAL COMMENTS PERTAINING TO THE DRAFT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY


The following analysis reflects the comments that directly apply to the draft Public Engagement Strategy: There was general support for the Strategy although some participants expressed concern that the Strategy would not get implemented once it was adopted, with a select few referencing the Citys 2003 Policy on Public Participation as an example. A predominant theme was the need for the Strategy to enable the public to have a real influence on City decision-making. For example, participants wanted to be consulted early on matters of interest to them beginning at the conceptual stage rather than being asked to comment on drafts or ideas that were too far developed for any public input to realistically influence their outcome. Some participants referenced the need to have senior management and Councillor buy-in and involvement in the Strategy to ensure it will be consistently applied by City staff. Several participants felt that input from developers or business groups carried more weight than that of the public, and they wanted the Strategy to create a level playing field. A few noted that the Strategy needed some background information, preamble or vision statement to help provide additional context to the draft values and principles, while others commented that the wording generally was too vague and that the draft principles and

17 | SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

values needed to be elaborated on. A few suggested that the Strategy should include a glossary of terms. Examples of terms needing a definition included: the public; meaningful public engagement; and open, constraints and complete information (found at draft Principle 2). A select few indicated that they wanted to know more about how the City came up with these values and how they related to the IAP2 set of Core Values on Public Participation. There were several complaints made throughout that the Citys website was difficult to navigate, and that it was hard to find out about various engagement activities or to access the information required to be well informed about a particular subject being consulted on. A few commented that the City needed to make more efforts to bring public engagement activities to the people by offering multiple methods for collecting public input (with an emphasis on the Internet), and being more flexible in the times and locations of in-person consultations.

4.3 COMMENTS PERTAINING SPECIFICALLY TO THE DRAFT VALUES


The following analysis reflects the comments that directly apply to the draft Values contained in the Strategy: There was solid support for the draft values, with a few participants noting that they were well established principles of democracy. That said, several participants expressed nuances, proposed improvements, suggested word changes, with a view to adding more specificity to the Strategy. There were many suggestions that the word should found in all four values, be replaced with must or shall to indicate that adherence to these values was not optional for City staff. A few suggested the values be reworded such that they all begin with The City should, rather than the current The public should, to place more onus on the City. A few suggested that the words City decisions (applicable to Values 1-3) be substituted with City proposals to avoid giving the impression that an outcome had been pre-determined before consulting with the public. Draft Core Value 1: The public should be provided with the information they need to be informed about City decisions and initiatives that affect them. There was strong support for this draft value as many participants believe that a requirement of meaningful consultation is the real ability to influence the outcomes of a given project or policy matter. This requires that members of the public have a sufficient understanding of the issue to enable them to make informed contributions. More specifically, participants want to be able to access all the pertinent information (preferably

18 | SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

on an enhanced version of the City website), with sufficient time and ability to understand and digest it. Many commented that draft Value 1 needed to be more prescriptive in terms of how and when information would be provided to the public. For example, how much information would be shared? How early in the process would it be provided? Would the information be understandable to the layperson? How would it be provided and in what format? Would there be a constant flow of information? Etc. Some commented that information provided should also include details about the Citys decision-making process, such as the parameters of engagement and feedback on how public input influenced the outcome. Draft Core Value 2: The public should have an opportunity to express their views about decisions that affect their lives. There was general support for draft Value 2, although a few participants commented that it did not go far enough. For example, comments were made that this value should apply to other types of decisions, rather than only those that affect their lives. It was fe lt that as written, the value would be applied too narrowly. A comment was made that opportunity should be plural to indicate that multiple consultations might be required for some topics. Some participants were of the opinion that the public needed to be afforded more than the opportunity to express their views; rather, the value should state that the public should have an opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their lives. A few participants noted that draft Values 2 and 3 were redundant and could be merged into one. Draft Core Value 3: The public should have an opportunity to contribute to the development and implementation of City decisions and initiatives. There was general support for draft Value 3 although several participants commented that it did not go far enough. For example, a comment was made that contribute should be more clearly defined to provide better guidance to City staff in how it chooses a particular approach or methodology when it engages the public (a reference to the Strategys spectrum of public engagement). In another example, a few commented that this value could go further towards encouraging collaborative initiatives between the City and residents, and proposed substituting contribute with co-create, or possibly adding the word constructively or productively. Some participants commented that draft Values 2 and 3 were redundant and could be merged into one.

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Draft Core Value 4: The public should be informed about the outcomes of their input. There was general support for draft Value 4, although it generated fewer comments. Some participants wanted more clarity in how it should be interpreted. For example, outcomes was deemed by some to be too vague. These participants felt the value needed to be prescriptive in how the public receives feedback or how public input influenced (or not) a City decision. Some believed the draft value could go further and include a requirement that the City respond to all public enquiries and concerns. There were many comments made throughout that City staff were not responsive enough to public enquiries and that this frustrated meaningful engagement.

4.4 COMMENTS PERTAINING SPECIFICALLY TO THE DRAFT PRINCIPLES


The following analysis reflects the comments that directly apply to the draft Principles contained in the Strategy: There was solid support for the draft principles. That said, several participants expressed nuances, proposed improvements, suggested word changes, with a view to adding more specificity to the Strategy. A few commented that draft Principles 1 and 5 were similar in nature, in that the City needed to make more efforts to bring public engagement to the people. Many commented on the need for City staff to be more accessible and responsive, with several stating that the lack of assistance, responsiveness or openness from staff often thwarted their ability to provide informed input during a consultation process. Draft Principle 1: Inclusive and Accessible To the greatest extent possible, City staff shall plan and develop engagement activities that respond to the unique needs of residents (e.g. low income, with disabilities, newcomers, youth, etc.) There was general support for draft Principle 1, although participants seemed to interpret the word accessible in one of two ways: either literally, in the physical sense, as meaning ease of access or easy to get to; or they considered it in the sense of eliminating barriers to allow everyone to participate equally. In this respect, a few participants noted the double meaning and recommended deleting the word accessible and using only inclusive. For those that considered this principle as meaning ease of access: Many suggested that engagement activities needed to be varied (online and in-person) and held at convenient times (during the day and in the evenings) and places. There were also suggestions that the City take consultations to the people, for example that

20 | SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

activities be organized at the neighbourhood level or at busy public spaces such as malls rather than City Hall. There were many comments made about the need to better publicize engagement activities, using clear language and a multitude of channels. It was suggested that City staff work with the community groups that serve or have direct knowledge of unique need audiences. Note that some participants took issue with the term unique needs, although for different reasons. Some felt that the language was divisive and that the principle should apply to all members of the public (i.e., the City shouldnt only target specific interest groups) while others saw it as discriminatory (i.e., unique as opposed to normal). A few suggested that the City should provide incentives to facilitate participation, such as paying for transportation to events, providing child care, or supplying food at meetings. Others suggested that City staff should receive inclusiveness training, such as how to interact with people with disabilities. With respect to youth, it was suggested that the City work with the various school boards (for example, in identifying a youth representative from each high school) or create a youth speakers bureau. There were comments made throughout relating to the need for better engagement services to Francophones (such as always providing materials in both official languages) and to rural communities.

For those that considered this draft principle as meaning elimination of barriers:

A few participants commented that the qualifier To the greatest extent possible allowed too much flexibility to the City in whether or not they needed to apply this principle. Others felt it was a realistic statement to make. Draft Principle 2: Open, Informative and Transparent Staff shall provide clear and complete information, and shall communicate constraints clearly. There was solid support for draft Principle 2, with some commenting that it was the most important. Some felt the word open was too vague, and that this Principle needed to convey that staff: Make information available early and frequently enough throughout a project to allow members of the public to digest the data; Share information that is legible, using plain language; Provide a sufficient level of detail (ie, all the necessary and relevant data) to allow members of the public to provide an informed and thoughtful response.

Many comments were made as to the type and depth of information that staff need to provide around a given engagement process. For example, that the City clearly articulate the

21 | SUMMARY REPORT: Public Consultation in support of the City of Ottawas draft Public Engagement Strategy

process for consulting, such as the Citys intentions and objectives for seeking public input. If the City only wants to inform the public of a decision, it should be clear in doing so. This was seen as a necessary means to manage the publics expectations. Several commented that staff needed to be more knowledgeable about the issues prior to engaging the public, and that the inability or unwillingness by staff to provide adequate information often thwarted a participants ability to provide informed input during consultations. Others mentioned that they wanted more presentations by staff on the subject-matter under consideration, followed by a meaningful two-way dialogue on the issues. Several participants thought it was essential that the City clearly explain the constraints as to why a proposal from the public might or might not be feasible (including the pros and cons of the proposal). A few suggested that the City provide business cases to show cost implications. Many read this principle as the City needing to better promote its engagement activities, and recommended that a variety of methods and communications vehicles be used to raise awareness for events, such as community papers, email blasts, news coverage and online activities. Several also suggested working with community organizations to help promote consultations (although a few cautioned that community associations, while important, didnt necessarily represent an entire community such as youth or renters). There were many suggestions made regarding how the City should publicize engagement events and share information. Many believed the City should use more social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook. Others suggested that all relevant information should be posted on the Citys website, although there were many comments about how the website needed improvements to make it easier to access information. A few suggested that the City needed a consultation portal, while others suggested that information needed to be posted in public spaces such as libraries, arenas, pools and child care centres. Draft Principle 3: Accountable Staff shall ensure that public engagement is meaningful, by clearly explaining what impact the publics feedback will have on the decisions being considered as part of the engagement process. Staff shall provide residents with information on how their feedback will be used, at the end of the public engagement process. Most agreed with draft Principle 3, with several participants adding that an informed public leads to better input, which in turn leads to better decision-making. Some participants commented that this principle was essential as they felt the City gave more weight to input from developers and businesses. Some commented that feedback should be provided throughout an engagement program, and not only at the end (as currently worded in the principle).

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Some participants suggested that the principle should be clarified to require staff to also inform the public of the outcomes of a project, and not only how public input was used. In this vein, many wanted to see an analysis or justification outlining how input was used or not used, with a few suggesting that this feedback could be captured in a matrix or table format. Several participants commented that the City should establish a consistent way for providing feedback either through procedures or a staff code of conduct. In this regard, a few noted that true accountability requires that there be repercussions or consequences should this principle not be followed. A few participants suggested that the City appoint a senior person in charge of accountability or an ombudsman to monitor the implementation of the Strategy (also commented at draft Principle 6 Continuously Improving). A few participants commented that this principle was too wordy or too vague. Some also felt that the title of accountability didnt necessarily match the descriptor sentences that followed. They believed that the intent of this principle was important and perhaps more accurately linked to draft Principle 2 Open, Informative and Transparent. They suggested therefore that a new accountability principle be added to capture the notion of responsibility and consequences. There were several comments made throughout this exercise that Council should use this Strategy or follow some other principles of meaningful engagement. Many comments were made around the need for information to be summarized, digestible and written in plain language. Others wanted access to all of the raw data and comments submitted to ensure transparency. A few participants felt it was important to report all public input, and not simply what the majority said. It was suggested that staff needed to be more responsive to public enquiries. Draft Principle 4: Timely Staff shall ensure public engagement is conducted in a timely manner. While there was general support for draft Principle 4, many participants felt it was too vague. As a result, it was often interpreted as meaning one of two things: (a) that the public should be provided with information early enough in the process so that they could provide thoughtful and informed input, and/or; (b) that public engagement activities should be conducted early enough in the decision-making process to permit public input to truly influence the outcome. Many suggestions were made as to how much notice the public required when conducting in-person engagement activities, ranging between two to four weeks. It was also suggested that multiple reminders were also required as part of the notification process. Some participants noted that staff and members of the public would have differing perspectives on how to interpret timely. Others noted that the interpretation of timely was subject to the complexity and nature of the subject matter being consulted on, with one participant suggesting guidelines be developed to help interpret this principle.

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A few comments were made to the effect that engaging the public early and often was an issue of respect, and helped to foment good relationships, as captured in draft Principle 7 Collaborative. Several complained that the notice provided for committee meetings was insufficient and that it was inadequate to post reports one week (or less) prior to meetings. Draft Principle 5: Responsive Staff shall ensure that the engagement approaches are responsive to the nature of the issue being discussed, and to the needs of the audience. There was general support for draft Principle 5, although some participants commented that the title Responsive did not accurately capture the full statement. Several comments were made that City staff needed to be more proactive (be on the streets), responsive and welcoming, and less defensive of their initial position. Several indicated that staff at past consultations were unresponsive and that their inability or unwillingness to provide information thwarted a participants ability to provide informed input. Similarly, a few believed this principle was essential to create a level of trust between the City and the community and that it was therefore tied to draft Principle 7 Collaborative. Several comments were made that this principle required staff to develop engagement strategies in order to identify objectives, and determine the most appropriate methodology for the issues being consulted on. Many pointed to the Strategys draft Spectrum of Public Engagement as a tool to help determine the most appropriate and responsive engagement approach. Several participants commented that the City needed to find new ways to involve disengaged publics (as opposed to the usual suspects), and suggestions were made to this effect. For example, the Citys engagement activities could be more welcoming by holding them in smaller venues, or that discussions be led in more intimate groups. A few suggested that responsive also meant sufficiently flexible to adapt to the needs of the audience during a consultation activity; i.e., that the activity or event could be modified or extended if it was deemed by the public to be too narrowly-focused. Some commented that responding to the needs of the audience meant removing barriers to access, and therefore this principle could be merged with draft Principle 1 Inclusive and Accessible. For example, some suggested that the City should pay for transportation to events, provide food and beverages, or hold more consultations online. Others commented that the City shouldnt only rely on its website and on online consultations, as it might exclude some audiences that have limited access to the Internet. When asked for suggestions on new methods the City could use to engage with the public, many comments were made about working more closely with ratepayer associations,

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community organizations, and through the local councilllors office. Many also suggested more online consultation and a more robust social media presence. Draft Principle 6: Continuously Improving City staff shall evaluate all public engagement initiatives, and evaluations will seek input from residents about the process and the content. City staff shall continuously evaluate public engagement initiatives, in order to improve the quality of public engagement. There was broad support for draft Principle 6, and general agreement that evaluation was important. Several participants took the opportunity to comment on what they liked or disliked about consultation. For example, some disliked public open houses because they did not afford meaningful opportunities for a two-way dialogue. Several others commented that it was important to receive information early in the process, while many reiterated the need to receive feedback on how their input was used. Several participants commented that evaluation needed to be tied to some sort of measurement, targets or pre-defined indicators of success. A few added that templates could be developed with clear indicators of what success looked like. In keeping with comments made at draft Principle 2 Open, Informative and Transparent, some participants recommended that evaluations be done by an impartial body (such as an auditor or ombudsman) while others felt it would be valuable for the public to see the results of those evaluations. For example, a few suggested that the City should report back to the public on how the Public Engagement Strategy (once adopted) was being applied by City staff by way of an annual report on public engagement. Draft Principle 7: Collaborative - Staff shall make every effort to build and maintain positive and cooperative relationships with residents in order to increase the effectiveness of for public engagement. Participants supported draft Principle 7, with several stating that the City could benefit greatly from improved community input into City decision-making (that collectively, the community had a lot of expertise and innovative ideas to offer). There were different interpretations of the word Collaborative, with some participants referencing the Spectrum of Public Engagement. A few suggested that the word Collaborative be substituted (for example, with Cooperative). A few participants felt the term residents was too narrow and should be replaced with a word that also included stakeholders and business interests.

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Many participants felt that in order to build a positive relationship with the community, all of the previous principles needed to be respected and consistently applied: information early; respect for participants; timely feedback of how input was used; etc. Several participants commented that for this principle to be properly applied, that communities needed to be more empowered. For example, some suggested that collaboration and relationship-building could be fomented through partnerships with community associations or organizations, or that the City could engage with community leaders. A few suggested that community associations and councillor offices should receive funding to help actualize this principle. Many believed that it was important for the City to have on-going, sustained discussions at the community-level, not just one-off, single-topic consultations. Others suggested that it would be helpful for the City to develop a one-stop consultation portal on the website. A few participants commented that the ability to build relationships depended on staff being more responsive to public enquiries, and more involved at the community level. There were a few comments made that members of the public also had a responsibility to be more involved and to participate more in engagement activities, and that the City could, for example, educate the public on how the municipal process works.

4.5 Identified Elements of Meaningful Public Engagement


The following is a detailed compilation of what participants offered throughout the consultation process as the elements required for future City of Ottawa public engagement to be meaningful: PROVIDE AMPLE INFORMATION, EARLY IN THE PROCESS PARTICIPANTS WANTED A SOLID KNOWLEDGE-BASE BEFORE ATTENDING EVENTS: Better publicize engagement activities; Provide as much detail as possible, as early as possible (not just a primer); Make it accessible and easy-to-access on the Citys website (keep information together in one place rather than having to search for it); Include detailed staff presentations; Use plain language. START ENGAGEMENT EARLY IN THE PROCESS PARTICIPANTS WANTED REAL OPPORTUNITIES TO SHAPE THE OUTCOMES: Begin at the conceptual phase and build-in opportunities to share ideas (e.g., ideas fair; community visioning exercises); Dont present pre-conceived decisions that are too far developed to review; Allow for a diversity of opinions.

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BE OPEN AND TRANSPARENT PARTICIPANTS WANTED THE FULL PICTURE: Be clear about the true intent of the engagement; Provide real scenarios for consideration; Provide all information whether it is positive or negative. PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE PROCESS FOR CONSULTATION PARTICIPANTS WANTED CLARITY ON WHAT THEYRE BEING ASKED TO DO AND WHERE THEY CAN HAVE AN IMPACT: Be clear on the parameters; dont call it a consultation if the objective is only to inform; Be clear on where public input can have a real influence in the process; Be clear about the project timelines and how it will unfold. CREATE THE CONDITIONS FOR MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE PARTICIPANTS WANTED REAL OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE ON THE TOPICS OF IMPORTANCE OR INTEREST TO THEM: Consultation questions must be relevant to the project and tied to a decision-point (i.e., so that responses are clearly related to the subject matter/outcome); Plan for frequent and several phases of consultation; Ensure equal weight is accorded to all input (community, rural, developer, businesses, etc.); Allow for community engagement on the decisions that will have a significant impact on peoples lives (i.e., not just the smaller projects). BE RESPONSIVE TO PUBLIC ENQUIRIES PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO BE RESPECTED AND FEEL THEY ARE BEING LISTENED TO: Staff should be neutral and attentive; All enquiries from the public should be responded to in a timely fashion; Staff should be courteous, interested and engaged; Staff should be prepared and knowledgeable about the issues being consulted on; Promote identification (e.g., name tags). REPORT BACK PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO KNOW HOW THEIR INPUT SHAPED THE OUTCOMES: Report in a detailed fashion how public input influenced the project outcome; Provide the analysis or justification outlining how input was used or not used; Post summary reports on the Citys website and provide access to comments and materials. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY AT THE NEIGHBOURHOOD LEVEL PARTICIPANTS WANTED A MORE COLLABORATIVE, COMMUNITY-DRIVEN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY: Work collaboratively with community leaders and associations support and enhance their ability to reach out to their networks; Provide resources to communities so that they can properly be engaged on an issue; allow them to lead some of the engagement processes (e.g., town hall sessions); Create welcoming, safe, and comfortable spaces for participants to provide input; When appropriate, target consultations to select neighbourhoods or relevant stakeholders; Plan consultations at the local, neighbourhood level (i.e., not always downtown); Tap into the expertise of local residents (such as retired subject-matter experts or community

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leaders that have the pulse of local residents); Allow community members to work more closely with staff and the experts. BE MORE INCLUSIVE PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO BE INVOLVED: Go to the people, especially in rural areas (e.g., malls, coffee shops, community centres and sports arenas); Respect the language rights of Francophones to allow them to become fully engaged and productive in the process; Encourage all sectors to work together (communities, businesses, staff). COUNCILLOR INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO KNOW THEIR INVOLVEMENT WAS CONSIDERED: City Council support for staff-led consultation processes is important; Improve the process for public delegations at Committee meetings, for e.g., by allowing more time for presentations and greater debate; Provide increased resources to Councillor offices to promote and lead engagement programs.

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5.0 Considerations for the City


The following is a list of considerations for the City as it develops the proposed Public Engagement Strategy. These considerations are based on the analysis of the participant feedback captured in this Report and an environmental scan of the online engagement policies and practices of other Canadians municipalities.

5.1 GOVERNANCE
A number of municipalities in Canada have some form of central office to provide on-going advisory services to other departments such as: Continuously researching and looking to implement best practices in public engagement. Working with client departments to develop engagement strategies prior to initiating consultations (see Section 5.2, Methodology, below), and ensuring adequate resourc es are provided for meaningful public engagement activities. Providing assistance and oversight in the drafting of Statements of Work (such as those included in Requests for Proposals) that have a public engagement component to them. A senior champion within the organization would assist in ensuring all staff follow guidelines and procedures and adopt meaningful and appropriate engagement practices.

5.2 MEANINGFUL PROCESS/METHODOLOGY


It is important to develop a solid engagement strategy prior to initiating public engagement activities. Communications staff should be brought in early in the strategy development to be able to provide input into positioning and awareness-raising for engagement activities. A central office, as described above in Consideration 5.1, could also play a supporting role in the development of these strategies. Staff should clearly articulate the type of engagement they are planning prior to going to the public and stakeholders. Consider developing boilerplate material that clearly outlines to the public the type of engagement they are being asked to participate in. For example, standard-form statements could be developed that indicate where a given engagement lies on the Spectrum (for e.g., This is for information only. Decisions on this project are near final because.) Staff training on respectful/meaningful engagement and accessibility practices would help ensure consistency in how the Strategy is applied. At the outset of an engagement program, stakeholders that may be affected by a project or policy decision should be identified and outreach programs developed to target them.

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Policies on bilingualism and accessibility should be easily accessible to staff. Guidelines that specifically relate to public engagement should also be provided (what needs to be translated; how presentations are to delivered; whether simultaneous interpretation is required; whether bilingual staff need to be present at events and if so, how many; etc.). Resources should be provided to accommodate transportation and attendance needs for members of the public with disabilities or living on low-income, etc.

5.3 INFORMATION
Guidelines to instruct staff on the type and depth of information that needs to be provided at the outset and throughout engagement programs would help improve communications efforts. These guidelines could include information on: timeframes; depth of the content; legibility and readability; accessibility requirements; bilingual requirements; etc. A protocol should be considered whereby staff are required to post all engagement information on the City website. Boilerplates and templates for all consultation materials would help ensure consistency in the Citys public engagement programs. For example: Promotional media advisories and releases; e-blasts; councillor communications; twitter feeds; etc. Consultative surveys; comment sheets; evaluations; various exercises, etc. Reporting media advisories; summaries; full reports; etc.

The Citys website should be enhanced to facilitate the posting of information (see Section 5.5, City Website, below). The use of more visuals (graphs, 3D renderings, etc.), video postings to Youtube and the City website, etc, should be encouraged.

5.4 PROMOTION
A protocol should be considered to ensure the early, consistent and adequate promotion of consultation events (traditional and online). For example, a protocol could be adopted whereby all engagement activities require a minimum of three weeks notice, with reminders. The use of online and social media tools should be promoted, for example by drafting a corporate protocol and by providing adequate resources to manage the tools. Communications staff should be involved earlier in the process and sufficient resources should be available to allow for the promotion of engagement programs. A listserve (email database) should be created for City engagements. Recipients should be permitted to self-select the types of consultations for which they want to receive notices.

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City staff should work more closely with community associations and councillor offices to promote consultations. Consider publishing notices in the appropriate community papers (this may require a reassessment of the need to publicize in local dailies, with a view to directing funds to the most effective vehicles).

5.5 CITY WEBSITE


Consider developing a consultation portal (see Consideration 5.7, Online Engagement, below). The portal should meet accessibility requirements, and be focus-tested at the early development stage by community organizations and residents with unique needs. A protocol should be adopted whereby staff are required to post on the Citys website/portal all information related to an engagement program (similar to the City of Edmonton). The City should consider enhancing its website to make it easier easy to browse and search.

5.6 IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT


The City should hold more consultation events in busy public centres, such as malls and community/sports centres. Complement online engagement activities with in-person engagement. Consider doing both (similar to the City of Calgarys approach that online consultation should never be the only method of engaging the public on projects).

5.7 ONLINE ENGAGEMENT


Online engagement guidelines should be developed to clearly outline how and when to conduct online engagement. Similarly to the City of Calgary, the guidelines should also instruct staff on the limitations of online engagement (i.e., that in most circumstances, online engagement should compliment traditional consultation rather than replace it). Consider developing a consultation portal to provide a one-stop access to all current and past consultations. Build-in multiple tools to allow flexibility in online campaigns, such as: Survey tools, listserves, crowdsourcing, forums, social media, etc. Consider calendar, GIS-features, etc., to allow browsers to see when and where consultations are taking place in the City. Allow for future innovations and the ability to incorporate external plug-and-play services.

Consider building or purchasing access to an online panel (a community of pre-selected respondents that have provided their consent to participate in online surveys over an extended period).

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Guidance and resources should be made readily accessible to support the development of appropriate surveys and questionnaires (for example, survey methodology).

5.8 REPORTING
A protocol should be developed for how to report the outcomes of an engagement program. For example: a summary plus in-depth reporting; justifications for how input was used or not used; access to all comments and submissions. The protocol should also provide guidance on how and when reports are shared with the public and stakeholders (e.g., within four weeks of a consultation; on the City website; emailed to participants; etc.). Develop templates and how to materials for reporting, such as matrixes to capture and report on comments; executive summaries; full reports on analysis; etc.

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