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Submitteu by Nuiiay Nollaiu

Nay 2S, 2u14


Intiouuction

I am a iesiuent of uianuview Wooulanu. I also have a longstanuing piofessional anu
peisonal inteiest in woiking to make suie that uemociacy woiks foi citizens anu
citizens actively paiticipate to make uemociacy woik foi all of us.

The City of vancouvei is to be congiatulateu foi taking this bolu initiative to cieate
an innovative piocess to pioviue local community iesiuents a veiy meaningful
oppoitunity to paiticipate in uecision-making that uiiectly affects theii lives. This
iepiesents a moie iobust appioach to paiticipatoiyuelibeiative uemociacy anu the
City is to be lauueu foi theii commitment to both convene anu uesign a successful
piocess. The following pioviues comments on the uiaft Teims of Refeience foi the
Citizens' Assembly on the uianuview Wooulanu Community Plan.

1. The uiaft Teims of Refeience exhibit a thoughtful appioach to the uesign of the
assembly that incluues seveial stiong elements:

(a) 0pen Assembly Sessions: The uiaft incluues a commitment to inclusivity by
allowing the community to attenu open sessions of the assembly incluuing the
leaining anu uelibeiative phases. This is impoitant foi tianspaiency so that the
community can tiust the piocess anu so that the assembly has cieuibility in the eyes
of the community. The laigei community will also be able to leain about the issues
in a ueepei way thiough this piocess.

(b) The Selection Piocess: The City has committeu to a selection piocess that
ensuies that the uiveisity of the local community will be iepiesenteu in the
assembly. This is also impoitant foi the cieuibility of the assembly. That saiu, the
selection piocess can be impioveu (see comments below).

(c) The Auvisoiy Committee: An auvisoiy committee will be appointeu to ensuie a
iobust piocess. This is an impoitant check on the City's poweis to ensuie a faii
piocess uesign. Again, to achieve cieuibility foi the assembly (cleaily an impoitant
guiuing piinciple which peihaps shoulu be auueu to the uuiuing Piinciples), the
piocess itself must be seen by the public as appiopiiate anu iobust. An auvisoiy
committee will help to ensuie that theie is inuepenuent input into the piocess
uesign.

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2. Notwithstanuing the stiong uesign elements in the uiaft Teims of Refeience, they
shoulu be impioveu:

(a) The PoweiInfluence of the Assembly: Citizens' assemblies aie of most value
when they possess meaningful influence in the public policy uecision-making
piocess. An assembly without the ability to meaningfully influence uecision-making
iisks being tieateu with inuiffeience (by City Council anu otheis) anu woise, being
vieweu by the community as a cynical attempt by the City to intentionally uesign the
piocess to ueflect ciiticism away fiom the City that followeu on the ielease of the
Emeiging Biiections uocument. The key is to uesign a piocess that ensuies that the
assembly has meaningful influence without usuiping the legitimate authoiity of City
Council, as a bouy of uemociatically electeu iepiesentatives, to be iesponsible foi
making the final uecisions with iespect to the 0fficial Community Plan. In this
iegaiu, the uiaft teims of Refeience shoulu be impioveu. Cuiiently, the uiaft's
iepoiting piovisions piopeily allow foi the assembly's iepoit to go uiiectly to City
Council. City Council can then senu them to staff foi comment anu auvice which
shoulu be expecteu. Bowevei, this is not much uiffeient than if the assembly's
iepoit went uiiectly to city staff to incoipoiate into theii oveiall planning.

To augment the influence of the assembly, it shoulu have the oppoitunity to oially
piesent its iepoit to City Council in an open chambei session !"#$% City staff ieviews
it anu pioviues inteinal auvice to City Council. An open chambei session woulu
allow a meaningful exchange of questions anu iueas in a public foium. Fuitheimoie,
City Council shoulu be iequiieu to pioviue a wiitten, public iesponse to the
assembly's iepoit noting wheie anu why it uoes not agiee with the assembly's
iecommenuations. These elements - public uebate of the iepoit in an open City
Council session anu City Council's wiitten iesponse to the assembly with ieasons -
will both enhance the influence of the assembly anu iequiie gieatei City Council
accountability with iespect to the assembly's uelibeiations while ensuiing that City
Council maintains, appiopiiately, final uecision making authoiity.

(b) Bifuicateu Consultations: The uiaft Teims of Refeience piopose that while the
assembly piocess is ongoing, the City staff will unueitake sepaiate consultations
with the community via "City-leu sub-aiea woikshops." The City will then iepoit
back to the assembly iegaiuing these sepaiate consultations. While this bifuicateu
piocess may be a well-intentioneu effoit to alleviate auuitional buiuen to the
assembly fiom unueitaking lengthy consultations with the community, it also
potentially unueimines the inuepenuence of the assembly anu its influence.
Assembly membeis woulu benefit fiom fiist hanu paiticipation in such
consultations - inueeu be in a position to ask questions of community paiticipants.
A moie iobust uesign that woulu enhance the assembly's inuepenuence woulu be if
the assembly anu the City co-uesigneu anu co-conveneu the woikshops anu if select
membeis of the assembly (iathei than the whole assembly to auuiess time
constiaints) weie able to engage with anu ask questions of paiticipants uuiing these
woikshops.

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(c) The "Civic Lotteiy": Aiticle 7.1 of the uiaft Teims of Refeience uesciibes the
ieciuitment piocess. Rathei than conuucting an initial ianuom selection of potential
assembly membeis anu then going thiough a piocess of self selection with fuithei
ianuomizeu anu stiatifieu selection, the Civic Lotteiy pioposes self-selection as the
fiist step befoie a ianuom selection occuis. This cieates seveial pioblems. Fiist,
expeits in civic engagement unueistanu that a majoi concein iegaiuing public
consultations that occui via geneializeu invitations is that the same people who aie
inclineu to paiticipate, choose to paiticipate, while those who, foi sometimes veiy
legitimate ieasons, uon't choose to paiticipate will be excluueu fiom the piocess.
This "usual suspects" phenomenon tenus to bias consultations. An initial ianuom
selection cieates gieatei incentive foi those who typically choose to self-excluue to
paiticipate. Fuitheimoie, self-selection piocesses tenu to attiact euucateu, highei
income eaineis into the pool of canuiuates than those fiom moie maiginalizeu oi
minoiity populations. A seconu potential pioblem aiises fiom the uiaft piocess as
ceitain inteiests may oiganize themselves to "floou", oi at least gieatly inciease, the
chances of theii membeis being chosen foi the assembly. This will eviuently cieate
pioblems foi the assembly anu potentially bias the outcome. The selection piocess
shoulu use the moie typical ianuom selection, self-selection, ianuom
selectionstiatification piocess to avoiu these pioblems.

(u) Stuuents' Paiticipation: The uiaft Teims of Refeience inuicate that theie will be
financial assistance foi ieasonable costs ielateu to chilucaie, eluei caie anu
tianspoitation. This is lauuable. Bowevei, many post-seconuaiy stuuents aie now
moie likely than evei to woik while stuuying anu thus will not likely be able to
paiticipate in the assembly. The assembly shoulu offei to pioviue some financial
suppoit foi stuuents who woulu otheiwise not paiticipate uue to woik ielateu
commitments.

(e) Appointment anu Responsibility of the Chaii: The Chaii of the assembly will
play a ciucial iole in ensuiing that the assembly is successful by shepheiuing the
assembly anu its piocess to auheie to the uuiuing Piinciples anu encouiaging iobust
uialogue, caieful uelibeiation anu iespectful ielationships among assembly
membeis. As such, she oi he will neeu a iange of skills anu expeiience. Be oi she
must be iespecteu by both assembly membeis anu the geneial public. The uiaft
Teims of Refeience shoulu specify that the appointment of the Chaii be maue by the
City aftei consultations withiecommenuations fiom the Auvisoiy Committee to
ensuie that the peison will be peiceiveu to be meiitoiious anu impaitial. The Chaii
shoulu be able to significantly influence, if not ueteimine, who will be pait of the
Citizens' Assembly Piocess anu Facilitation team given that the Chaii will neeu to
iely on this team anu have confiuence in them to suppoit the woik of the assembly.