Burlington launches updated Community Engagement Charter: We've been down this road before

By Pepper Parr

April 24th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

The City of Burlington has released its updated Community Engagement Charter and Framework, renewing its commitment to transparent, inclusive and meaningful engagement with community.

Originally introduced in 2013, the Community Engagement Charter sets out how residents, City staff and members of Council work together to shape decisions about the City. The updated Charter reflects the evolving needs of Burlington’s growing and changing community, strengthening how the City listens, communicates and engages with residents today.

The updated Charter sets clear expectations for how the City engages with residents, focusing on early communication, open dialogue and showing how feedback is used in decision-making across the City’s initiatives, projects, and policies.

Neither City Council or City staff are all that good at engaging the public who pay the bills.  It’s just the way the city works, always has worked this way in the 12 years I have reported on city hall.

A true change will come about when City Council hires a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) with a genuine commitment to engaging the citizens of the city.  Until that happens – its not much more than lip service

Key Highlights of the Community Engagement Charter

This is the team that is responsible for ensuring that the city delivers on the Engagement Charter it created.

The updated Community Engagement Charter updates several key enhancements:

Stronger accountability – The City will report back on what it heard and how public input was or was not used during decision-making.

Greater transparency- Clearer communication throughout engagement, including timely updates and outcomes. More inclusive engagement- Expand efforts to reach underrepresented groups and reduce barriers to participation

Improved access and accessibility- Use of plain language, multiple formats, and consideration for interpretation and translation needs.

Modern tools and technology- A wider range of engagement methods, including online tools, telephone town halls to make it easier for people to take part.

Clearer guidance and expectations–More detail to support consistent and meaningful engagement across the organization.

The charter also reinforces the City’s commitment to ensuring all voices in Burlington are welcomed, heard and respected.

They mean well.  The Team (does it require four people to do whatever the job is?) The names of the Team are on the right.

The updated Community Engagement Charter and Framework will guide how the City plans and delivers engagement moving forward, ensuring feedback is gathered and used to inform decisions that shape the community.

Interesting that there isn’t a copy of the Charter on the city web site – just a list of the things they say they are going to do.

Background

The updated Charter was developed through a multi-phase process involving residents, community groups, advisory committees, local businesses, City Council and City staff. The Community Engagement Charter and Framework can be viewed at burlington.ca/engagement and getinvolvedburlington.ca/engagementcharter.

Marianne Meed Ward, Mayor is, beyond a doubt the best member of city council at spinning what engagement is all about.

“Burlington’s strength has always come from the people who call it home. This updated Community Engagement Charter raises the bar for how we work together—ensuring residents are not only heard, but clearly see how their input shapes the decisions we make, all while treating each other with respect, even when we have different perspectives. It reflects our commitment to openness, accountability and inclusive engagement, and sets a clear standard for building trust and making better decisions, together.”

Lisa Kearns, Deputy Mayor, Community Engagement and Partnerships tries.  She is the only member of Council that holds meaningful ward meetings where she tells her constituents what is taking place.  The rest of this Council hold meetings where you can ask questions. Kearns is sincere when she says:  “Empowering our community members to be part of the civic process remains central to strong local governance. The updated Community Engagement Charter strengthens accountability and transparency by clearly showing how public input informs decisions, expanding inclusive participation, and improving access through clear communication and modern engagement tools. This framework reinforces a respectful and consistent approach to engagement across the organization.”

Unfortunately, Lisa the process in place now does not “clearly show how public input informs decisions.”

During the election campaign, the incumbents will be out there soliciting your vote.  This is your opportunity to call them to task.