Stolte: 'I'm not understanding how beginning engagement and visioning with the public this summer, but not letting them know about it until the fall'

By Pepper Parr

June 5th, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Staff were presenting to Council on the “key deliverables for the communication and engagement plan.”

Part of the presentation asked for $100,000; a number that got tossed in, sort of is as a place holder
Everyone knew the number was close to outrageous – but no one offered to lower it.

Stolte: Has public engagement already begun ?

Councillor Stolte asked:
Has engagement started?
Adding that “… in the chart it’s very well outlined that engagement with recreational users and businesses groups and community organizations is starting spring summer 2023.  Has that begun already?

Emilie Cote responded: It has begun informally just in regular conversations that we have with existing user groups but will be more so as we proceed with the tactics like the visioning and the Request For Interest.

Councillor Stolte comes back with: “it said June to October. Well, today’s June 1, do we have dates – I don’t see any dates in there.

There is a  city wide mailout planned to inform people of those opportunities and be part of that visioning exercise. But the mailer wont go out until the fall – what’s going to get done between now and then ?  Earlier today we published a piece on just how much space there is and how much will the public get to use ?  Councillor Sharman had to push hard to get some basic information.  Perhaps he could have asked for that information before this project got off the ground.

Councillor Stolte to Kwab: I’m not understanding how we are beginning engagement and visioning with the public this summer, but not letting them know about it until the fall.

Director of Communications Kwab adds that “the city wide mailer will go out in the fall actually, that’s the time that we’re looking for that because we wanted to make sure that once we have this plan in place – this comprehensive plan – and as we begin some of the work that’s underway now we’ll of course let residents know about it.

But we wanted to build some critical mass of when we want to inform residents about what’s happening. So come the fall, there’ll be a lot more engagement activities underway, where we can let residents know – generally speaking, we try not to send anything out about a major project smack right in the middle of the summer. So that’s why it made sense for us to send that in the in the fall.

Stolte: “A clarifying question, please? I’m not understanding the timing Kwab I’m not understanding how we are beginning engagement and visioning with the public this summer, but not letting them know about it until the fall

Kwab:”We will be letting them know about it through other means that we have. The mailer is just one additional tactic that we do let residents know about what’s happening.

But through the project page media releases and other ways we will be letting them know about the current engagement that’s happening.

In addition, the mailer will go out that will let them know again about other engagement opportunities that are happening as well. I think, I mean, we definitely have to keep in mind that this is gonna be a long, long engagement. So there will be lots of opportunities to engage residents using many different tactics. So the mailer is just one tactic that we’ll be using to inform residents.

Then the matter of the $100,000 that was going to be asked for. I mean, that was just a number that staff threw out. We are drawing upon existing already approved budget as part of the project. So when we get closer to the exact dates and the items that will be happening will be will know better, how close to that number we would get.

Stolte: So my question is really whether or not, prior to significantly greater Council interest in doing more and more engagement, will we ever think it will be $100,000?

Kwab: “It’s a good question, Counsellor. To be honest, you know, we appreciate the direction staff were starting to work on that more comprehensive plan that was happening simultaneously as received last time. We didn’t have a total number at the time to answer your question. I knew it was going to be more than 20k. That’s probably as clear as I can get, I guess to answering your question.

I could maybe add to the chair and say overall that this project has evolved very, very quickly when you think about the size and scope of this project from the inception and so as we were developing scope and budgets, and evolving and refining those as we go along.

As we get more information and understanding of the expectations – I think it’s a fair comment that we will obviously manage that budget and look at it as we’ve been developing as we go along. We will manage prudently but at the same time meeting the expectations that council has.

We will let the words speak for themselves

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1 comment to Stolte: ‘I’m not understanding how beginning engagement and visioning with the public this summer, but not letting them know about it until the fall’

  • Jim Thomson

    Maybe they could ditch the Food for Feedback and pop-up events and save a few bucks.