By Pepper Parr
September 10th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
The city will spend $500,00 on this event, and staff will put in untold hours – to what end?
The Food for Feedback event takes place Saturday, September 13, between noon and 4 p.m. at Central Park
This is the fifth Food For Feedback event, which the city feels is a perfect example of engaging with the public.
Our sense of the event is that the engagement is one-way – citizens don’t have much in the way of opportunity to tell Councillors and staff what they think.
Putting dots on a poster is just not communication.
Food Truck line-ups in 2024
It costs the city close to $50,000 each year to put on the event. Is there measurable value for money? Some city staff don’t think so.
The Free Food is good – we urge you to go and ask questions.
The City wants to know what you think. Do what you can to walk around the site, meet neighbours and exchange views with friends. And, ask questions.
Why are you doing this?
How is it going to make my life in Burlington better?
And if you have comments, send them to us.
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Considering Council spent over $47.000 last year on this ego spectacle ,what is the value to taxpayers ?
Eve,
The FOOD only for the “Food for Feedback” event in 2024 totalled almost $50,000 dollars. In addition there are several other expenses added to this figure.
“Through a Freedom of Information request, we learned that the city paid $47,657.37 for food at last year’s event (2024). Other costs, such as staff time, tent rentals, cleanup, etc., are not included in this figure”. See link below from the Bay Observer:
https://bayobserver.ca/turns-out-it-can-be-bread-and-circuses-in-burlington/
The “Food for Feedback” event costs substanially more than the $50,000 for food alone as noted in this article.
In addition to the cost of food, there is staff time to preplan and organize the event months in advance; advertising; billboards; printing of materials and handouts; cost for “Swag”; personalized tents; security; overtime for city staff to attend; setup and takedown of tents; cleanup etc. etc.
Which is all paid for by Burlington Property Taxpayers each year.
No reliable or legitimate Feedback is noted or documented!!!
Wouldn’t our Mayor, council and residents spend their time and energy more successfully and wisely by planning and holding a “In-Person Townhall” where all residents can attend at one time, in one place and participate in a open question and answer forum where everything is recorded and documented. And everyone attending can hear the questions asked and the answers given in real time and in one place.
The “Food for Feedback” event will never take the place of an open dialogue at a In-Person Townhall.
Putting stickers on a piece of board means absolutely nothing, and this event is an enormous waste of our Property Taxpayer dollars.
Contact our Mayor and Council members if you agree and ask for this Town Hall to be held instead of this wasteful event next year.