A recap of our Together, We Will policy sessions.

Over the course of our Together, We Will policy sessions, residents have brought forward numerous ideas to unlock our city's full potential. Below is a tracker of the community's recommendations for potential policies.

What comes next? Community input — from these sessions, the PTBO Top Priority poll, talking with hundreds of residents while canvassing and at community events, and more — will inform the policies for each platform area (to be released this summer).

Note: Community input has been recorded in rough form, in the spirit of transparency. More policy recommendations will be added as our Together, We Will sessions occur.

Integrity, Transparency & Accountability (26 Ideas Tracked)

Delegations

  • Consider unlimited delegations.
  • Lengthen time of delegations.
  • Delegations should occur earlier in the process - not on the night of the vote.
  • Have an expectation that councillors interact with delegates.
  • Allow delegations to be made virtually.
  • Be considerate of people who may feel nervous speaking in public.

Policy Development

  • Public input should be sought earlier in the policy development process.
  • There should be citizen advisory committees with council representation that provide input to policy development.
  • Budget consultations should be better organized and designed to facilitate public input.
  • When making decisions, let the public know the trade-offs that were considered and why a particular option was chosen.
  • When consulting with residents or organizations, give them enough time to prepare thoughtful input.
  • Move away from departmental silos and take a more horizontal approach to policy development.

Communication

  • More effective internal and external communication by the city is required.
  • Provide resources to council members to allow them to more effectively communicate with their constituents.
  • Show up where people are - for example, go to a park to talk about recreation.
  • Utilize subject matter experts to design more effective engagement processes that are user-centric.

Engagement

  • Continue canvassing door-to-door after the election to continue to hear citizen input.
  • Consider holding regular "office hours" to meet with residents.
  • Share the task of engaging residents with all of council.
  • Consider creating resident councils in each ward.

Other

  • Given increased councillor salaries, a higher degree of professionalism should be expected of council members.
  • Build a culture of trust between residents and City Hall.
  • Encourage senior staff to participate in broader community life and activities to develop skin in the game.
  • Reward innovative thinking within City Hall.
  • Consider at-large election of council members.
  • Ensure that closed sessions adhere to legislative requirements.