Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 03

20 / Canadian Government Executive // May/June 2018 I n April 2017, the City of Edmonton approved a new Public Engagement Policy (C593), developed using a col- laborative process involving City Council, City Administration and mem- bers of the public. The Council Initiative on Public En- gagement was the vehicle used to review the City’s practice of public engagement and develop a new policy. In Edmonton, Council Initiatives are set in motion at the beginning of each new Council term. They enable City Council to focus on topics that are important to councilors, so they can advocate for them and work directly with Administration. Parallel to the creation of the Council Initiative, the City’s Executive Leadership Team had also identified public engage- ment as a priority and assigned senior organizational leaders to oversee an im- provement effort. The attention from both of these important players – Council and senior executives – would prove critical to the success of the Initiative. From the beginning, both Council and Administration embraced the public’s involvement in the review of their city’s public engagement practices. The first phase of the Initiative engaged thousands of Edmontonians online and via dozens of workshops to discuss the importance of public engagement, and identify elements needed for it to be effective. Members of the public also played a role in analysis of the input gathered and, along with Ad- ministration and Council, helped shape the second phase of the Initiative. This second phase delved deeper into ar- eas of improvement needed to evolve public engagement practice – including a new and improved Policy. Importantly, it was also recognized that the Initiative’s stewardship required changes to become more transpar- ent and credible by involving members of the public in key leadership roles. To that end, an Advisory Committee was formed, made up in equal measure of senior members of City Administration and mem- bers of the public that were representative of Edmonton’s diversity. Under this Com- mittee, five Working Groups were created, each with an Administrative Co-Chair and a Public Co-Chair and including members of both Administration and the public. Thus the Initiative’s findings and recommenda- tions were developed and approved jointly by Administration and the public. When the new Policy was presented to Council for approval, City Administration provided overall remarks, but the Public Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee also delivered their own comments. City Coun- cil also heard from other members of the public who had participated and had the opportunity to ask them questions. This collaborative effort not only en- hanced the credibility of the findings but the public’s involvement resulted in a Poli- cy that instituted some important changes: • Provides more detail and clarity about its purpose and when it applies • Provides guidance on the role of deci- sion makers • Highlights the importance of respectful and safe discussion and debate • Defines public engagement more clearly, by linking it with decision-making and highlighting the importance of report- ing back to people about how their input was used • Includes a new Public Engagement Spectrum that uses citizen-centric lan- guage and does not include “inform” • Identifies key supporting elements for public engagement that are critical for success These changes better align public expec- tations about what ’public engagement’ means. Through the Initiative, the public told us that ’public engagement’ cannot be simply informing them about what the City is doing but, at minimum, asking them what they think, listening to them, and incorporating their feedback when possible and appropriate. Even after the Initiative’s mandate was successfully completed and the new Policy was approved, City Council, Administra- tion and the public all expressed a desire to continue the collaboration achieved under Public Engagement Engaging on Engagement Developing the City of Edmonton’s New Public Engagement Policy Edmonton’s City Hall By Cory Segin