Certain legislation like the Municipal Act and Environmental Assessment Act set out minimum standards for when municipal governments are required to get input from the community. In the City of Guelph, we aim to create more opportunities for community engagement than those required by law, and to make them meaningful.

When we won’t engage

There will be certain topics we don’t ask you about, like matters of immediate public safety, when change is legislated by other levels of government, or when change simply isn’t possible.

The City might choose not to engage if there’s little or no public interest or if we cannot engage meaningfully. Other times, we might only talk to a small group of community members who are most affected.

When we are not able to engage with you, decision-making will be guided by our commitments to the community, and the priorities established in Guelph’s community plan and strategic plan.

Regardless of the decision, we will communicate it to you in a timely and transparent way.

We ensure there are meaningful opportunities to influence City decisions

You can expect to be engaged in different ways. This may vary from project-to-project or even within a project. It will also depend on individual interest levels and the decision being made.

To guide what’s appropriate we use the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum for Public Participation (the Spectrum).

The Spectrum reminds us that not every project or part of a project needs the same type or depth of community engagement.

Determining how the Spectrum applies to each aspect of a City project is done with careful consideration. Community engagement staff with technical expertise advise project managers about what is appropriate under what circumstances.

Regardless of the approach, you can count on us to explore and experiment with approaches that drive meaningful community engagement.

Inform 

At a minimum, and regardless of the decision being made, we will provide you with balanced and objective information to help you understand the problem, options, opportunities, and/or solutions. In these situations, we won’t be asking for feedback, but we will communicate what we are doing and why.

Consult  

Some points of a project have limited options, or we have specific questions we need to ask to inform the decisions. In these cases, we might ask for feedback to understand your opinion or ask you specific questions about the work of staff and experts.

Involve 

Some parts of the decision-making process require us to make time and space for deeper conversations with you. In these situations, the City works directly with you to ensure your concerns and aspirations are consistently understood by asking you questions, answering yours and continuing the conversation until we understand each other.

Collaborate  

Some parts of the decision-making process involve collaborating on a path forward with community members. In these situations, we collaborate with you to frame the issue, develop options, and/or identify solutions together. 

Empower 

Sometimes you’re better positioned to make decisions at certain parts of the process. In these situations, the City supports establishing an appropriate process for you to make the decision. 

*Adapted from IAP2.

Though the Spectrum is internationally recognized as a framework for designing and delivering community engagement, we know that no single model can meet the complexity and diversity of every project and community. We are committed to ongoing learning about the application of the Spectrum and other models that support how we meet our community engagement promise.