Executive summary
- The Community Engagement Charter (Engagement Charter) was approved by City Council in April of 2013.
- The Engagement Charter was created by residents with support from city staff and it is an agreement between and among Burlington City Council and residents concerning community engagement with City government and establishes the commitments, responsibilities and fundamental concepts of this relationship.
- To ensure the continued success of the Engagement Charter, the City invited members of the Charter team to help develop an Engagement Charter Action Plan. This team of community members and staff was known as the Charter Action Team (ChAT).
- The Action Plan aims to bring the Engagement Charter to life and to embed engagement into everyday practice at the City of Burlington.
- The Charter Action Plan was approved and adopted in April 2014. Along with Vision to Focus alignment, community engagement is part of the strategic direction “An Engaging City” in the 2015-2040 Strategic Plan.
- This strategic direction or pillar clearly demonstrates the city’s commitment to including residents in decision making.
- In 2020, it was identified that engagement is considered a priority, so much so that the department name was changed to “Corporate Communications and Engagement” (previously Corporate Communications and Government Relations) to emphasize the importance and highlight engagement within the community and City staff.
Climate implications
- Community engagement regarding the climate/environment is an important practice.
- In 2021 the community and or staff has provided input on items such as the Climate Resilient Burlington, Rural Active Transportation Strategy, Integrated Mobility Plan, Private Tree By-Law/Forest Protection, Home Energy Retrofit project, Transit to name a few.