District invites community to Let’s Talk Squamish
New online space aims to make local public engagement opportunities more accessible, and kicks off with Budget 2022
The District has launched Let’s Talk Squamish, a new engagement space that will serve as an online hub for the District’s public engagement efforts. Let’s Talk Squamish invites residents to participate in local planning and decision-making by asking questions, sharing ideas, and providing feedback on projects that will shape the future of Squamish. Residents are encouraged to participate and join the conversation at LetsTalkSquamish.ca.
Let’s Talk Squamish has launched with two current public engagement efforts: Budget 2022 and the Off-Leash Dog pilot project. The Garibaldi Estates Neighbourhood Plan public engagement is scheduled to launch on the platform within the next two weeks.
"Meaningful public engagement involves hearing a range of perspectives from all residents and when we hear and consider a diversity of perspectives we can all work together to build stronger plans and solutions for our community,” says District of Squamish Mayor Karen Elliott. “We know that perspectives can differ amongst neighbours and friends, and that’s okay, as long as they are both valued and heard. We invite all Squamish residents to participate openly and respectfully, and to join us in strengthening the way in which we engage with the community.”
Let’s Talk Squamish will be updated regularly with a range of opportunities for residents to participate and share ideas on a broad range of projects across the community. Its goal will be to serve as a positive space for residents to come together and share different perspectives.
Municipalities across British Columbia have adopted similar online tools in recent years to improve community access to online public engagement opportunities. With Let’s Talk Squamish, the District can build on the best practices from other communities while learning and listening to what works best here at home.
“We are acutely aware of how busy everyone’s lives are, and by providing ways for people to engage with us at a time that is convenient for them, we hope to reach more residents to help inform the decisions in front of Council,” continues Elliott. “There are many big conversations underway and coming up that we want and need to hear residents’ perspectives on. And while we will be offering in person engagement opportunities for some projects, I encourage everyone – young and old– to explore this platform and try it out with these first few topics."
The information available on Let’s Talk Squamish can be viewed and accessed by everyone. Residents will be asked to create an account via a simple, short form, in order to ask questions, share ideas, and have access to the input opportunities on the site. Only user names will be visible to the public, and anonymous polls and surveys will still be offered, however registering allows residents to be updated on the projects that matter most to them, and helps the District know a little bit about who is engaging on a given topic. Registration also promotes a safe and respectful space for all users.
Visit LetsTalkSquamish.ca to explore the site.
October 4, 2021
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Comments
Don Patrick Jun 2, 2022, 9:38 AM (23 months ago)
Just received my tax notice and my first but belated observation was the fact that not too long ago the school tax and DOS property tax were almost equal .... now my School taxes are $3196.57 and Muni Tax's. are $7217.73.... plus the $1470.00 for the utilities ... these things sure do creep up on the Taxpayers .... got to get to user pay. My property is 50% Power Line easement to make it even worse ... I service the land, you get paid.
Paul Kindree Nov 3, 2021, 9:00 AM (2 years ago)
Their have been multiple concerns regarding the validity of the Garibaldi Estates Neighbourhood Planning Survey; you do not need to register a name, e-mail address, or civic address and that you can fill it out mulitple times? Is the software to prevent misuse active and if so, how many times has it identified misuse. What will you do with the surveys that the software has identified as suspicious?
Devin Biln Oct 7, 2021, 8:52 AM (3 years ago)
I'm curious about what measures the DOS is taking to verify that each account and comment can be attributed to an authentic individual.
Online platforms are so vulnerable to abuse by both sophisticated and unsophisticated actors that seek to "work the system".
It concerns me that very important decisions are going be be made based on community input given by anonymous "users" on a platform with very little transparency.
DOS Communications Oct 8, 2021, 1:01 PM (3 years ago)
Thank you for this great question. Let’s Talk Squamish uses Bang the Table’s Engagement HQ platform. This platform is widely used by municipalities across British Columbia to collect feedback from residents about projects that are shaping their communities.
Bang the Table has comprehensive security measures and privacy policies in place. It is able to use device and location information to investigate potential service fraud or abuse when required. If we suspect a user is malicious or not a real person, we will block them and prevent them from using the site. We will then report that user to the technical team at Bang the Table for further investigation.
While no system is perfect, we believe this tool improves the accessibility of engagement processes, by offering anyone in Squamish an opportunity to participate in the decisions that matter to them, at any time that is convenient.
Let’s Talk Squamish is the District’s hub for public engagement online, but it is just one source of information. It does not replace the role of in-person engagement events. Instead, it provides residents with a new way to participate in addition to traditional engagement efforts.
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