Public Notice and Engagement Procedure

Purpose statement

This procedure establishes guidelines for public notice and engagement undertaken on behalf of the Corporation of the Town of Oakville (town).
 

Scope

This procedure applies to all forms of public engagement undertaken on behalf of the town.

The town shall give public notice in accordance with Appendices A and B attached to this procedure and as required by applicable statutes or regulations or by-laws.
 

Procedure

The town is committed to the public notice and engagement guiding principles, established in the Public Notice and Engagement Policy. In every process, regardless of scope, the principles should guide all public engagement activities.

Types of public engagement

Public engagement efforts undertaken on behalf of the town should reflect the magnitude and complexity of the issue/initiative and the desired goal or outcome. The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Federation has developed a spectrum of engagement to help define the community’s role in any public participation process. It includes five stages: inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and empower. The five broadly recognized types of public engagement are:

• To inform – provide balanced and objective information to assist in understanding the issue/initiative, alternatives, opportunities and/or solutions, in a timely manner
• To consult – obtain input, advice and feedback on analysis, alternatives and/or decisions
• To involve – work directly with the community throughout the process to ensure concerns and aspirations are understood
• To collaborate – partner with the community in the development of options and/or a preferred solution
• To empower – place final decision-making in the hands of the community

The town considers applying one or more of these types of engagement depending on the type of issue/initiative. The order of engagement is not necessarily sequential. The spectrum outlines what is involved at each level and helps staff consider the most appropriate type(s) of engagement and tactics to use depending on the objectives and complexity of the issue/initiative. Although “empower” is listed on the spectrum, the town’s governance structure leaves final decision-making to Council and Council delegates. An example of empower is voting in a municipal election.

Approach to Public Engagement

The purpose for public engagement and the extent of engagement should be clearly articulated to the public and Council early in the process. The purpose should address why staff are undertaking the policy, program, project, service, by-law initiative and establish the scope of work (i.e. is this town initiated, a result of new or changed legislation or regulations, is there a mandated timeline for which the work needs to be completed, etc.). For those matters presented before Council, staff will ensure their “ask of Council” is clear regarding whether the item is for: a decision, information, to call a public meeting or other request.

For larger, more complex issues/initiatives staff should develop a public engagement plan that explains the purpose for engaging with the public, explains the public engagement process and when and how the public can become involved including timelines. Adequate timelines should be given to allow participants reasonable time to prepare, provide input and, in some cases, consult others within their organizations and community. Staff should also establish a budget and resources for public engagement work.

Depending on the initiative, it may be necessary to engage with councillors and the community before beginning to clarify the scope and purpose and to get their feedback on these areas. Informal education sessions at the beginning of the initiative should be considered to provide details of the engagement plan and the opportunities for engagement throughout the duration of the initiative.

Policy, program, project, service and by-law initiatives that include public engagement activities should be reported on and included in reports to Council in a timely manner after the engagement occurs. The report should include a fulsome, accurate, and transparent assessment of what was heard during the engagement sessions, including themes that emerged, conflicting opinions, how and why the staff recommendation(s) may have changed based on the feedback received, etc.

Informal engagement, such as public open house events, should clearly indicate the intent and objective of the session, particularly that no decisions have been made or will be made at the session and that the purpose is to share and collect information.

Use of the town’s website and town approved social media channels should be used to promote engagement activities. Additional information on notice requirements are detailed in Appendices A and B.

Indigenous Engagement

The Town of Oakville is committed to building its relationship with Indigenous peoples.

For those matters where the duty to consult with Indigenous peoples is a duty of the Provincial government, the Provincial government may delegate procedural aspects of this duty to project proponents at the town while retaining oversight of the consultation process. Staff will be required to adhere to instructions from the Province when provided.

Public Notice

In notifying the public, staff will consider the following factors:

• Statutory requirements – legislation that specifies notice requirements
• Financial considerations – budget availability/allocation will be a high priority consideration
• Geographic area of impact – town-wide or area-specific impacts
• Community impact – town-wide impact or impact limited to certain groups
• Target audience – individuals who are directly or indirectly affected
• Timeframe of notification – ensure sufficient lead time and recognize seasonal constraints
• Council decisions – as it relates to form and/or timing (e.g. standard 14-day notice requirement reduced to 7-days for notice to residents of a noise exemption for Film Pilot Program)
• Nature of issue/initiative – may be high profile, controversial or routine in nature
• Type of engagement – inform, consult, involve and collaborate
• Form of notice – online and electronic means will be used as the primary form of notification; other forms of notification may be considered to reflect the scope of the issue/initiative
• Health and public safety risk – demand the highest standard
• Accessibility – in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 requirements

All town public notices will be posted on the Town of Oakville website under the News & Notices section. Departments may also choose to place a digital public notice ad in an Oakville online news outlet in addition to posting on the town’s website. While online news outlets will be preferred, if a department determines there is a requirement for a printed newspaper notice, staff will contact Corporate Communications for placing the notice in an area newspaper, subject to department budget availability. The use of town approved social media outlets is also encouraged.

Public notices shall incorporate the following strategies to enhance participatory opportunities for the public:

• Ability to scan for information: Make use of short sentences and paragraphs, and headers.
• Readability: Use simple sentence structure and grammar.
• Plain language: Use simple everyday words with limited technical language. Use active voice rather than passive voice.
• Target audiences: Anticipate their interests and address potential enquiries. Provide notice in an accessible manner.
• Images: Use images, especially if it helps readers understand the message and provide written descriptions of the images.

All Members of Council will be informed for matters of town-wide interest and the Mayor and Ward Councillors will be informed for matters that are area/location specific at the time the notice is released to the public on the town’s website. Every effort will be taken by staff to notify Councillors of local matters with as much advance notice as possible.

Content of Notice

At a minimum, unless otherwise prescribed in the Municipal Act, 2001 or its Regulations, a notice of the intention to pass a by-law or notice of a public meeting, other than an information sign, shall include the following information:

• A description of the purpose and effect of the proposed by-law or matter
• The date, time and location of the meeting at which the matter will be considered
• A description of how and where comments and/or objections may be made
• Contact information for the purposes of submitting written comments prior to the meeting including any submission deadlines
• If applicable, a key map or other description of the lands affected by the proposal.

Information signs shall at a minimum include the following information:

• A description of the purpose of the notice
• The date and location of the proposed meeting, if applicable
• Contact information for the purpose of obtaining additional information.

Notice of Subsequent Meetings

If a decision is not made at the meeting specified in the public notice, a statement may be made at the meeting specifying the date, time, location and type (if known) of any subsequent meeting where the matter will be considered.

No additional prescribed notice will be required for subsequent meetings where a matter has been deferred for consideration unless otherwise determined by Council.

In the case of service disruptions, notice shall be provided in accordance with the town’s Accessible Customer Service procedure and service disruption guidelines.

Staff will use the town approved notice templates that adhere to the town’s Corporate Identity Standards.

Exemption: This policy applies except where, the Mayor determines that notice should be waived due to emergency, urgency or time sensitivity situations or situations which could affect the health and well-being of the residents of Oakville.

Council shall be informed by email if an exemption is applied.

Responsibilities

Participants are responsible for:

• Following the town’s Rzone procedure when attending or participating in town public engagement activities

Departments are responsible for:

• Complying with this procedure
• Meeting accessibility requirements for public engagement activities
• Following the town’s Customer Service Standards and Customer Conduct Policy and procedures when leading town public engagement activities
• Leading engagement initiatives as required
• Representing the interests of the corporation
• Complying with the Employee Code of Conduct
• Complying with legislative requirements

Members of Council:

• As a best practice, Members of Council should clearly identify where they are expressing individual views, and not necessarily the views of the town or Council
• Abide by the Council Code of Conduct Policy

Definitions

Community – represents the most general and inclusive term for participants in public engagement in the municipal context. This term includes but is not limited to residents, companies, individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, interested parties, and Resident Associations.

Digital public notice ad – means a town notice provided on an Oakville online news outlet.

Information sign – means a sign erected securely by stakes or other means in the vicinity of, or on site, containing a printed message that should be visible to both pedestrian and motor traffic in the area.

Interested parties – refers to individuals, groups, or organizations that have a vested interest in a particular policy, program, project or service.

Newspaper – means printed publication in sheet form, intended for general circulation, published regularly at intervals of not longer than a week, consisting in great part of news of current events of general interest and sold to the public and to regular subscribers in accordance with the Interpretation Act.

Notice by mail/email – unless otherwise specified, notice by mail means notification forwarded through Canada Post first class delivery service and courier to the last known address of the person being notified, which shall be deemed to be effective on the date sent. Notice by email may be used where interested parties have requested notice by email or where someone has given the town permission to send information related to a matter to their email address.

Public engagement – a process whereby the town facilitates information sharing and interactive discussion with the community and interested parties on a policy, program, project, service or legislative requirement with the aim to collect input and feedback used to inform staff recommendations and Council decision-making. The process includes various methods by which information is exchanged and collected from the community. Types of public engagement include but are not limited to online channels (e.g. websites, social media, online chats), public meetings (e.g. in-person and virtual), open houses, focus groups, and surveys.