Today Mayor Gregor Robertson announced a series of next steps for the public to participate in developing the final report of the Engaged City Task Force, as part of a push to strengthen civic engagement and modernize consultation in Vancouver.

The Mayor and the Engaged City Task Force launched a new Online Ideas Forum where Vancouver residents can post ideas, make comments, and answer questions posed by the Task Force, with the input to be incorporated into the final report in July.

Click here to visit the new Online Ideas Forum

The Task Force also launched the new @EngagedCity twitter channel to solicit feedback and tweet ideas for discussion and commentary.

“In a time of fast-moving technological change, it’s important the City’s services and decision-making processes are made to be as open, accessible and engaging as possible,” said the Mayor. “Expanding the City’s engagement online and on social media will be a crucial component of our work to build a stronger and more civic-minded community, and I look forward to building on the input we receive from these important new tools.”

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Mayor Gregor Robertson was joined today by members of his Engaged City Task Force to launch a comprehensive set of steps to improve public consultation and enable stronger civic engagement in Vancouver.

“The City of Vancouver is a leader in a number of ways, but when it comes to civic engagement, we can do better,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “City Hall needs to adapt in a time of higher public expectations for access to City policy decisions, an increasingly diverse population and fast-moving technological change – the way people engage and want to communicate with each other and their civic government has changed dramatically in the past decade.

“Families and people of all ages work, live, play, go to school, and retire here – and we should be a global leader in how we work together and use innovative methods to seek out opinions, share information, and foster greater connection, trust and understanding between residents, and between residents and City Hall. The work and recommendations of this task force will help honour our commitment to bring City Hall into the 21st century and make it more accessible to everyone.”

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“My congratulations to Premier Christy Clark on her successful re-election campaign and the formation of a new government, with which I look forward to continuing a positive working relationship. As Mayor, I’m committed to working with the Premier on building the partnerships we need to deliver on Vancouver’s priorities, including strengthening our local economy, ending street homelessness, making housing more affordable, and investing in urgently-needed transit improvements.

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This week the City of Vancouver approved its first-ever digital strategy, continuing City Hall’s work to support the local digital economy and improve service delivery for citizens. Here’s some of the reaction from the press and on social media: 

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The Mayor and City Council will vote next week on the first-ever digital strategy for the City of Vancouver, continuing City Hall’s work to support the local digital economy and improve service delivery for citizens.

The strategy focuses on improving the way the City provides services online for citizens and small businesses, supporting our dynamic local digital media industry, and putting Vancouver at the forefront of support for digital innovation.

“Making Vancouver a leader in digital innovation has been a key priority of my work as Mayor,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The City’s first-ever digital strategy represents another significant step forward in our efforts to improve how City Hall does business and engages with citizens, how we support leading-edge job creation in our local technology and creative sectors, and how we foster digital innovation to make life better for all Vancouver residents.”

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Building on recommendations from the Urban Aboriginal Peoples Advisory Committee and City programs such as the Dialogues Project, Vancouver City Council voted today to proclaim June 21st 2013 to June 20th 2014 as the Year of Reconciliation in Vancouver and expressed its support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The motion from Councillor Andrea Reimer recognized that “Reconciling past injustice, and strengthening shared understanding and awareness of history, is vital to both aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities in building a successful future for Vancouver.”

Council also directed staff to work with Reconciliation Canada and the Urban Aboriginal Peoples Advisory Committee to increase opportunities for dialogue and increased understanding between aboriginals and non-aboriginals regarding the experience and rights of indigenous people in Canada, especially in advance of the federally-initiated Truth and Reconciliation event for BC taking place in Vancouver in September.

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