Engage Winnipeg Policy
The Engage Winnipeg Policy was adopted by Council on September 26, 2019 and amended on April 25, 2024. To learn more about the policy, visit winnipeg.ca/publicengagement
1. Purpose
The purpose of the Engage Winnipeg Policy (the Policy) is to guide engagement processes between the City of Winnipeg, the public, and stakeholders in order to offer consistent and meaningful engagement opportunities which support better informed decision making. The policy recognizes that decisions are improved by engaging the public.
The Public Service will develop, adhere to, and regularly review an Engage Winnipeg Framework (administrative standard) and accompanying engagement toolkit. The Framework and toolkit will provide detailed direction for the public service on how to follow the Engage Winnipeg Policy and how engagement will be carried out to ensure transparency and accountability.
Stakeholder and public engagement guided by the Engage Winnipeg Policy will:
• Align with City Council’s priorities for citizen-centric services and the Open Government policy;
• Support City Council’s decision making by providing perspectives, opinions and input from the public and stakeholders when recommendations are made on projects that align with the policy;
• Provide opportunities for engagement that are consistent, accessible, and reflective of the public’s level of influence on the project, and;
• Improve relationships between the City, public, and stakeholders by building public trust in decision making.
The policy will achieve this by providing guidance on:
• The definitions of stakeholder and public engagement;
• When the policy should be applied;
• Vision and guiding principles for conducting public engagement;
• Types of engagement;
• Roles and responsibilities of elected officials, the Public Service, stakeholders, and the public.
The Framework will provide guidance on how the policy should be implemented, including evaluation guidelines, along with short, medium, and long-term goals and milestones to reach the vision.
2. Definitions
2.1 “The City” - any designated part of the Public Service of the City that is under the executive control of a Department Head, Director, or such other designated officer responsible to the Chief Administrative Officer.
2.2 “Engagement” - a process whereby the City facilitates dialogue with and between the public and stakeholders to collect input which supports better decision making by the City.
2.3 “Stakeholders” - any group or representatives of a group who may be interested in providing input prior to a decision being made by the City. This may include: residents groups, businesses, special interest groups, community organizations, government agencies, and any other organization or representative of an organization interacting with the City.
2.4 “Project” - a broad term used to describe a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Including, but not limited to, initiatives, strategies, design, and project planning.
2.5 “Public” - all persons who may be interested in a decision made by the City. 3. Vision A city where meaningful engagement and recognition of diverse perspectives and knowledge contributes to better decision making.
4. When will the City engage?
Public engagement processes are held when the public’s input may influence a City project. Public engagement does not apply to day-to-day operations, nor does it include or replace the ongoing discussions with stakeholders and the public intended to address issues that arise and ensure evaluation and improvement of existing programs.
Public engagement will be undertaken on projects when:
1. there is a legislated requirement for public engagement;
2. public engagement has been specified in the approved capital budget;
3. public engagement has been initiated by a Council directive; or
4. public engagement has been directed by the Director of Customer Service & Communications.
Meaningful engagement requires time and resources. Timelines and resources available for each project will influence the approach towards engagement and the techniques used to engage. Engagement should only occur once a portion of the project budget is dedicated to engagement and the project timeline is coordinated to allow adequate time for public input to be collected, considered, and incorporated before key milestones in the project.
5. Principles of Engagement
Public engagement is dependent on the following principles and although each plays a critical role, all principles are interconnected and should be applied together to ensure meaningful public engagement and achievement of the public engagement vision. Public engagement should strive to be reflective of the following principles:
Accountability - Provides insight on how input was considered and incorporated. If input was not incorporated, rationale is provided as to why.
Knowledge and partnership seeking - Recognizes community-based knowledge and experience as a valuable component in decision-making and seeks dialogue with those who hold that knowledge and experience. Seeks opportunities to partner with community and stakeholder groups when possible to further reach the potential for meaningful involvement.
Communication – Those who participate have the information to engage meaningfully, related to key decisions. Effective communication is often an integral part of public participation, but is not engagement in itself.
Evaluation – Assesses performance in meeting engagement principles to strive towards learning from outcomes and moving towards advancement, improvement, and innovation.
Inclusivity - Seeks involvement from all those affected. Stakeholders may be engaged for more detailed, focused discussions, and the public is involved to ensure the process is open to all. Where barriers to inclusive engagement exist, barriers are reduced to the greatest degree possible.
Representation - Those affected by decisions should be included in the process. Particular attention should be paid to ensuring involvement of those who experience barriers to participation.
Timeliness – Opportunities to engage are provided as early as possible to allow the greatest opportunity for feedback to influence the project direction and final outcomes.
Transparency - The information needed to meaningfully engage and understand the project and decision making processes are available to those involved. Regular updates are provided throughout the process.
Trust - Seeks to build relationships through consistent application and reflection of all other principles of engagement.
6. Types of Engagement
Types of engagement clarify the roles of the public in a public engagement process. The type of engagement must align with the level of public influence on the decision and with the techniques, resources, and time available to undertake engagement. The type of engagement may change at different stages in the project. The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) spectrum of public participation has been adapted for the Engage Winnipeg Policy to reflect the role the public will have in City projects. Informing the public is required for all types of engagement to ensure participants are aware of and knowledgeable about the project and can provide informed input. Informing the public is a critical component of any engagement process and must be included throughout the process and following decision making to ensure stakeholders and the public remain informed during and after the public engagement process has concluded.
Consult - Participants are engaged to share feedback and perspectives. Participants are consulted when options are pre-determined.
Involve - Participants are engaged to ensure concerns are understood and reflected. Participants are involved to define options that are not yet well defined.
Collaborate - Participants are engaged to develop and build solutions and identify the preferred solution. Participants collaborate with the City to generate options.
Empower - Participants are empowered to make decisions directly or on behalf of the City. The City of Winnipeg Charter requires that decisions can only be made by Council or Council committees and employees who have been delegated decision-making powers.
‘Consult’ has the least amount of public influence, and moves to empower, with the greatest amount of public influence.
7. Responsibilities
7.1 Stakeholders and Public
(i) Participate in respectful dialogue.
7.2 Elected Officials
(i) Participate in respectful dialogue.0
(ii) Aim to understand the public's views and perspectives and consider those views when making decisions.
(iii) Review and approve amendments to the Engage Winnipeg Policy.
7.3 City of Winnipeg Public Service
a) Director of Customer Service and Communications
(i) Participate in respectful dialogue.
(ii) Administer and conduct ongoing reviews of the Engage Winnipeg Policy.
(iii) Direct engagement initiatives as required.
b) Office of Public Engagement
(i) Participate in respectful dialogue.
(ii) Develop the Engage Winnipeg Framework to govern the actions of the Public Service
(iii) Support the Public Service to implement the Engage Winnipeg policy.
(iv)Explore and support opportunities for continual improvement towards the public engagement vision.
(v) When processes are carried out by Office of Public Engagement staff, ensure a record of engagement processes and outcomes is publicly posted.
c) Project Leads
(i) Participate in respectful dialogue.
(ii) Collaborate with the Office of Public Engagement before a project begins to determine the type of engagement and support required.
(iii) Consider how engagement input can influence a project and allocate project time and budget towards public engagement early in project planning.
(iv)Consider the public's views and perspectives and incorporate input when applicable.
(v) When processes are carried out by departmental staff or consultants, ensure a record of engagement process and outcomes is publicly posted.
8. Review
This policy will be reviewed, at minimum, every five (5) years