By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Burlington residents gathered at Central Park to weigh in on city programs, services and projects at the annual Food for Feedback event, with city staff hearing about everything from how residents get their information to barriers that can keep people from getting involved.
The Sept. 12 event offered residents a free meal in exchange for feedback at booths focused on the work of various city departments and organizations, city-related events, and city-provided services.
Many booths included interactive elements, such as a board where attendees could place stickers corresponding to their response, or a sticky note with feedback.
Jen Recine, manager of corporate communications for the city, was stationed at the communications tent. She spoke about some of the ways residents connect with the city and find information.
“We’ve been hearing that a lot of folks go to the city’s website for information,” Recine said. “It’s a one-stop shop in terms of city programs, services and initiatives. We’ve had a lot of folks on social media who are monitoring our channels and finding information out that way, which is great.”
Recine said many residents also mentioned news media as a way they find out about city projects. “It’s important that we work with our local media partners to help make sure that information gets out to the public,” she said.
Andrew Pieon, manager of marketing communications and engagement for the city, was stationed at the engagement booth.
Pieon spoke about what he’s heard from residents about the event as a whole.
“Generally speaking, people have been positive about the fact that it’s an in-person event,” Pieon said. “They like being able to meet their neighbours and gather here. If we didn’t do this event, we might be hosting 20 independent events, but because we do one, we can bring all of those different groups together as well as residents, so they can provide feedback on a variety of projects.”
Pieon said that based on the city’s community survey, Burlington is above average in terms of community engagement.
“Surveys continue to be an important mechanism for us because it’s hard to replicate the reach and accessibility of surveys,” Pieon said.
The engagement charter featured a board asking attendees to identify what they saw as the biggest barriers to community engagement.
“Not knowing enough about opportunities” had the most stickers indicating agreement next to it.
“Competition for people’s attention and eyeballs is at an all-time high,” Pieon said. “So it’s my team’s role and the role of the City Communications team to make sure that when we run engagement, that we’re doing it on the channels that people circulate.”
Pieon said that accessibility and language barriers were also frequently raised.
“It’s incumbent upon us to make sure that we’re putting our information out in plain language, and that’s reinforced by our community engagement charter,” he said.
Kale Black, senior program manager for BurlingtonGreen, was set up at his organization’s booth and spoke about the response that he received from residents.
“We got a lot of signups on our email list today, and I found that a lot of people are very interested, but they don’t know exactly how to get involved,” Black said. “There’s that little bit of a gap where they might see things on the news or in documentaries and think, ‘Oh my goodness, what’s going on with the Earth and what am I supposed to do?’ So we just try to make all of that digestible for them in local situations, and encourage bite-sized things that can be gateways into environmentalism.”
Black said that tree-planting, invasive plant removal, and waste diversion are examples of these kinds of actions.
Rory Nisan, Ward 3 councillor and mayoral candidate, also attended and spoke about the importance of the event.
“Residents are so busy,” Nisan said. “They’re always looking for things to do with their family, that kind of thing, so by offering people a meal in exchange for their feedback, it just ensures that everyone’s coming out and sharing their concerns with us. It’s an important part of democracy, hearing from everybody.”
