Community Engagement Framework


Help Shape How the City Engages with You

Update: August 2024

We have completed Phase 1 engagement and are reviewing input we have gathered from community members, community groups, advisory committees and municipal partners and more to help us understand specific needs, barriers and concerns that will help shape our Engagement Framework. A draft Framework will be developed over the coming months. This fall, we will share the draft Framework with the community for feedback before seeking Council adoption and implementing the Framework in early 2025.

Questions? Contact the project team at engagement@cnv.org.

Stay up to date on this project by subscribing to the project on the Let’s Talk project page

The City of North Vancouver is committed to engaging with our community to ensure that decisions made reflect the voices and needs of those in the community. We are developing a Community Engagement Framework so people who live, work and play within our city have meaningful opportunities to impact the decisions that affect their lives. 

The Framework will also be developed to align with research and informed practices such as principles of equity, diversity and inclusion to ensure the needs of diverse community members are met and their voices are heard. 

 

How you can get involved in building the framework

We would like to hear from people who live, work and play within our city to understand how community values, expectations, and interests can best be reflected in our framework.

  • Subscribe to the email list by submitting your email in the Stay Informed box at letstalk.cnv.org/engagementframework 
  • Email staff with questions or comments at engagement@cnv.org.
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    What ‘community engagement’ means 

    In this project, community engagement means involving the community or individuals in the decision making process when decisions impact them. It is also known as public participation or public consultation.

    Throughout the process of creating our Community Engagement Framework, we will be referring to the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum and Principles. IAP2 is a globally-recognized organization that provides standards to support entities that affect the public interest in Canada and around the world.

    Learn more about IAP2 Principles of Engagement

    Find out more about the IAP2 Spectrum of Engagement.

    How we will use your feedback

    Your feedback will help us understand how we can design, plan and deliver engagements that offer meaningful opportunities for all community members to provide input and inform data that will support decision-making. We will use the framework to guide public engagement on:

    1. Planning and development
    2. Budgeting
    3. Policy-making
    4. Service delivery
     

    Project timeline

    Phase 1 – Community Engagement | Spring 2023 -Spring 2024

    We are gathering feedback about the principles and values of our community and how they should be reflected in our Framework.

    Framework Development | Summer - Fall 2024

    During development of the draft Framework, we will balance feedback and research to ensure our policy reflects our community’s unique needs.

    Phase 2 – Community Engagement | Fall 2024

    The draft Community Engagement Framework will be presented for review and feedback, and we will use feedback to make adjustments as necessary.

    Implementation | 2025

    We will share the final Framework with the community and implement across all City of North Vancouver projects.

    Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

    What is a public engagement framework?

    A public engagement framework is a structured approach that provides guidelines for community and stakeholder engagement. A strong framework ensures the public is involved in decision-making processes affecting people’s daily lives. 
     

    What is the City doing?

    The City is developing a Public Engagement Framework designed to ensure people who live, work and play within our city have meaningful opportunities to impact the decisions that affect their lives.  
     

    Why is the City developing a framework? 

    A consistent, equitable approach to engagement will help the City make informed decisions and develop trusting relationships with the community. The Framework will better support information gathering, learning and listening approaches to help support the City in its decision making, in conjunction with contextual, technical and industry standard information.
     

    Why is the City developing this framework now?

    The City has been engaging with the community on municipal projects, initiatives and decisions, but is developing this framework now because we are seeking a consistent and best-practice informed approach to engagement across projects and departments. To date, we have not had a clear policy. This would benefit both the community and our staff, and ensure upcoming projects that will impact the future of our community are informed in a meaningful and authentic way. 
     

    Will there be an opportunity for community members to provide input into the framework?

    Our Public Engagement Framework will be informed by feedback from those who live, work and play within the City of North Vancouver, along with best practices from the International Association of Public Participation and other municipalities across British Columbia. 

    We value the diversity of our community. We will ensure that people have equitable opportunities to participate in developing the framework. This process will help us understand how we can design, plan and deliver engagements that provide meaningful opportunities for all community members to provide input and inform data that will support decision-making.

     

    When will I have an opportunity to engage? 

    Our process for developing our Public Engagement Framework will include:

    1. Phase 1 Engagement, Spring 2023 – Spring 2024, will gather feedback about the principles and values of our community and how they need to show up in our Framework.
    2. Framework Development, Summer/Fall 2024, will balance feedback with research to ensure our policy reflects our community’s unique needs.
    3. Phase 2 Engagement, Fall/Winter 2024, during which we will garner feedback on the draft Public Engagement Framework and revise as necessary.
    4. Implementation, 2025, when we will communicate the final framework to the public and begin implementation across all City of North Vancouver projects.
     

    How will the City use this framework?

    The City will use our framework to involve the public in decision-making processes that affect our communities. We anticipate using the framework to guide public engagement on:

    1. Planning and development
    2. Budgeting
    3. Policy-making
    4. Service delivery
     

    When will we know more about this project?

    The City will provide engagement summary reports from each engagement phase. These reports will be posted here on the Let’s Talk project page, on the City website, and shared via the email subscriber list. We anticipate implementing the new framework in 2025. 

     

    What kind of public engagement opportunities will the framework recommend?

    Engagement activities will vary depending on the topic, the stage of the project, the impacted parties involved and other factors. Determining the types of engagement events and opportunities we’ll host in the future will be part of the framework. As part of developing the framework, we are asking the community to weigh in on activities like workshops, intercept surveys, focus groups, open houses and online engagement.

     

    Who can I contact if I have questions?

    If you have questions about the process or this project, please email us at engagement@cnv.org.

     

     

    Contact Us

    Communications and Engagement Department
    Email: engagement@cnv.org

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