News from Your Municipal Government

Summer 2014

How ChAT Leads to Engagement » Page 8

Join Burlington's Online Community» Page 13

Election 2014: 3 Ways to Vote » Page 14

Get Engaged,Burlington » Page 4

yuujou/friendshipa tale of two cities

Our Community Gallery, Joseph Brant MuseumOpen February 16, 2014

1240 North Shore Blvd. | 905.634.3556 | www.museumsofburlington.com

an exhibition celebrating 25 years of friendshipBurlington, ON | Itabashi, Japan

Promote public transit and the environment in your school• Createfunpromotions,gainrewardingexperience

andbuildyourresume

• Earnprizes,recognition-evenvolunteerhours-andnetworkwithotherstudents

• Learnmore,andapplyatwww.burlington.ca/btya

In This Issue

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Get Engaged, Burlington

Staff Profile: Kim Phillips

Engaging Youth

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City of Burlington, Ontario CityBurlington

Burlington Parks & Rec Burl_ParksRec

Burlington Youth Voice burl_youthvoice

Let's Talk About ChAT 8

Summer 2014

If you have suggestions about articles that you would like to see in upcoming issues of City Talk, please send them to us at citytalk@burlington.ca or call 905-335-7600, ext. 7841.

City Talk is produced by the City of Burlington.

Contact: Communications Phone: 905-335-7600, ext. 7841 Fax: 905-335-7675

Email: citytalk@burlington.ca

Mailing Address: 426 Brant St. P.O. Box 5013 Burlington, ON L7R 3Z6

To learn which ward you live in...Visit www.burlington.ca

City Talk can be viewed on our website at www.burlington.ca.

Let's Talk Burlington: A Virtual Open House Anytime, Anywhere

Insight Burlington: Your Insight, Your City

E-Government: A New Way of Serving You Better

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The Ultimate Engagement Opportunity: Voting in the 2014 Municipal Election 14

Burlington Public Library Reaches Out to the Community 10Community Contributions to Museums of Burlington Exhibitions 10

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How to Get Engaged with Burlington

Citizen engagement is about citizens getting engaged with their local government. That can be anything from joining a citizen committee, to taking a survey or attending a public meeting, to delegating at a committee or council meeting, or helping out with a summer camp or special event.

Involved citizens represent the people who live and work in Burlington. They have a variety of interests, ranging from having a say on the City’s annual budget to enhancing art and culture in the city. There are in-person opportunities to get involved as well as online collaboration tools, such as the Insight Burlington online community and Let’s Talk Burlington.

For daily information updates, follow the City on Twitter at @cityburlington. For weekly advertising, read the Thursday edition of the Burlington Post.

www.burlington.ca/getengaged

Democracy is alive and well in Burlington.

The Burlington Community Engagement Charter was approved by City Council in 2013. The charter is an agreement between Burlington City Council and the community about citizen engagement with city government. It establishes the commitments, responsibilities, and fundamental concepts of this relationship.

Two pillars at the core of democratic government also form the basis of effective citizen engagement. They are:

• That government belongs to the citizens within its political boundaries, and

• That the inhabitants of a city are “citizens” with the rights and responsibilities of citizenship based on justice, human rights, fundamental freedoms and rule of law.

Engaging people on issues that affect their lives and their city is a key component of democratic society. Public involvement encourages participation, actions and personal responsibility. The goal of community engagement is to lead

the City to more informed and, therefore, better decision-making.

Since the City’s engagement charter was approved, a group of eight staff and citizens have been hard at work establishing the Charter Action Plan to ensure that City staff understand the engagement charter and know how to put it into practice (See Page 8).

The City has also focused on ensuring that staff have the tools and training they need to engage early and often on projects and policies that matter to the community. The City has adopted a high standard in public engagement, which includes the philosophies and training provided by the International Association for Public Participation, or IAP2.

IAP2 is an international leader in public participation. Its purpose is to help people and organizations make better decisions by addressing the interests and concerns of those potentially affected. They accomplish this by adhering to IAP2’s core values. These values aim to cross national, cultural, and religious boundaries to achieve the highest level of participation.

Get Engaged, Burlington

How residents helped make decisions

The City of Burlington is committed to using the IAP2 model for public engagement. IAP2 sets a clear objective for each engagement opportunity. Sometimes, the City is informing residents of a project or initiative. Other times, we are looking to consult, involve or collaborate with residents.

Since IAP2 training for City staff began in late 2011, there have been many successful engagement experiences.

City’s Official Plan Review

The City must review its official plan every five years and create a blueprint for how we grow as a city. The current review process, called Growing in Place, holds many opportunities for residents and businesses to have their say. So far, the City has used stakeholder sessions; information meetings; community summits; Council workshops; youth engagement; a project video; a telephone town hall; online forums; and surveys.

Cultural Action Plan

The City connected with the community to develop a Cultural Action Plan, which was approved by City Council in November 2013. Highlights include creating a Burlington Arts and Culture alliance, setting up a centralized cultural service at the City, looking at local investment opportunities for emerging

organizations and events and enhancing the online profile of culture in Burlington.

Engaging the community in public art

In March 2012, the City put out a call for submission for public art at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Response was strong, with 119 artists applying. From the final three designs selected, more than 500 residents gave their feedback through a variety of channels and Spiral Stela was designed and installed.

IAP2 training for citizens

The City has provided public engagement training for citizens using the IAP2 model. This includes citizens involved in drafting the Burlington Community Engagement Charter and serving on the Charter Action Team (ChAT).

Input into Burlington’s strategic plan

The City used a variety of communication channels to reach people for input into the 2011-14 strategic plan, Our Burlington, Our Future. The City used a telephone town hall, the web, email, workshops and surveys among its communication tools.

Naming of City View Park

The City engaged the community in the naming of City View Park, the city’s largest park at 165 acres. Working with partner

Residents Helping the City Make Decisions

groups, the City presented a shortlist of names to the community in February 2012, producing the final vote for City View Park.

Transportation Master Plan

The City is developing a Transportation Master Plan, creating a 20-year shared vision and strategy to achieve a complete transportation network that accommodates all users. The City has held workshops, online surveys, a telephone town hall and public information sessions to reach out to residents.

Vision for Downtown Burlington

The City has a new Core Commitment that is helping to create “an active waterfront downtown destination that showcases the cultural heart of Burlington.” This 2013 commitment is the product of 1,800 submissions from residents and business owners from across Burlington.

Walk-and-talk event at Bronte Creek Trail

More than 60 residents near Bronte Creek Trail walked the trail with City staff, and more than 200 people gave their input into one of four fencing options.

5City Talk | Summer 2014

Staff Profile:

Kim Phillips General Manager of Community and Corporate Services

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Kim Phillips believes in building community.

When Kim Phillips came to work as an Assistant Aquatics Supervisor with the City of Burlington, she planned to stay three or four years. That was in 1989. Today, Kim is the City’s general manager of community and corporate services.

A Burlington native, Kim came to

Burlington after working with the cities of Kingston and Cambridge and the MacNab Street YWCA in Hamilton. Kim returned home to Burlington where her father, J.L. Phillips, had been principal of Nelson High School.

Kim’s first work with the City was as an instructor and lifeguard beginning in 1973. After working full time at Centennial Pool, Kim stayed in Parks and

Recreation as the City’s first community development planner, helping people band together with their neighbours to make great things happen in the community, and to find the funding to make those things possible.

Variety of roles

Kim progressed through a variety of roles, including serving as a human resources

Get creative, get inspired and get involved at the Art Gallery of Burlington

To find out what’s happening, visit www.artgalleryofburlington.com

representative, the city clerk and, later, the acting city manager.

Kim was involved in some capacity with many departments in the City, including the Burlington Fire Department, Parks and Recreation, the Clerks department, Information Technology Services, Human Resources, Finance and the Legal department. She is the lead of the City’s emergency management committee.

Kim has enjoyed each step of her journey with Burlington: “I see the potential in people, whether they’re staff, citizens or members of Council.”

Kim developed the City’s first wellness program for staff, developed the first staff-Council protocol, was instrumental in bringing forward the City’s first smoking bylaw and hired the City’s first engagement co-ordinator.

Champion of community engagement

She has been a champion of community engagement between residents and

the City of Burlington, ushering the Burlington Community Engagement Charter through the City Council process and helping to form the Charter Action Team (ChAT) created to ensure that City staff embrace the engagement charter.

Kim oversaw the development of the first accessibility plan for the City, led the City’s first Community Report and developed the citizen’s guide for working with Council. Kim supported the City’s early use of social media tools in 2010 with Twitter and in 2012 with Basecamp. Kim led training initiatives that include clear language, report writing, facilitation and engagement training (International Association for Public Participation).

With all this work getting done, Kim still has a ready smile and compassion for the many City staff who seek her advice. She is known for her integrity and honesty. No one working with Kim ever needs to second-guess her impressions.

But Kim also believes in having fun, in being a well-rounded employee who

balances life’s priorities with those of the workplace.

When she was city clerk, Kim once did a cartwheel down a hallway of City Hall to break up the tension of a hectic day.

Building a community

As she prepares to officially retire in the fall of 2014, Kim reflects on her biggest accomplishment. It is her commitment to the community and to being a caring employee. It is about changing the community for the better.

“I always felt that professional staff working with engaged citizens and an effective Council is a great way to build a community,” Kim said.

As she leaves her position as general manager with the City of Burlington, Kim can be proud of her contribution to creating what MoneySense says is the best mid-sized city in Canada.

7City Talk | Summer 2014

Learn more about the redevelopment and expansion of your hospital at www.josephbranthospital.ca

Celebrating 15 Years of Service to Burlington

info@burlingtonfoundation.org | 905-639-0744

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ChAT is the acronym for the City of Burlington’s Charter Action Team. The team includes Burlington citizens and staff who have created an action plan to make public engagement part of everyday practice within the City of Burlington.

Now that the Burlington Community Engagement Charter and the Charter Action Plan have been endorsed by Council, the ChAT team continues to focus on engagement, including:

• Acting as a sounding board for staff, including providing advice and insight regarding policies, services and programs related to public engagement

• Building the capacity within Burlington to promote public engagement

• Providing pre-consultation advice on engagement issues or opportunities before launching a formal engagement plan or activity

• Preparing for roll-out of the Charter Action Plan and training for City staff

• Determining metrics to measure the success of engagement.

Evolution of the Charter Action Plan

November 2009: Shape Burlington forms to address community engagement

April 2010: Shape Burlington report, Creating an Engaged Community, is released

March 2011: Council endorses engagement initiatives, including hiring a public involvement co-ordinator and working with Shaping Burlington and other groups to develop a community engagement charter

October 2011: City hires first public involvement co-ordinator

Let’s Talk About ChAT

The Charter Action Team—ChAT—is helping to make public engagement a part of everyday practice at the City of Burlington. Left to right: John Searles; Donna Kell; Kim Phillips; Gloria Reid; Michelle Dwyer; Angela Paparizo; and Yvette Dhillon. Missing from the photo are Steve Surya and Sean Kenney.

9City Talk | Summer 2014

Winter 2011: City staff and citizens receive IAP2 training

December 2012: The first draft of the Engagement Charter is presented at a City committee meeting

April 2013: Burlington City Council unanimously endorses the first Burlington Community Engagement Charter aimed at making this City’s government more accessible to, and involved with, the people it serves

June 2013: The Charter Action Team (ChAT) has its first meeting

February 2014: The City launches Get Engaged, Burlington, a one-stop web portal at www.burlington.ca/getengaged

April 2014: Burlington City Council endorses the Charter Action Plan.

Who is ChAT?

The citizen and staff members of the ChAT team are:

Yvette Dhillon: Yvette is a Burlington community volunteer and a proprietor of her own business. Yvette participated in the creation of the Engagement Charter and is excited to be a member of ChAT.

Michelle Dwyer: Michelle works for the general managers’ office at the City of Burlington and is involved in the co-ordination of the City’s strategic plan. Michelle is the key contact for citizens regarding public engagement. She began her work with the City of Burlington more than 20 years ago in the Parks and Recreation department.

Donna Kell: Donna Kell, the City’s manager of communications, is a former public relations instructor at McMaster University as well as being a former journalist. Donna is the key contact for City staff regarding citizen engagement.

Sean Kenney: Sean Kenney works in the City’s Planning and Building department. Sean has served in a number of roles within the city, and was among the first users of an engagement tool called “Let’s Talk Burlington.”

Angela Paparizo: Angela is a cultural planner with the City of Burlington. She is a facilitator of engagement with regard to public art, culture and the performing arts in Burlington.

Kim Phillips: Kim is the City’s general manager of Community and Corporate Services. Kim is the City’s leader on engagement and has provided staff and the community with the resources and encouragement needed to make engagement a reality.

Gloria Reid: Gloria is a tax and customs consultant who worked for many years with Canada Customs. Gloria has been a member of Shaping Burlington, the successor to Shape Burlington, and is a board member of BurlingtonGreen and vice-president of the board of directors for Community Development Halton.

John Searles: John is a former attorney and business consultant, and is president of Ecofriendly Property Management, Inc. and president of the board of directors of Community Development Halton. John first became involved as a member of

the Shape Burlington committee that produced the Shape Burlington Report of 2010: Creating an Engaged Community.

Steve Surya: Steve Surya is a lifelong Burlington resident. He's focused on using technology to improve people's lives and is a believer in civic open data to help encourage public engagement.

The engagement charter’s overarching objective is to enhance communication and access to information for citizens, and to promote meaningful engagement. The Charter Action Plan ensures that staff commit to making the charter much more than words on paper.

Did you know...The City has sent 34 staff and seven citizens to the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) training in order to enhance and support our engagement efforts. Each member of ChAT has received this training, which is considered the gold standard in the field of citizen engagement.

www.burlington.ca/getengaged

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Burlington Public Library Reaches Out to the Community

What do bottle rockets, art displays, and maker projects have in common? All are ways that the Burlington Public Library now connects with our local community. We believe that our public library belongs to everyone in Burlington, so we are reaching out to better understand what local residents need, and we’re finding ways to let everyone know the library is theirs.

Since fall 2013, our aim has been to increase contact with people we might not be reaching through traditional means, such as advertising and attending local events. To do this, four librarians were reassigned to take on a brand new role, that of community librarian.

Reaching out to everyone in Burlington is a big task, but with community librarians on board, we are quickly making headway.

Community librarians bring back insights

When connecting with social agencies, grassroots community groups and citizens at gatherings, our community librarians share information about the library, but more importantly, they listen and bring back valuable insights.

From these community connections, we find innovative solutions to everyday challenges. Hearing about the difficulties some people with disabilities face completing a book or movie within a normal loan period opened the door to creating a special needs card that effectively eliminates barriers to using—and benefiting from—library resources and collections.

Users can borrow iPads and eReaders

Through discussion and networking, we are developing new partnerships

and creative ways to offer services. But sometimes simply sharing what the library has to offer is enough. We have found those who have not come into the library in many years are surprised and excited to hear that they can now borrow iPads and eReaders or attend free classes online and at the library.

Using laptops with youth at Chill Zones, creating intergenerational programming like Teen/Senior Tech Meet Ups, and building relationships with schools, retirement residences, and local businesses are some of the ways that community librarians are helping to make the library more accessible to people.

So keep an eye out for community librarians in your neighbourhood. Share with them your vision of the library and what types of programs and services might make a difference in your life. Together we can make the library a vibrant, innovative, and inclusive space for all.

The Museums of Burlington engages the community through its exhibitions program, requesting loans of artifacts and photographs for its exhibitions and highlighting the contributions of people from Burlington’s past and present.

The most recent exhibit, Burlington Heroes: 200 years of our Military Heritage 1812-2012, showcased the military contributions of Burlington citizens and displayed

Community Contributes to Museums of Burlington Exhibitions

mementos loaned to the museums from time served in various conflicts.

The Museums of Burlington has recently renamed a gallery space at Joseph Brant Museum as “Our Community Gallery.” The gallery is open to community groups to highlight Burlington-related activities. The current exhibit, Yuujou/Friendship: A Tale of Two Cities, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the twinning of the cities

of Burlington and Itabashi, Japan, as well as the activities of the Burlington Mundialization Committee.

The next exhibition in the gallery will be with the Friends of Freeman Station, coming in 2015.

www.bpl.ca

www.museumsofburlington.com

11City Talk | Summer 2014

Engaging Youth Engaging Youth

is Part of Burlington’s Success

The City of Burlington engages with people of all ages, including young people who add tremendous value to the community.

Burlington engages young people in a variety of projects and programs, including with the Burlington Community Engagement Charter, the City’s new Official Plan and the Burlington’s Community Energy Plan. The City invites students to get involved in local government and to volunteer with City programs.

Touch-a-Truck event

In May, more than 800 people got an up-close look at City vehicles at the second annual Touch-a-Truck event celebrating National Public Works Week.

Burlington is home to the world-renowned Burlington Teen Tour Band, Burlington Student Theatre and a variety of student exchange programs.

Today’s Parent magazine ranks Burlington the third best city in Canada in which to raise a child (see www.todaysparent.com). Playworks, the Ontario Partnership for Active and Engaged Youth, recognizes Burlington as a youth-friendly community.

A youth-friendly community is one that actively supports and provides

opportunities for growth and development through play for youth 13 to 19 years of age. Play can include, but is not limited to, recreation; sport; leisure; arts; drama; civic engagement; youth activism; volunteerism; social clubs; and youth leadership.

For information about youth activities in Burlington, visit www.burlington.ca/youth and follow @Burl_YouthVoice on Twitter.

www.burlington.ca/youth

Students at Apeldoorn Park

Burlington students met Mayor John Berends of Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, during the groundbreaking ceremony for Apeldoorn Park.

Take Your Kids to Work

Burlington staff bring their children to work for Take Your Kids to Work Day to help inform their children about how City services are delivered.

Transit ambassadors

Local high school students promote public transit as part of Burlington Transit’s Youth Ambassador (BTYA) program.

Art exchange with Ryerson students

Itabashi Mayor Takeshi Sakamoto met Ryerson Public School students as part of an art exchange with students in Itabashi, Japan.

Burlington Teen Tour Band

Known as Canada’s Musical Ambassadors, the Burlington Teen Tour Band includes Burlington youth aged 13 to 21. Members perform around the world.

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The City of Burlington is committed to engaging the community using a variety of tools. Two significant online tools are the Insight Burlington online community (see next page) and Let’s Talk Burlington.

The City wanted to reach out to residents beyond the traditional open house or public information centre. In early 2013, the City launched Let’s Talk Burlington at www.letstalkburlington.com.

Let’s Talk Burlington allows residents to interact with staff and other residents in a secure, online environment, getting involved when they have time from a location of their choice.

With Let’s Talk Burlington, residents share ideas, participate in surveys, use online budget tools, solve challenges and interact with other residents and City staff. This online collaboration site also works well for people who want to share their ideas but would prefer not to speak out at public meetings.

How it works

Let’s Talk Burlington allows the City to run a virtual open house, allowing participants to share ideas with each other. The ideas can then be viewed by other participants who can make comments. The more an idea is discussed, the closer it moves to the top of the page.

Who is using Let’s Talk Burlington

The average Let’s Talk Burlington participant is female and 47 years old. The total number of registered active participants is 296. Of those, 57 per cent are female and 43 per cent are male. They range from 14 years to 65 plus.

Let’s Talk Burlington projects

The City has hosted seven projects on the site, including six public projects and one for City staff use.

The three projects with highest participant rates are the City’s on-street and front yard parking study with 818 interactions; the City’s Transportation Master Plan with 325 interactions; and a third engagement opportunity, Playgrounds—Have your Say, with 319 interactions as of July.

Participation figures tell a story of how online collaboration compares with the traditional open house. The City’s parking study attracted 220 participants to seven open houses. Let’s Talk Burlington attracted 250 people to the discussion.

In the case of a parking study, the staff team used Let’s Talk Burlington as well as open houses in each of Burlington’s six wards and one citywide open house. The City learned that residents share ideas more freely in an online forum. Although people had opposing views on how to manage parking, the City was

able to capture some common ground in discussions, such as three-hour on-street parking and green space in the City’s residential communities.

What happens next

As a direct result of this community participation, City Council approved changing the three-hour parking limit to five hours and ensuring the protection of green space in residential properties.

As with all Let’s Talk Burlington engagement opportunities, the goal is to involve the community to help the City make public policy decisions with solid community feedback and a better understanding of residents’ needs and wants.

Let’s Talk Burlington Features:• Multiple types of surveys and

quick polls

• Open-ended questions that allow us to gather ideas. These ideas are crowd-sourced, with popular ideas rising to the top

• Mapping and budget tools.

Let’s Talk Burlington: A Virtual Open House Anytime, Anywhere

www.letstalkburlington.com

Launched in February of this year, Insight Burlington is Burlington’s online community panel, providing the City with ongoing, real-time feedback and opinions on City projects and initiatives. Panel members are sent surveys which they can access whenever and however they like, from home, the office or from a mobile device.

The City of Burlington is the first Ontario community to use this technology provided by a B.C.-based company called Vision Critical, founded in 2000 by Andrew and Angus Reid.

How it works

Insight Burlington is open to anyone 16 years of age and older who is a Burlington resident, taxpayer, or business owner or operator.

To join the panel, residents can visit www.InsightBurlington.com where they will be asked to complete a short member survey and then confirm their membership through an email.

Once members are registered, they are invited to participate in City surveys, quick polls and discussions by email. Each survey invitation contains a unique link that members can click on or paste into their browser to access the survey.

Panelists can log into the panel portal at any time to check for updates on surveys and discussions or to get information on

how their contributions are being used by the City in its decision making.

All individual survey answers and input remain confidential.

Why join?

Insight Burlington is an opportunity for community members to weigh in on the issues affecting Burlington and the services the City provides. Being a panel member also:

• Helps residents stay informed and connected to the City

• Assists the City in exploring new directions to better serve residents

• Provides an opportunity for community members to be involved in the decision-making process at the City.

Who is using Insight Burlington?

• There are currently 518 members on the Insight Burlington panel

• Fifty-six per cent of panel members are male and 43 per cent are female (one per cent did not provide a response)

• Panel member ages are represented as follows:

24 and under 1%

25-34 8%

35-44 16%

45-54 21%

55 - 64 25%

65 and over 29%

• Eighty-seven per cent live or own property in Burlington

• Twelve per cent live or own and own/operate a business in Burlington

• One per cent of residents registered also work for the City.

Insight Burlington projects

Since its launch, the Insight Burlington panel has answered several surveys about communications preferences, Burlington Day at Queen’s Park and a pilot survey to help the City learn more about what the panel was looking for from their Insight Burlington experience.

In the most recent survey, panel members were polled between June 6 and 20 and asked to share their opinions on a new service-based budgeting system the City is introducing in 2015. The new service-based budget will show the costs of services the City provides to help taxpayers and the community determine the value of the services they receive. This system moves away from a traditional budget that is based on departments.

A summary of the feedback from this survey was made available to all of the panel members.

A total of 251 panelists completed the survey with 98 per cent indicating they are in favour of a service-based budgeting approach. Results also told the City that some community members did not fully understand the changes the City is implementing and with this feedback, the City is looking at ways it can provide more explanation and access to information to help everyone understand.

What’s next

Over the next few months, Insight Burlington wants to hear from a diverse group of Burlington residents on a number of City projects and initiatives from playground design to the regulation of food trucks in our City.

The City believes that the best decisions are made when citizens are engaged and involved. Please join our community of trusted, local advisors. It’s your insight and your city.

13City Talk | Summer 2014

www.InsightBurlington.com

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The internet, social media and media in general have made us an engaged society. As a society, we voice our opinions and share our thoughts daily. So why not vote?

In the 2010 municipal election, 37.6 per cent of eligible voters in Burlington cast a ballot.

Canadian citizens 18 and older are eligible to vote for their government representatives. To vote in Burlington’s municipal election, a person must live in Burlington or be the owner or tenant of land in Burlington or be the spouse of an owner or tenant of land in Burlington. In Burlington, eligible citizens can vote for their ward councillor, the mayor, the regional chair and their school board trustee. These elected officials then represent the residents of each of the six wards on Burlington City Council and Halton Regional Council and on the boards of education. The mayor is elected at large and serves as the head of Council.

Voting is your voice at City Hall and at the board of education. It is a chance to choose who will represent you and your family.

Are you on the Voters’ List?

To check if you are on the voters’ list, go to www.burlington.ca/election.

Avoid long lineups at the polls by updating your information or adding yourself to the voters’ list before election day.

To make any necessary changes after September 2, 2014, visit the clerks department at Burlington City Hall, 426 Brant St. Bring your driver’s license or one piece of qualifying identification containing your name and address. To view a list of types of acceptable identification, visit www.burlington.ca/election.

It’s easier than ever to vote in this municipal election. There are three ways to vote:

1.Vote online October 2 to 19, 2014

When you receive your voter information notice in the mail, it will include an online elector identification number and instructions to register for online voting. Follow the instructions to register online between September 29 and October 17.

Once you register online to vote, you will receive your online login information. Use this login information to vote online between October 2 and October 19.

2.Vote at an advance poll October 8 or 18, 2014

When you receive your voter information notice in the mail, it will include advance poll dates and locations. There are three advance-voting locations:

• Haber Recreation Centre, 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.

• Burlington Seniors’ Centre, 2285 New St.

• Mapleview Shopping Centre, 900 Maple Ave.

Each location is citywide, which means that you can vote at any of the locations, regardless of your ward. Advance polls are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014.

Bring your notice and identification to the advance poll and vote.

3.Vote on election day October 27, 2014

When you receive your voter information notice in the mail, it will include your poll location for election day, which is Monday, October 27, 2014. Bring your notice and identification to the poll between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., and vote.

Keep up to date at www.burlington.ca/election. Your decisions matter.

www.burlington.ca/election

The Ultimate Engagement Opportunity: Voting in the 2014 Municipal Election

Voters

Non-voters

15City Talk | Summer 2014

online map, was an instant hit with more than 52 requests made by residents for road repairs in their neighbourhoods.

SeeClickFix expanded in April 2014 to include traffic signs, traffic signals and street lights. The system also allows residents to make comments, follow the request, or share the reported request with others.

Open Data: In 2011, the City began a pilot program to offer raw, non-sensitive data to the community to be made into functional apps for computer users. The project recently became permanent.

Cities across Canada have been embracing open data. Vancouver provided the information that became a park finder app; another Vancouver app reminds people of garbage day – or tells them if it has been bumped because of a holiday; London, Ont., has an app for overnight parking; and Ottawa has an app that says when the bus is coming. All these great tools are based on free access to municipal information.

Burlington’s Open Data project now has nearly 20 data sets available for free public use. To date, four apps have been created, including three transit apps and a park finder.

The Calendar: The City’s calendar lists what’s happening in Burlington. This interactive tool allows event organizers and recreation, culture, sport and community groups to log in and list their events.

Highlights of the calendar include customizable subscription and notification

features; an intuitive, easy-to-navigate event submission feature; and the ability to share calendars and events through multiple channels, such as social media, email and personal online calendars.

The Public Engagement Portal: In February, 2014, the City launched Get Engaged, Burlington. This portal is home to Let’s Talk Burlington (see Page 12) and Insight Burlington (see Page 13), two of the City’s key public engagement tools. The portal also includes links to cultural mapping; event calendars; public meetings and open houses; volunteer opportunities; and the City’s social media channels.

Coming Soon

Whereismysnowplow: Coming soon to a snow-covered street near you, “whereismysnowplow” (Where is My Snowplow) is an online plow tracker. Residents can log in, navigate the online map, highlight a street and receive snow plowing status information. The site will also include weather forecast information and notices.

Customer Service iPads: The E-Government program aims to improve the efficiency, convenience and accessibility of City services. With customer service iPads, the City is able to accomplish all these things at once. The iPads will provide the community and staff easy access to translation services, information on www.burlington.ca and online surveys as well as improving accessibility.

So, what exactly is E-Government?

Through surveys, the City of Burlington discovered more than two-thirds of residents and 70 per cent of businesses said they prefer to carry out interactions and transactions with the City online. E-Government makes this possible.

Launched in 2010, the program aims to fundamentally change the way the City delivers web-based services to the community, making it easier and more intuitive to get things done remotely, whether it’s from a home computer, smart phone or one of the latest tablet devices.

The program was founded on public participation, and the City continues to gather community input. The City is developing a new website. The information provided from community and staff focus groups will help make sure the City provides the best service possible.

These community insights serve as the basis for all the E-Government projects.

Some E-Government projects are already underway, and more are slated for release in the coming months. Here is a look at some of the services available now or very soon.

Currently Available

SeeClickFix: In March 2014, the City unveiled an application (app) designed to make it easy to report the locations of potholes using a phone, tablet or computer. The system, which includes an interactive

E-Government: A New Way of Serving You Better

www.burlington.ca/egov

thecentre.on.ca/skilledtrades

Our comprehensive skilled trades training equips students with both technical and employability skills to prepare them for a successful career. Last year over 82% of The Centre graduates found employment related to their training.

JOIN ONE OF OUR TRAINING PROGRAMS

For more information:860 Harrington CourtBurlington ON L7N 3N4 905-333-3499 x121 or 1-888-315-5521trades@thecentre.on.ca

@Wanna_TradeThe Centre for Skills Development & TrainingThe Centre’s Channel

Program Duration Start Date

Electrical 22 weeks Sept. 02, 2014Millwright & Machinist 22 weeks Sept. 15, 2014

Home Renovation 26 weeks Sept. 22, 2014

Enhanced General Carpentry for Women 29 weeks Fall/Winter 2014

SECURE YOUR FUTUREStart a Career with Hands-on Training