March 25, 2024
Good evening, Mayor, Councilors, staff, fellow citizens
Thomas Jefferson famously wrote to Richard Price, from Paris on January 8, 1789, as follows, “…it is to me a new and consolatory proof that whenever the people are well-informed they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.”
That’s why we are here tonight. To set them to rights. 1) To discuss a process that will eventually reform the consultation and decision-making processes in Wilmot Township, and by the way, 2) address the Prime Ministers’ Path concerns. That’s two birds in one nest.
Because there is a standing Resolution from July 5, 2021, on the Table, if the Council wants to change direction it must either revoke that existing Resolution and hope the issues festering in it disappear, or as I am suggesting here, use the existing motion’s direction and pass a superseding replacement Resolution.
I suggest that the standing Resolution describes specific direction forward:
- To identify a balanced representation of the individuals and communities within Wilmot Township.
- To create a Working Group (composed of those representatives defined above) that is charged with the task of discussing, developing and suggesting plans to the Council, that are centred on community cohesion and healing, and that describe the next steps toward the goals.
The Working Group’s plan will describe how:
- To transform community engagement and consultation processes in Wilmot Township, (find a new way)
- To encourage greater openness, accountability and citizen participation in decision-making (transparency and public involvement)
I suggest that the first practice example implementing this newly created decision-making process, led by the Working Group of facilitators, will address the concerns of the Prime Ministers’ Path Project.
The Report CAO-2024-03 submitted to the Council on February 26, 2024, starting on page 7 of 16, outlined 3 options for the Council to consider as a strategy to proceed.
Options #1 and #2 together, have the descriptive detail required to implement the direction given in Resolution No. 2021-141. But neither option #1 nor option #2 alone completes the task.
Option #1 creates a working group process, “…to help to determine a path forward for the Prime Minister’s Path statues.”
Option #2 addresses the fundamental consultation problem underlying all Township decision-making when it states in its title, “…Explore Alternative Approaches for Citizen Engagement and Decision-Making”.
BOTH TASKS MUST BE ADDRESSED. THE PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESS, AS WELL AS THE PRIME MINISTERS PATH PROJECT.
NOT ONE! NOT THE OTHER! BOTH!!!!
THE COUNCIL, I BELIEVE, MUST PUT BOTH TASKS TOGETHER INTO ONE RESOLUTION. I SUBMIT OPTION #4.
Councillors may refer to their .pdf agenda package. You will find that I have cut and pasted from pages 56 and 57 to take parts of the titles from options #1 and #2, and portions of the contents of each, plus some recommended actions after September 2024. This hybrid, below, is my proposed Option #4.
I am here to advocate for the following:
“THAT Report CAO-2024-04 regarding Additional Information Relating to Option 2 Outlined in CAO Report 2024-03, be received as information, and further,
THAT Council directs staff to proceed with Option #4 as attached below.”
Option #4: Create a Working Group Comprised of a Balanced Representation of the Individuals and Communities within Wilmot Township to Explore Alternative Approaches for Citizen Engagement and Decision-Making, and Engage Further on the Prime Ministers Path Project.
Council and staff have informally received feedback that the engagement process carried out by First People’s Group was insufficient and the final report did not fully reflect the diverse views and opinions of the community.
The Council wishes to confirm community support for the First People’s Group recommendation to create a Working Group that would engage further with the community and explore alternative approaches for citizen engagement and decision-making.
Further, the Council wishes to confirm community support for the First People’s Group on behalf of the Township, by using the Working Group to plan a collaborative approach to determine a path forward for the Prime Ministers Path Statues project.
To move forward with this work, staff recommend engaging an experienced firm that specializes in creating inclusive engagement plans for diverse communities. This firm would take the lead in shaping the work and providing guidance on the following aspects:
- Working Group Implementation: The firm can offer insights on how to establish an effective working group. This includes defining the group’s purpose, structure, and composition, citing best practices and case studies of similar working groups.
- Terms of reference and Mandate: The firm can assist in crafting clear and comprehensive terms of reference for the Working Group. These documents outline the group’s objectives, scope, and responsibilities.
- Selection Process: Drawing from their experience, the firm can propose best practices for selecting Working Group members to ensure a diverse representation.
- Advice to the Working Group: The firm can provide ongoing advice and support to the working group throughout its operation. This might involve facilitating meetings, addressing challenges, prompting collaboration and assisting with research.
Fostering inclusivity is crucial for successful community engagement. By involving experts experienced in this field, the Township can enhance the effectiveness of the Working Group and achieve better outcomes.
In terms of project timing, it is recommended that the work be staged in conjunction with the Township’s strategic planning process, as follows;
- March to August 2024 – Undertake strategic planning process to develop a vision and goals for the community, based on robust community engagement.
- April to June 2024 – Engage a firm specializing in inclusive engagement to make recommendations regarding the creation of the Working Group, Terms of Reference and Mandate.
- June to September 2024 – Establish the Working Group, and engage the firm to provide support to the Working Group as it develops a plan on how to transform community engagement and consultation processes in Wilmot Township and encourage greater openness, accountability and citizen participation in decision-making. The Working Group will make the best effort to submit its recommendations to the Council and staff by approximately September 31, 2024.
- October 2024 – the Council in consultation with staff makes recommendations on how to implement any recommendations from the Working Group regarding a) transforming community engagement and consultation processes b) encouraging greater openness, accountability and citizen participation and c) conducting public information and consultation meetings.
- October 2024 – the firm will provide “train-the-trainer” support to the working group on how to conduct participatory consultation meetings with the public.
- November 2024 to June 2025 – the Working Group will conduct information and consultation meetings at Township Community Centres regarding the Prime Ministers Path project.
- June 2025 to July 2025 – the Working Group with the support of the “firm” will collate its data collected during public consultations and summarize its recommendations for the Council and staff.
- September 2025 – the Council will determine how to implement any appropriate recommendations from the Working Group regarding the Prime Ministers Path Project.
As Councillors will have come to expect from me, I have, of course, a proposed motion for the Council to consider tonight.
“THAT Report CAO-2024-04 regarding Additional information Relating to Option 2 Outlined in CAO Report 2024-03, be received as information, and further,
THAT Council directs staff to proceed with Option #4 as attached below.”
Sincerely,
Barry Wolfe,
Baden
Supplementaries
To define “a balanced representation of the individuals and communities within Wilmot Township” is a statistically challenging endeavour.
Wilmot Township data is in the 6 columns on the far-right side.
Canada had, per the 2021 Census:
- 36,620,955 faces
- 20,107,200 (54.9%) spoke English as their mother tongue
- 7,189,245 (19.6%) spoke French as their mother tongue
- 7,848,245 (21.4%) spoke a non-official language as their mother tongue
- 148,895 (0.4%) spoke an Indigenous language as their mother tongue
Wilmot Township had, per the 2021 Census:
- 21,280 faces (it’s about 22,000 now)
- 20,520 (96.4%) spoke English most often at home
- 35 (0.2%) spoke French most often at home
- 495 (2.3%) spoke a non-official language most often at home
- 0 (0.0%) spoke an Indigenous language most often at home
- 0 – 14 years = 18.8%
- 15 – 64 years = 60.2 %
- 65 years and over = 21.0%
- 85 years and over = 2.1%
- 0 years = average age
- 8 years = median age
- 6,245 (79.2%) were single-detached houses
- 680 (8.6%) were semi-detached houses
- 260 (3.3%) were row houses
- 130 (1.6%) were apartment or flat in a duplex
- 555 (7.0%) were apts. fewer than 5-storeys
- 5 (0.1%) were apts. in bldgs. 5 or more storeys
- 10 (0.1%) other single-attached house
- 10 (0.1%) moveable dwelling