The municipal council adopted its first-ever Citizen Participation Policy at the December 5 council meeting. This adoption represents the culmination of a participatory process designed to formalize and guide the City’s approach to citizen participation. In addition to encouraging citizens to take part in the decision-making process, this policy aims to promote dialogue between the city and the population, while providing a framework for the process depending on the nature of the proposed projects.
“With the adoption of this new Policy, the City has taken an important step towards achieving inclusive participatory approaches in the realization of projects that are dear to the hearts of Brossard residents. This policy represents a concrete commitment to improving the integration of the concerns and ambitions of those who make our community tick. I would like to thank the citizens, City staff and my colleagues on the Municipal Council who took part in the activities organized to gather everyone’s views on this subject. Thanks to all of you, we can now count on a Policy that reflects your image and that we can be proud of,” said Doreen Assaad, Mayor of Brossard.
For her part, Stéphanie Quintal, City Councillor and Chair of the Communications and Information Systems Committee, commented enthusiastically on the adoption: “I’m delighted that the population can now rely on a simple, clear Policy designed to encourage them to take part in the decision-making process. This document will enable us to put in place best practices to ensure that citizen participation initiatives are always carried out in the best interests of the community.”
About the participatory approach
At the end of 2019, the Ville de Brossard began a process aimed at developing a Policy that would provide a framework for its approach to citizen participation. Its development was unfortunately interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and could only be resumed in the spring of 2022.
To ensure that the Citizen Participation Policy reflects the needs of the population and municipal staff, the city has implemented an approach that allows for the inclusion of various stakeholders. To this end, the city developed an online questionnaire and organized four participatory workshops with municipal employees, city council members, representatives of community organizations and citizens from the various groups that make up the rich cultural mosaic of Brussells.
The results of these activities served as the basis for the drafting of the Policy. These results, as well as the Ville de Brossard’s Citizen Participation Policy, are available on the City’s citizen participation platform at think.brossard.ca.
