Public Input Policy

Alberta’s Municipal Government Act now requires all Alberta municipalities to adopt “public participation policies” that outline their approaches for engaging with interested and impacted people and groups. The Town of Banff implemented this requirement in its 2023 update to its incorporation agreement.

A public input policy would be beneficial to establish expectations residents would have about opportunities to have input on decisions that affect them. A core value advocated by the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) holds that those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the decision-making process.

A public input policy will recognize the value of public input in making better Town decisions, foster opportunities for meaningful public involvement in the Banff community.

Following the finalization of a policy about when the Town will hold public input processes, the municipality will develop a procedures guide or framework document to help staff plan effective and inclusive public input processes.

(Note on terminology: for the purposes of this topic, these terms are considered interchangeable: public participation, engagement, involvement, consultation, opinion research, and public input. The key is that the process involves members of the public and is related to a decision of Town Council or members of Administration.)

Have your say on the Public Input Policy

The Town organized several activities to compile input on creating a Public Input Policy in a phased approach:

• Phase 1 – What should public input look like? Principles, themes, barriers
  • Public Input:
    • Resident Panel Meetings – November 2, 16, January 2023
    • Public Drop-in Session – November 22, 3:30-6:30 p.m., Town Hall, Council Chamber
      • Join us for a drop-in session about the new Public Input Policy. Tell us how you want to be consulted on future municipal decisions in the Town of Banff. This drop-in session is open to everyone. Your input will join the feedback of the Resident Panel, which has been convened to provide an in-depth review of public input opportunities. All input at this meeting will be compiled and reviewed when developing the policy.
    • Special outreach to hard-to-reach people
  • 3 x Council workshops
  • 2 x Town staff workshops

• Phase 2 – What do you think of the draft policy? (Preparing to start in 2024)
  • Public Input
    • Survey
    • Resident Panel & Public session
    • Special outreach
    • Town staff review
  • Council Policy Review

• Phase 3 – Continuous Improvement
  • Create a procedures guide or framework to direct staff on planning effective engagement and promotions, and create an inventory of engagement methods
  • Review of tools (methods of engagement)
    • Include public feedback about the public input process used in each engagement project
  • Schedule policy review every 4 years

Resident Panel

A resident panel was created for Phase 1 on engagement. Banffites with different backgrounds and experiences were invited to provide advice over three pizza-lunch meetings. 19 residents volunteered their time to provide insights and suggestions on policy requirements.

A new Resident Panel will be created in 2024 for Phase 2 consultation, to provide feedback on the draft policy.