Banff Town Council has created a Public Input Policy to guide the process of seeking input for consideration in making decisions on municipal matters. The new policy culminates several years of public input and a resident panel, described below.

The final policy is available at banff.ca/policies

The public input policy establishs expectations residents would have about opportunities to have input on decisions that affect them.

The policy indicates when public input processes can occur, what are methods of public engagement, and how input will be used in consideration with other factors.

The Draft 2025 Public Input Policy was reviewed by Banff Town Council on Monday, September 8, 2025.

The Town of Banff values public input for the ideas, opinions and local knowledge used to make better Town decisions, and to foster relationships in the Banff community.

Completed Public Input Process:

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

Public Input on Draft 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
        • 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
    • Presentation of What We Heard document from Phase 1 and Draft Policy November 27, 2023
  • Phase 2 – Draft Policy Review and analysis of 10 public input processes with principles from draft policy, Culminating in Council review and feedback, May 26, 2025.
  • Phase 3 – Public feedback on the Draft 2025 Public Input Policy
    • Public Input
      • Online Survey - July 4 - 25.
      • Public Feedback Drop-In Session
        • July 15, 2025
        • 12 - 5 p.m.
        • Banff Town Hall
      • Special outreach
      • Town staff review
    • Council - Draft Policy review and potential approval, August 2025
  • Phase 4 – Continuous Improvement
    • Create procedures to direct staff on planning effective engagement, 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.

SURVEY

CLOSED: This survey has concluded.

Feedback Survey - 2025 Draft Public Input Policy

The proposed 2025 Draft Public Input Policy is intended to guide Banff Town Council and its Administration on when and how to engage with the community, to gather input for consideration before Town decisions. The draft policy was developed following public consultation in 2022-23 and a review of the draft policy in relation to 10 public input processes in 2024.

Please review the complete 2025 Draft Public Input Policy before providing feedback about the policy. You are also encouraged to review the "What We Heard" document of public input provided in Phase 1 of the process to create a new policy.