HOW DID THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY ASSEMBLY COME TO BE?
Advisory committee members, City staff, and Council have all shared feedback in the past that the City’s traditional advisory committee structure was not entirely satisfactory and could be improved to better meet the needs of participants and the City. Former committee members, in particular, shared in 2023 that they wanted to be able to provide the City with more meaningful input into projects in earlier phases, and that they wanted to be able to see if and how their input influenced the outcome of the project.
The Assembly model – where members form a representative cross-section of the public and deliberate to find common ground in providing advice to government – has been used in BC, Alberta, Ontario, and internationally in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and others.
In June 2023, City Council directed staff to pursue the Assembly model to replace the previous committees and task forces that were organized around the former strategic plan.
The pilot year of the Assembly ran from January 2024 to January 2025. The 36 members discussed a range of topics: community belonging and connecting; road reallocation; climate action and intersectionality; cultural observances; and evaluation of the Assembly model.
Following the completion of the pilot year, the Assembly members, Council members, Steering Committee members, and staff who were involved in the process participated in the evaluation process. There was a strong trend among all groups recommending the City to continue with this model beyond the pilot year, with some adjustments.
In May 2025, Council directed to continue with the Assembly model based on the evaluation results following the pilot year. Watch the staff presentation on the evaluation results at the Council Meeting here.
Visit the resources below to learn more about the pilot year (January 2024 – January 2025) of the Community Advisory Assembly: