City Hall is the people’s house. We should expect our public services to be approachable and responsive to our concerns. When communication is rooted in an understanding of the day-to-day experiences of our neighbours, with an appropriate sense of urgency, that goes a long way to building trust in government.

When asking the public for feedback or input, it is important for government representatives to be extremely clear about the specific issue being considered, and how participation will inform the end result. We must follow up with participants to draw a tangible connection between their involvement and the outcome. The City has navigated this well during consultations about the upgrades at Harry Class pool, for example.

As we welcome more newcomers and encourage more infill development in neighbourhoods, more applications for permits and licenses will come from neighbours who haven’t gone through the process before. For small businesses and families that don’t have a team of consultants on standby, these processes can become overwhelming.

Sam's priorities for inclusive governance

• Create dedicated liaison roles in applications for licensing, building, and planning, in order to help first-time applicants navigate bureaucracy. These liaison roles have proven successful in the Neighbourhood Development Office, serving as a single point of contact to navigate the requirements of various agencies and reduce red tape for the applicant. By expanding these liaison roles to more departments, we can reduce barriers to participation, particularly by marginalized neighbours.

• Strengthen relationships between the City and Indigenous rightsholders in matters related to land use and environmental protection. In addition to Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, expand consultation efforts to include the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council. Continue to make progress on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action via the Reconciliation Action Partnership.
  

• Explore a participatory budgeting strategy to increase public participation and entrust residents with real decision-making power at the neighbourhood level. By partnering with Neighbourhood Associations, the City could let residents vote on how money is spent to support new infrastructure, programming, and public space improvements. This would build on the successful pilot projects for participatory park design at Sandhills Park and Elmsdale Park, and extend the benefits of participatory budgeting to more neighbourhoods.

• Expand the city’s offering of programs and services in multiple languages, and increase the availability of translation and interpretation in municipal interactions.

• Work with the Mayor’s Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to explore the creation of a new community grant program to support 2SLGBTQ+ organizations and initiatives, modelled after the RISE fund. A dedicated fund would help respond to the fact that queer and trans neighbours face higher risks for some mental health issues due to the effects of discrimination and the social determinants of health, and that LGBTQI+ refugees lack typical newcomer support networks such as those found in ethnocultural communities.
  

• Strengthen dialogue and relationships with other levels of government, school boards, neighbourhood associations, and utility companies. Issues of jurisdiction should never be an excuse to dismiss residents’ concerns. Facilitate collaboration and warm referrals to the appropriate decision makers, especially when they are outside the City of Kitchener.