The City of Guelph Community Engagement Framework was developed in response to both external and internal demands from community members and City of Guelph employees, for greater clarity, transparency and support for engaging community members in decisions made at the municipal level. The Community Engagement Framework aligns with other corporate strategies, primarily the Open Government Framework, to establish new channels of communication between the Corporation and the community we serve.
Why do we engage community? Sometimes the City engages community to conform with regulatory or legislated requirements. Beyond this, City of Guelph employees want to ensure that stakeholders have a voice in decision making, to ensure that decisions made at the municipal level strive to be sustainable and reflect the common good. Community engagement also increases transparency in municipal decision making processes. Well developed and implemented community engagement helps all stakeholders to understand the full scope and implications of municipal decisions. It builds trust with community members, partner organizations and businesses.