Government of Canada to Launch First PlaceSpeak Consultation
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This winter, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) will be the first federal government department to use PlaceSpeak for consulting with the public. This pilot project provides an opportunity for residents to contribute feedback to decision-makers and help shape how the Ottawa River watershed is managed in the future. Nancy Pawelek, Government of Canada Free Agent on assignment with ECCC, shared her insights on PlaceSpeak’s potential at the recent Policy Ignite! event in Ottawa.
“We’ve chosen PlaceSpeak to host our online public engagement for the Ottawa River watershed because of a few unique features that seemed to be a good fit for the needs of our study – like the way it links digital identity to geo-location, which will let us analyze whether sentiment varies in different parts of the watershed,” said Pawelek.
Once the project is launched, participants will be able to provide input and engage in a number of ways, including polls, surveys, discussions, and participatory mapping. Once they have connected with the consultation topic, they will receive notifications and updates throughout the public engagement process.
“By designing our public consultation around digital, we’ll be able to offer a variety of ways for citizens to provide their input across the public participation spectrum. What’s more, this platform allows participants to connect with each other and not just with us – and to stay connected after our study is over,” added Pawelek. “Isn’t that the real promise – and value added – of digital? And it’s all based on the settings that individuals manage themselves, and can change at any time.”
