The Town of Cochrane is looking for the opinion of residents through a new survey that is aimed to enhance public engagement efforts.
In an effort to establish practices and process for internal staff working on public engagement activities, the Town is currently in the process of developing a comprehensive Public Engagement Framework (PEF).
The PEF is an internal tool that will support staff working in this space, and will outline the structure and key elements in Cochrane’s approach to public engagement. This will provide guidance on all stages of public engagement activities.
Kristin Huybrecht, manager of intergovernmental relations and corporate communications, Town of Cochrane, said public engagement is about how residents interact with Cochrane to contribute to decision making.
“It involves activities that take place online or in-person, such as surveys, discussion groups, or open houses,” Huybrecht said. “To help create a framework that supports meaningful engagement, we’re looking to understand residents’ experience with public engagement and what might need our attention to improve our efforts.”
Residents can have their say on this initiative by answering a short online survey posted on www.letstalkcochrane.com. The survey will be available until Dec.8.
Later this week, the Town will host a focus group on public engagement. Residents for the focus group are randomly elected by an external consultant. To ensure a mix of people, the sample was arranged through voluntary census information collected from the spring engagement earlier this year.
Results of the survey and the focus group will be brought forward to council in early 2024, with an updated public engagement policy, and the draft public engagement Framework.
