Can communities influence public policy? What does it take
to improve government/community collaboration on policy
issues? How are communities using policy change as a strategy
for poverty reduction?
In this five-part learning series, community practitioners
from across Canada came together to explore the opportunities
and challenges associated with community-based policy making.
In the audio files and call notes, you will learn about
successful local policy initiatives in the areas of income
security, neighbourhood revitalization, and housing and
explore the process of community involvement in policy making.
On this page you'll find:
The Policy Change From the Ground Up learning initiative was designed to provide a forum for
community practitioners to share insights about community
involvement in policy development.
The specific objectives of this learning
initiative are:
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To draw from recent practice and experience
to enhance community efforts to improve public policies
that contribute to poverty reduction.
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To explore how communities can more
intentionally and effectively impact public policy development.
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To develop a deeper understanding
of the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for community-based
policy making.
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To build participants’ capacity
to engage in effective policy advocacy.
The first session framed the issues associated
with community involvement in policy development. Sherri Torjman,
Vice-President of the Caledon Institute for Social Policy,
introduced the series by speaking about the challenges and
opportunities for community-based policy making. Following
Sherri’s comments, an interview was conducted with Michelle
Hebert-Boyd on the recent work of the Public Health Agency
of Canada–Atlantic Region with respect to developing
‘healthy public policy.’
The interview focused on Capacity Building:
Linking Community Experience to Public Policy, a resource
developed to help people in both government and communities
understand how to link community experience to the policy-making
process. In part, the paper describes the changing context
of policy making and identifies capacities needed to improve
government/community collaboration on policy issues. Following
the interview, participants discussed key issues to be explored
throughout the learning series.
Resources for the Seminar:
Related Links & Resources:
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Building on the discussion from the first
call, Sherri Torjman outlined a preliminary framework for
thinking about community involvement in policy development.
Eric Leviten-Reid then conducted an interview with representatives
from three Vibrant Communities Trail Builders about specific
policy change initiatives they have undertaken in the area
of income security policy. The interviews focused on the ideas
and strategies employed in each case, the challenges encountered,
results achieved and lessons learned.
The case studies discussed in this session were:
The AISH Initiative – Vibrant
Communities Calgary and the United Way of Calgary and Area
spearheaded a solution-oriented policy development process.
The process brought members of the nonprofit sector and the
provincial government together to determine ways to improve
Alberta’s Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped
(AISH) program. The initiative also sought to strengthen the
capacity of nonprofit organizations to engage in policy development.
It helped to bring about significant changes in AISH and served
as an important pilot project for community-based policy making.
Make Tax Time Pay Campaign –
In early 2006, Vibrant Communities Edmonton undertook a major
campaign to increase the uptake of eight government benefits,
subsidies and tax credits available to low-income residents.
The initiative brought together a diverse set of partners
and resulted in increases to the incomes of 220 households.
The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)
Campaign – In 2001, Opportunities Waterloo Region
collaborated with staff at (then) Human Resources Development
Canada to design a two-pronged strategy to educate hard-to-reach
seniors about the GIS. One group developed and distributed
communications materials. The second set up training sessions
for social service agencies whose members were in regular
contact with low-income seniors. Ultimately, the initiative
estimated that it enabled more than 600 seniors to complete
their income tax return and claim GIS benefits for the first
time.
Resources for the Seminar:
Related Links & Resources:
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This session focused on initiatives in which
communities are working with government to undertake neighbourhood
revitalization.
The first case study was Vibrant Communities
Saint John's work in two of the city's high poverty neighbourhoods.
The discussion focused on the efforts of Vibrant Communities
Saint John to engage government in supporting a grassroots
neighbourhood planning process and in addressing the issue
of energy poverty.
Other neighbourhood revitalization initiatives
discussed during the call were those undertaken by Le Chantier
in the Saint-Michel neighbourhood in Montreal and by both
Vibrant Communities and Action for Neighbourhood Change in
Surrey.
Resources for the Seminar:
Related Links & Resources:
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This session focused on three community-based
efforts to influence public policy on affordable housing.
The first case study addressed was the Quality
of Life CHALLENGE campaign to gain municipal government support
for a Regional Housing Trust Fund. The Trust Fund would be
used by local governments to leverage additional public and
private investment for the development of affordable housing
units. After years of research, organizing and advocacy, local
partners in this initiative secured participation from six
of BC Capital Region's 13 municipal governments. An initial
fund of $638,256 was established. In addition, Councilors
in the City of Victoria agreed to establish a separate, $250,000
fund for their municipality. Efforts are ongoing to engage
the remaining local governments. It is estimated that the
current fund will enable 50 to 75 affordable housing units
to be developed annually.
The second case study featured a strategic
intervention by Vibrant Communities Saint John (VCSJ). VCSJ
focused a broad-based community appeal to the federal government
on one request: To locate a high-level, full-time housing
official in Saint John to help tackle the communities major
housing challenges. Already, this intervention has resulted
in funding for 100 affordable housing units and a substantially
increased share of provincial funding for affordable housing.
The third case study was that of Opportunities
Niagara in developing 40 units of affordable housing through
a collaborative effort among diverse partners including the
City of St. Catharine's, the Region of Niagara, and the Canadian
Auto Workers Local 199.
Resources for the Seminar:
Related Links & Resources:
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Based on discussions throughout the learning
series and supplemented by additional research, the Caledon
Institute drafted a paper discussing the challenges, opportunities
and strategies for community-based policy making. The paper
considers the general process of community involvement in
policy making with a particular focus on strategies for poverty
reduction. It is intended to support efforts to strengthen
community work in this area, as well as dialogue with government
about these issues.
In this session, Eric Leviten-Reid of Caledon
presented a summary of key learnings from the series and provided
participants with an opportunity to give feedback to be used
in preparing the paper.
Resources for the Seminar:
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Assessing
the Impacts of Public Participation - The arguments for engaging
Canadians at all stages of the policy process are clear and
overwhelming. Citizens demand a more meaningful role in policy
development. Engagement is a powerful antidote to voter disaffection
with political institutions. It means greater policy effectiveness
and legitimacy, and it fosters inclusion and social cohesion.
This report explores what we know about assessing the impact
of citizen engagement on both the policy process and on the
subsequent political and civic behaviour of the citizen participants.
Fostering
Canadians' Role in Public Policy - This report by
Lori Turnbull and Peter Aucoin looks at the structural, cultural
and practical barriers to making citizen engagement a natural
and permanent part of our policy processes.
Place-Based
Public Policy - This research report calls for a place-based
public policy framework. It provides a helpful discussion
of the rationale behind place-based public policy, lessons
learned from other jurisdictions and key considerations for
similar efforts in Canada. It identifies four critical elements
for a place-based framework: tapping local knowledge, finding
the right policy mix, governing through collaboration and
recognizing local governments. It reviews the experience of
tri-level agreements in several Canadian cities, identifying
lessons these offer for future initiatives.
Public
Dialogue - This
is a manual for designing and implementing public dialogue
processes. Public dialogue is a tool for involving ordinary
citizens in policy development. Its primary aim is to understand
the range and intensity of public views expressed on a given
issue. A public dialogue typically brings together eight to
ten people to explore multiple perspectives on a challenging
public policy issue. The basic process may be useful as a
model for designing local policy dialogues. In addition to
public dialogue, the manual identifies a range of other techniques
for pursuing public involvement in the policy process. Public
involvement is described at three levels: communication, consultation
and citizen engagement. An appendix provides a useful description
of four other techniques for supporting citizen engagement
in policy development (search conferences, citizen juries,
citizen polling and study circles).
Citizen Voice & Client Focus into Service Delivery - This is a study of efforts to improve the responsiveness
of public service providers to the needs of service users,
particularly the poorest service users. The paper begins from
the premise that it is important to study public sector reforms
(supply side or responsiveness) together with citizen voice
initiatives (the demand side). It examines over 60 case studies
of both public sector reforms to foster stronger client focus
in service delivery and civil society initiatives to demand
improved services. Fourteen different types of ‘voice’
and ‘responsiveness’ mechanisms are identified.
It offers helpful analysis of underlying issues related to
citizen voice and public sector responsiveness but may be
particularly useful for the variety of practical mechanisms
it describes for improving both.
Public
Policy and Public Participation - This workbook is a companion piece to Capacity Building:
Linking Community Experience to Public Policy. However, it
generally is written more for policy makers than for community
groups. It is intended to be a practical guide that will help
readers to understand the public policy context in which they
are working, see the need and desire for citizen and community
engagement, and then design and implement appropriate processes.
Its primary objective is to enhance knowledge, skills and
abilities relating to the development of public policy, with
specific emphasis on the meaningful inclusion of stakeholders
and citizens. Emphasis is placed on the development of crosscutting
or horizontal policy and on increased inclusion of stakeholders
and the policy community. It provides a valuable discussion
of many points, some useful guideposts for action and brief
descriptions of some emerging techniques for supporting community
involvement in policy development (open space technology,
future search conference, e-participation, public policy dialogue,
appreciative inquiry, study circles).
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