Centre For Local Research into Public Space (CELOS)


See also Site Map

Citizen-Z Cavan Young's 2004 film about the zamboni crisis

Contact

mail@celos.ca

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Custodians:

Community Consultation

Here is a recent picture showabout the unmaking' of Dufferin Grove Park.'

What is at issue in the bureaucracy of cities

"Of course it is important to the political and social sciences that the essence of totalitarian government, and perhaps the nature of every bureaucracy, is to make functionaries and mere cogs in the administrative machinery out of people, and thus to dehumanize them. And one can debate long and profitably on the rule of Nobody, which is what the political form known as bureau-cracy truly is."
Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem, Postscript.

The 2010 report by Dave Harvy and (Toronto Park People), funded by the Metcalf Foundation Fertile Ground for New Thinking Dave's concludes that it's time for Torontonians involved with parks to join their voices in bringing about park improvements.

You can find out about the Recreation Service Plan by going to this city webpage. You can find out how the consultations were set up by looking at this staff report.

Here is the City's list of "stakeholders" who were contacted to give their opinions about the Recreation Service Plan in May and June, 2011 (and the Parks Plan in September 2011). Here's the city's stakeholder list with contact links. If your "park friends" or advisory group is not on the list of groups who will be asked for their views, you can e-mail 311@toronto.ca and ask them to help you get on it.

Notes on the public consultation sessions:

consultation reports.


The CELOS list of park friends.


Notes On Ward 18 Advisory Council Meeting


Grange Park consultant's report rejected by the community

Community engagement: park gardens example

Stonegate Garden Chronology


see also Citywide community gardens


The Food Strategy Deputation


Regent Park Community engagement

Regent Park Community engagement presentation Feb 2010


Walking strategy public meetings

Toronto Walking Strategy, 2007.


The official City of Toronto website civic engagement link

"Professional citizens": Remuneration policy for civic participation

Parks and Recreation advisory councils: terms of reference

Option three: elected advisory councils operating procedures


Community engagement framework meetings with Costanza Allevato

March 16 community engagement meeting with Costanza Allevato: Dufferin Grove Park

April 16 2010 community engagement meeting with Costanza Allevato: Thorncliffe Park

Parks and Recreation "community engagement framework" correspondence

Date: Mon, 03 May 2010
From: Jutta Mason
To: Costanza Allevato
CC: Kelvin Seow, Dave Hains

Hi Costanza --

You mentioned about follow-up. Here's the question I think we need to ask now: "How can we learn from each other?" That means, practical learning, i.e:

(1) which activities that developed at Dufferin Grove can be incorporated into PFR practices, and (2) what new information can PFR give us to alter our approach?

For the next 3-4 months, there will be a lot of print up at the park, about policies affecting the activities we've developed there. I think it would be a good sign of "community engagement" if PFR staff could add to that material, specifically addressing those points. (If you send it for posting, we'll staple it!) We're about to set up two new front-page folders on the CELOS website, which will have copies of what we posted on the various park sheds etc. Would you like me to highlight those passages that are puzzling and need clarification from your side?

I think the ombudsman's report on the need for transparency (in the case of the PRF banning but also generally) is a good guide here.

Another big interest for us as well as you, as you know, is budget. How is money spent, and where is it wasted? (Using the parks we know as the practical example.) If it's wasted, who can stop that waste? This is even more topical in an election year. Do you want to get together or just work away at this stuff separately, keeping each other informed?


Policy-making Principles


Public consultation unit

Public Consultation Unit
City of Toronto
Metro Hall, 19th Floor
55 John Street
Toronto Ontario M5V 3C6
Tel: 416-392-4331

City of Toronto website: Public Consultation



Content last modified on April 13, 2014, at 05:07 PM EST