Consolidation of tools and strategies tested over the past several years leads to new forms of engagement opportunities for Coaldale residents
Early in the current Council term the Town of Coaldale recognized an opportunity to modernize and simplify its engagement practices. Since that time, the Town has been working across a variety of departments to make Coaldale’s engagement practices a leader in the field; most recently, the Town has launched a new platform using Questica OpenBook software designed to give residents access to specific information on capital projects.
“All the information displayed on this platform has previously been available for public viewing on our main site,” said Kyle Beauchamp, Chief Financial Officer at the Town of Coaldale. “Questica is simply just another method that we’ve been developing over the years to streamline communication on major projects in the community, making the information more user-friendly and easier to understand.”
Questica is a program designed to communicate interactively with easy-to-read visuals. Users can effortlessly find information about the Town's plans and major projects in the community. The site can be found at coaldale.openbook.questica.com.
“Across all municipalities, there has been an increased demand over the years for transparency in major projects and finances,” said Spencer Croil, Director of Planning and Community Development. “Town staff have worked tirelessly for the past several years to keep up with evolving technology and best engagement practices to make sure residents have every opportunity to stay informed and participate in meaningful discussions within the community. Questica is the latest example of our commitment to transparency in all aspects of our work.”
In addition to Questica OpenBook, the Town has recently launched an all-in-one engagement platform called Let’s Connect Coaldale. Let's Connect is designed to make it easy to learn about projects and initiatives in Coaldale, discuss important topics, provide feedback and contribute to the future of the community. The site can be found at letsconnectcoaldale.ca.
“From creating citizen committees and working groups, hosting information sessions and distributing countless surveys, there isn’t a method we haven’t yet explored,” said Croil. “Let’s Connect is a consolidation of all the engagement tools and strategies we’ve already used over the years to connect with residents.”
Finally, Town staff have produced a document dubbed the Community Dialogue Toolkit, an educational device on engagement intended for public use. The Toolkit can be found on the Town’s website at coaldale.ca.
“The Community Dialogue Toolkit is a learning tool for members of the community who are interested in expanding their knowledge on public engagement,” said Leia Cathro, Community Development Intern at the Town of Coaldale. “The Toolkit provides a number of valuable materials that can assist community members in successfully conducting their own engagement projects that can enhance the credibility of their engagement outcomes. It also explains some of the complexities that go hand-in-hand with planning engagement projects so the public can have a greater understanding of how much consideration goes into planning and executing a comprehensive engagement campaign.”
“We’re really proud of the work we do for the community and we’re always excited to be able to share the details of that work and interact with the community on the design and implementation of our projects,” said Cameron Mills, Manager of Economic Development. “We work hard to be a leader in terms of transparency compared to other municipalities our size; we’ve even been recognized nationally over the past two years for our financial reporting. We’re also the only municipality that provides additional comparative financial reporting. Now, with both Let’s Connect Coaldale and Questica OpenBook, we’re without question a leader in the field in terms of communicating information to our residents.”