MASS LBP is working with Shape Burlington — The Mayor’s Citizen Advisory Committee on Civic Engagement, to find new and better ways to tap into the talent and energy of citizens in Burlington, Ontario and energize the democratic process.

Created by Mayor Cam Jackson in the fall of 2009, Shape Burlington has a mandate to consult a wide range of Burlington residents to create recommendations on new ways to consult the public and invest in civic engagement. MASS LBP is helping Shape Burlington design and implement a three-month consultation process that includes conversations with elected officials, City staff, and community and business groups.  Three public roundtable meetings will be held to gather input from the wider Burlington community.

Two research papers produced by MASS in January 2010 inform this process: Going Local: A survey of recent trends in municipal democracy catalogues examples of recent democratic innovation in Canada and abroad and An Emerging ‘Citizen Agenda’: The context for democratic innovation in Canadian municipalities reviews trends in urbanization and immigration, globalization, local governance reform, and democratic participation in Canada.

MASS LBP will present a report to Shape Burlington in March.