August 22, 2014 

 

The City of Toronto has launched a new online engagement platform called IdeaSpace. The introduction of IdeaSpace at http://www.toronto.ca/ideaspace is the beginning of a year-long pilot project aimed at increasing engagement with Toronto residents. 

 

IdeaSpace enables residents to connect with City staff through a web platform on which people can share their ideas and solutions on some of the civic challenges facing Toronto. The introduction of this online platform is a key element of the City's efforts to increase accessibility and broaden engagement. 

 

The first project to use IdeaSpace is a City Planning Division initiative called Growing Conversations: Making Engagement Work. This initiative seeks input on how the City's planning processes and consultations can be made more meaningful. There are many ways to be part of Growing Conversations. One way is to log onto IdeaSpace and contribute thoughts and ideas. 

 

"The goal of Growing Conversations is to make Toronto the most engaged city in North America on planning issues," said Jennifer Keesmaat, Toronto's Chief Planner. "To do this, we need to look at additional ways to engage with our residents, so that those who might not participate in traditional ways are drawn into our city building conversations; IdeaSpace is an engagement tool that we are piloting to assist us in achieving that goal."

 

The City of Toronto creates many opportunities for the public to shape the vision for the future of Toronto. The civic engagement website at http://www.toronto.ca/involved includes information about opportunities to be involved, how the City works, how decisions are made, and more. 

 

The City hosts hundreds of public consultations every year, from city-wide consultations on major projects and policies to neighbourhood meetings to hear community input on development proposals or plans. Now Torontonians can also use IdeaSpace to engage with their local government.

 

The City of Toronto's Civic Engagement Twitter feed @GetInvolvedTO provides announcements about public consultations and other ways the City is engaging with the public.

 

Residents are encouraged to visit http://www.toronto.ca/ideaspace to provide ideas, feedback and comments, using this new platform to play a part in building a better community.

 

This news release is also available on the City's website: http://bitly.com/1sZPZ6p

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

 

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Media contact: Bruce Hawkins, Strategic Communications, 416-392-3496, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.