Public Engagement Should Start While the Choices Are Still Open

Krishna Raisinghani

Sep 24

2 min read

Good public engagement has a pretty simple test: Can the input still change something?

What Happens Today

Most planning and development-permit applications in North Vancouver begin with a formal pre-consultation with City staff.

That's when the applicant gets early feedback before preparing the full application.

Major planning applications can also involve Developer Information Sessions, where the community learns about a proposal and provides early input. The City says those sessions occur in the application's early design stages, and the applicant must provide a summary that staff can use when requesting changes.

Those are useful pieces of the current system. However, I think we can bring residents into the conversation even closer to the beginning.

Share Three Things Early

For a major proposal, I'd like the community to see three things before months of detailed design narrow the options.

The Basic Concept

What is being considered?
Approximate size.
Types of homes or uses.
Basic access.
The overall idea.

The Constraints

What has already been determined by the Official Community Plan, zoning, provincial legislation, engineering requirements or other rules?

People should know what genuinely can and can't change.

The Choices Still Open

Where could community input make a difference?

Public space?
Housing mix?
Connections through the site?
Street design?
Building orientation?
Amenities?

That's where engagement becomes much more useful.

Earlier Matters Even More Now

Provincial law has changed the role of public hearings.

Local governments must not hold public hearings for certain zoning bylaws that are consistent with an existing Official Community Plan.

That makes early participation even more important.

Council night can't carry the entire burden of public engagement.

Give People More Ways to Participate

A 7 p.m. weekday meeting won't work for everybody.

For major engagements, I'd like to see a mix of:

online and in-person input
evening and weekend opportunities where appropriate
neighbourhood locations
accessible information
translated or multilingual materials where they're useful
formats that work better for parents, shift workers, seniors, renters and younger residents

Digital tools can help, and they should complement face-to-face conversation, not replace it.

We can also consider options like having childcare on-site.

Then Close the Loop

This is one of the most important parts.

After major engagement, publish a clear response.

What did we hear?
What changed?
What didn't?
Why?

Good engagement doesn't mean everyone gets the outcome they wanted. Residents won't agree on everything, and Council still has to make decisions. But people should be able to see that their input was genuinely considered while there was still something to shape.