Town
of Bakersville
Large Mixed-use,
Mid-rise Development
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT &
COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
August 2023
Contents
01
Introduction & Purpose
02
Stakeholder Analysis & Concerns
04
Engagement Values
05
Public Engagement Goals
06
Engagement Techniques
09
Communication Tools & Considerations
12
Roles & Responsibilities
Prepared by
Oyin Egbeyemi &
Adowa Achireko
INTRODUCTION & PURPOSE
INTRODUCTION
The Town of Bakersville Ontario strives to provide engaged, transparent,
and effective government. As a part of this commitment to an engaged,
transparent, and effective government the following Community
Engagement Plan (CEP) will aim to facilitate meaningful community
discussions about the proposed large mixed-use, mid-rise development
proposed within the Town of Bakersville.
The CEP is based on the key principles and standards that have been set
forth by the International Association for Public Participation, including the
following core values:
All stakeholders have a right to participate in public engagement
processes
The guarantee that the public's contribution will impact planning
decisions
Public engagement promotes sustainable decisions
Engagement practitioners and decision-makers should facilitate in a
meaningful way.
PURPOSE
The CEP defines the public participation and communicates the proposed
development through the following methods:
1. Stakeholders and Issues
2. Process objectives
3. Evaluation plan
4. Engagement techniques
5. Communication tools
6. Timeline
7. Roles and responsibilities
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STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS
AND CONCERNS
Effective engagement can only happen by acknowledging the diverse needs
of the various stakeholders involved in this community engagement process.
By understanding their distinct values and preferences, we can create
appropriate communication and engagement tactics for each group. This
essential audience analysis ensures that the project caters to a wide range of
interests and gathers valuable feedback.
Throughout the stages of active engagement in this Town of Bakersville's
large mixed-use, mid-rise development project, we will engage these
different stakeholders at various points. Identifying and knowing these
stakeholders is crucial as it allows us, as planners, to include them in every
step of the engagement and development process. By doing so, we can
foster meaningful participation, ensuring that their voices are heard, and
their perspectives are incorporated into the project's development.
Embracing this inclusive approach not only strengthens community bonds
but also enhances the project's overall effectiveness and sustainability.
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STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS
AND CONCERNS
ENVIRONMENTAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
Concerned about the loss of
green space as Bakersville grows
to accommodate all the people
moving away from the GTA. Also
worried about the lack of
attention being given to natural
waterbodies in the Town,
especially with its history of
overland flooding.
URBAN COUPLES/YOUNG
FAMILIES
CONCERNS
Attracted to the changes being
made in Bakersville such as the,
improved highway connections,
relatively affordable housing, and
high quality of life. They are
welcoming of the businesses and
dining opportunities that this mixeduse development might provide.
THE PLANNER &
ELECTED OFFICIALS
SENIORS/RETIRESS
A group of residents who want
Bakersville to maintain its original
character, currently consisting of
a large stock of century homes,
and a classic Ontario main street.
They are the key decision-makers
responsible for approving and guiding the
development project. They want to gather
the opinions and the potential support of
the Bakersville mixed-use, mid-rise
development project. They want to create
a community engagement strategy to guide
the public participation processes and share
information with interested community
members.
Some external stakeholders might include: business
owners, developers/investors, GTA residents
ENGAGEMENT VALUES
Deciding your values before starting the public engagement process is essential because it
provides a clear guiding framework that ensures the process is conducted with appropriate steps
throughout. Having established values helps maintain transparency, fosters trust among
participants (the facilitators and residents) and ensures that the engagement aligns with the
community's interests and needs. It sets a strong foundation for respectful and meaningful
interactions, empowering the community to actively contribute to the decision-making process
and foster a positive and impactful outcome; this will eventually lead to useful appropriate
outcomes.
INCLUSIVITY
To ensure that all
stakeholders are
invited and
encouraged to
participate in the
engagement
process. Removing
all barriers to
participation.
RESPECT
TRANSPARENCY
RESPONSIVENESS
Showing
consideration for
differing opinions,
and valuing the
input and
time of
participants.
To be open,
honest, and clear
about the
objectives of the
engagement
process. Also to be
clear with the
process outcomes.
Actively listening to
contributions.
Providing timely
reports on the final
outcome of the
project and
addressing further
concerns.
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT GOALS
The goal of a public engagement process is for the people involved
in the outcome of that process (stakeholders) to be able to
influence that outcome. This is done by informing the stakeholders
on what the process/project is about and allowing them to
influence the outcome by contributing their opinions and ideas. it
guarantees that the perspectives and contributions of the public will
be considered during the decision-making process. The goals for
this community engagement process are;
1
To understand the public's opinions and feelings toward the
proposed large mixed-use, mid-rise development
2
To gather feedback on the proposed infrastructure improvements,
recommendations and any alternatives the public would prefer
3
To report the outcomes of the engagement process and showcase
how stakeholder contributions influenced final decisions
4
To establish a feedback loop that encourages ongoing
communication between planners, elected officials, and the community.
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ENGAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
Multiple engagement techniques will be incorporated in order to
foster engagement between participants in order to gather their
opinions about each planning objective:
A
E
I
A W A R E N E S S
E D U C A T E
I N V O V L E
Town Website
Paper Mailing
Community
Events
Engage
Bakersville
Information
Session
Open
Houses
Stakeholder
Workshop
Open
Houses
Community
Events
U
U P D A T E
Paper
Updates
Open
Houses
The chart above depicts the acronym ‘AEIU’, which represents the
goal of each process objective.
Town Website
The Town of Bakersville owns and operates a website for the purpose of sharing town-and
community related information to all members of the Town. The Town of Bakersville has had this
website for the past ten years and has gained a significant following throughout the past decade.
Given this, the website is a cost-efficient method to share important information that will reach
different communities within Bakersville and beyond Bakersville. This method of information
sharing requires users (ie., citizens of Bakersville) to have access to internet service. The
effectiveness of this communication method requires users to frequently check the website.
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Paper Mailing
Brochures (8.5’’ by 4.1’’) will be distributed to areas within Bakersville that are directly affected
by the proposed development projects. The mailing of brochures are cost effective as the small
size will conserve paper and monetary resources used for paper. The brochure will help inform
those who may not have access to the internet or are technologically illiterate. The goal is to
reach populations within Bakersville that don't have access to technology or internet services.
Engage Bakersville
Bakersville is a civic engagement platform that uses participants' address and postal code in order
to authenticate users and make the public participation process legit. Citizens who choose to
participate in ‘Engage Bakersville’ are connected (through address and postal code) to public
engagement activities and participation boards based on their location within Bakersville. In
addition, Engage Bakersville has a dedicated webpage that acts as an information database,
bulletin board, and discussion forum. This engagement technique allows for multiple forms of
participant interaction, but does require the user to have an internet connection and to be a
member of Engage Bakersville.
Information Session
An organized large group session that invites interested members of the community to listen to a
presentation about development and planning proposals. The information session will allow the
public to ask questions and express any concerns pertaining to the proposed planning project.
This technique allows the same presentation of information to be consistently shared amongst
members of the town and it also promotes understanding of different perspectives. It is
important for intense care to be taken in order to allow for different perspectives to be heard
and also to minimize inappropriate behaviours and hostile disruptions from dominant individuals.
Paper Updates
Paper updates will help inform the public on any important updates pertaining to the planning
projects within Bakersville and help inform those who don't have access to technological devices.
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Community Events
Community events, such as multicultural fest, are great places to raise project awareness,
discover new stakeholders, and let community members share similarities and form connections
through a relaxed setting. This public engagement technique requires little to no promotion to
the public by relying on the event to draw members of the public. However, there are usually
only quick interactions with the public due to many different attractions at these community
events.
Open Houses
A relaxed setting with the project team present and multiple project display boards that highlight
specific topics. The public is able to explore the various areas and interact with the different
project boards. This is a great technique for seeking input on specific options or alternatives.
However, this technique can be quite challenging as capturing public input through this format
may be challenging.
Stakeholder Workshop
Members of the community are brought together in simultaneous rounds of conversation in
order to discuss the planning proposals. Specifically, people are brought together in simultaneous
rounds of conversation in response to key questions. Each questioning round will be focused on
one question to two questions, which is discussed in small groups in a small cafe-type setting.
Each group will then move to a different table that will discuss two questions pertaining to the
planning proposal. This public engagement method will help connect diverse perspectives and
create collaborative solutions. This facilitation technique helps connect diverse perspectives and
creative and inclusive solutions. The design and facilitation of this event involves resources such
as the cafe and multiple engagement practitioners to facilitate the multiple groups. In addition,
notetakers and notetaking utensils such as notepads, chart paper or technological devices will be
required.
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COMMUNICATION TOOLS
AND CONSIDERATIONS
The communication methods aim to provide background information,
create awareness of different planning proposals, promote upcoming
engagement events, give project updates and facilitate feedback
pertaining to planning proposals.
Communication
Tool
GOAL
DESCRIPTION
Project Proposal
Board
Share preliminary information about the proposed
project to the public
The board will be posted in front of the Bakersville
community centre where seniors and other
community members frequent.
Town Website
Bring awareness to the technologically savvy
demographic of Bakersville.
The website will aid in sharing important information
with the public, particularly those who are
technologically advanced.
Key Contact
Personnel
Bring background information to the public and
gather feedback on proposals.
An electronic and physical contact for handling
questions and concerns from the public. Having a
single point of contact will allow for streamlined and
accurate information.
Informational
Brochure
To provide general background information.
Brochures will be distributed across areas that are
directly affected by the development proposal
This brochure will be shared through mail and inperson events. This will allow for those who are
technologically disadvantaged (i.e., seniors) to
become and stay informed.
Used to bring awareness,
promote events, and
collect feedback
Bakersville has an online presence through various
social media platforms (e.g. Facebook). These
channels will allow for pushing out notifications, as
well as receiving feedback (excluding Twitter).
Social Media
Engage
Bakersville
Provide background information, promote events,
provide updates, collect feedback
Town Map
Locational Awareness
Engage Bakersville will host the project website and
all project-related digital files. The platform is
integrated with mailing lists, online surveys and public
participation boards as well as online surveys and
social media to allow for easy opinion gathering.
An official town map detailing neighbourhood
names, street names and boundaries in order to help
strengthen a sense of place and owners of local
decision processes. This map will help community
members better identify the location of the project
proposal.
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COMMUNICATION CONSIDERATIONS
There are many stakeholders involved in development proposals. Multiple stakeholders
require specific engagement techniques. Therefore, the variety of selected engagement
techniques and communication tools aim to address and meet the needs of community
members.
Digital Literacy
​T here is a possibility that households do not have access to, or the means to access, the
Internet. In addition, populations such as seniors may lack technological literacy. Given this,
it is important to ensure our engagement plan is not dependent upon online tools and that
information and critical tools can be exchanged through alternate media forms. Engagement
techniques that will prevent this include community events, surveys (paper versions), key
contact (phone and physical address), general information brochures (paper versions), and
updates through the means of the local newspaper.
Accessibility
Some individuals face challenges participating in events because they lack access to public
engagement venues, no time, childcare provision, or transportation. When choosing public
engagement venues, dates, and times, it is crucial to take these factors into account.
Additionally, providing both paper and digital resources is essential to ensure that everyone
can access the necessary information and materials without barriers.
Learning Style
There are many different ways in which people learn. The three different methods are as
follows: (1) visual, (2) auditory, and (3) tactile. In order to accommodate all three types of
learners, it is important for the engagement plan to cover all three learning types.
Engagement methods can incorporate these types by providing visual models of projects
(e.g., a 3D model of a building), having audio (e.g., a recording of essential stakeholders) of
critical components of the engagement event and providing examples of building materials
(e.g., wood, concrete, etc.).
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Language Barrier
The majority of Bakersville's residents are native English speakers or have an excellent
working knowledge of English. The influx of new residents into the town will introduce new
languages within the Town of Bakersville. Providing the option to present different
engagement materials in some of the more common languages of the audience.
Youth and Young Adults
Youth and Young adults are generally much more reliant upon digital communications and
are less likely to follow conventional forms of media such as news or newspaper. Youth
prefer short and succinct forms of media (e.g., Twitter). Engagement techniques that will be
marketed towards youth include EngageBakersville, Community Events, Social media,
websites, or digital forms of an informational brochure.
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ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The CEP will involve 4 primary roles:
Engagement Practitioner or Planner
Facilitates engagement activities amongst interested and affected members of Bakersville.
Ensures all voices are heard
Ensures the communities inputs, questions, and concerns are taken into account and
reflected in the development proposal
Main Point of Contact
Answers questions and concerns from the public about the development proposal, public
engagement events, and engagement information material (i.e., brochures, online
information, etc.)
Consulting Team
Makes facilitation plan for the Town of Bakersville
Outlines the necessary steps and processes involved within the engagement plan
Key Stakeholders
The people who will be affected and are interested in the outcome of the project
They share concerns, opinions and ideas about the project
Provide meaningful feedback throughout the process
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