Guelph Civic League talk

[hmagazine]

WHAT KIND OF CITY DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN?
An evening of inspiring civic conversation.

Please join us as Annie O'Donoghue from the Guelph Civic League tells the "Guelph Story" -- the creation and growth of a values-based grassroots movement that started with 100 people and reached just under 15,000 within a year, changing the face of local democracy. The Guelph Civic League has spawned other civic leagues across Canada and continues to inspire and demonstrate that democracy can be kept alive between elections.

Thursday, March 19th - 7pm start
Workers Arts & Heritage Centre
51 Stuart Street, Hamilton
Free to attend.
For more info - contact Dave Kuruc at 905.529.2323 or [email protected]

Open discussion to follow presentation.

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The Guelph Civic League is a collaborative network of neighbourhood groups and citizen-led organizations. Their work so far includes encouraging the development of neighbourhood associations, helping get citizens involved in civic issues, working with other organizations to promote their objectives, monitoring city council and city planning decisions, supporting council delegations, and working to protect heritage buildings. www.guelphcivicleague.ca

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Presented by
H Magazine
Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, Hamilton Region Branch

[astroblaster]

this sounds really interesting, i will try to attend

[highwater]

I'll be there, and will plug it to my neighbourhood association.

[astroblaster]

if i come, i'll wear a "hello my name is astroblaster" name tag

[hmagazine]

Dear Members and Friends of the ACO Hamilton Region Branch

In the mid 1990’s our city’s rich architectural heritage was beginning to be recognized in planning documents and around the City Council table as an essential part of the character and culture of our city. Celebrating and enhancing this resource was considered an important part of downtown renewal. It, along with our natural environment, and diverse cultures was seen as key quality of life issues important from an economic development perspective to the overall success of our city

Unfortunately this is no longer the case. In recent years several councillors and the local media have successfully portrayed architectural heritage as an unnecessary expense and those that advocate for it as an elitist fringe group out of touch with reality. Those of us with experience outside of Hamilton and with successful heritage projects know that this is not the case.

In order to inspire us to confront this trend and to provide ideas for a reinvigorated ACO Hamilton Region Branch we have joined with “H” magazine to invite Annie O’Donoghue from the Guelph Civic League to make a free presentation in Hamilton. The Guelph Civic League has successfully advocated for heritage issues in Guelph through the creation of a value based grass roots movement that sees heritage along with environmental and social issues as integral to a healthy successful community.



Please join us as Annie O’Donoghue of the Guelph Civic League

Tells the “Guelph Story”

Thursday March 19, 2009.

Workers Arts and Heritage Centre

51 Stuart Ave. (between Bay and MacNab Streets)

7pm start – free admission.

[hmagazine]

JUST A REMINDER THIS IS TOMORROW!

http://thespec.com/article/532089

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by hmagazine

...the creation and growth of a values-based grassroots movement that started with 100 people and reached just under 15,000 within a year, changing the face of local democracy.

Mobilizing an additional 15,000 locals in the next election could make politicians significantly less complacent. (CATCH has noted that the number of registered voters in Wards 1-3 dropped by nearly 14,000 between the 2003 and 2006 elections.)

[coalminecanary]

I'll be there. This could be one of the most important presentations/meetings this year!

[astroblaster]

i was half joking before, but i'm really considering wearing a name tag tonight so we can all meet each other in real life

i also have a feeling this is going to be a huge deal

[emge]

i'm working tonight, but i may drop by at the end or partway through and pick up any materials they have... i would have really liked to be there.

[emge]

Well, here's the adventure of getting to the meeting:

I arrived tonight late (probably around 7:45) as I thought after wrapping up at work:

After walking around the block to find the place (forgive my ignorance of the location) and having just about enough of the dark streets around the block, I walk up to the doors.

Locked. A family has just walked out, and so I'm not sure if the meeting's over. I press the buzzer.

"Hello?"

"Um, hi. I'm here for the meeting tonight?"

The congenial but firm voice returns "I'm sorry, we're full to capacity. There's no room."

"Um, ok." (I stand there for about 30 seconds, deciding whether I'll wait until the end or not).

A gentleman exits the building. I ask if he's leaving. He says yes.
I press the buzzer again, asking if I can have that gentleman's spot now that he's left. (Silly, but worth a shot anyhow, I think).

The voice thoughtfully returns "Well, I suppose that would be quite alright."

I wait about a minute, and buzz again requesting that the door might be opened, if I indeed may enter The same elderly gentleman makes his way to the door and opens it for me, and I thank him.

It certainly seems like a good turnout from that experience! Full to capacity - that's a good turnout in my books.

However, all I actually heard was about 15 minutes of question-and-answer period at the end, a nice compliment paid to Hamilton Light Rail for their work, and a bit of conversation with a gentleman from one of the neighbourhood associations -- I said hello to an acquaintance or two, stayed about twenty minutes, perused the available tables and information and then left.

Unfortunately, I really did miss the meat and bones of the meeting. Can anyone who was there perhaps fill me in?

[astroblaster]

Here's what I took away from the meeting:

1. GCL formed an association of neighbourhood, civic and cultural groups

2. They identified a set of core values that the community more or less shares. (through surveys, canvassing etc)

3. They aggressively promoted participation in the '06 municipal election and it seems they had quite a dramatic effect on voter turn-out

4. They were able to keep digital voting records and publish a study which compared city councilors voting records with the established values of the GCL.

here's a PDF of one of these publications:

http://www.guelphcivicleague.ca/voti...cordScreen.pdf

I think Hamilton could pull this off.

The ACO people are set to get the dialogue going in the near future.

hmagazine perhaps you can help here: for those who didn't attend last night, who can people contact at the ACO to be included in the mailing list/future discussion ?

[FairHamilton]

Originally Posted by emge

Unfortunately, I really did miss the meat and bones of the meeting. Can anyone who was there perhaps fill me in?

I don't know if I can fill you in on everything that was presented and discussed, but I can provide a few things that stuck with me.

- The GCL evolved from a "Chicken Little, the sky is falling" group to a group based on the values of the community.
- They surveyed Guelph residents from lists maintained by neighbourhood associations on what they valued and solicited donations with the surveys (collected $7,000)
- Then they compared those values against the voting patterns of council members, and published the records against the stated values of the community
- The compiling of council voting records was greatly added by electronic voting that automatically compiles, displays and publishes to the internet results of council votes (and who voted on each side).
- Took their message to the street with fun activities like dances and concerts featuring local musicians.
- Worked to educate the electorate thus aiding in making the connection between community values and those of the council.
- Used local celebrities (i.e. children book author Bob Munsch) to deliver recorded calls to "Get out and vote for values".
- GCL has remained a non-partisan organization
- Candidates that shared their stated values won in all but one Ward in the last election and the candidate that shared the stated values in the one Ward lost by only 15 votes.
- They haven't sat back on their laurels after the election, rather have continued their work to ensure that local government reflects the values of the community and are working to reach out and be inclusive for other associations and multi-cultural organizations.

I hope that helps. I saw a few other 'Skyscrapers' there last night and perhaps they can provide some additional observations and details.

[emge]

thanks to both for the "recap" -- i did catch the little bit at the end aboutr remaining non-partisan in the discussion, but that's about it.

i like the format of that .pdf also -clean, informative, nice but not too slick.

[BrianE]

These are some amazing ideas. Hamilton could benefit greatly from a project like this.

Although, it scares me a bit that if an organization like this formed in Hamilton and did the surveys and published the councilor voting records. We might find that this City is already reflecting the shared values of the various communities. How depressing.

[astroblaster]

right now i think everyone fears that there is some great divide in the values of downtown vs. mountain and suburbs.

i think its a legitimate fear, but some people I talked to are hopeful that we'll actually find out that we all share similar values.

apparently that's what happened in Guelph... suburbs were surprisingly cool about everything.

i think the process of engaging the mountain and suburbs will be extremely difficult, but potentially enormously valuable

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by astroblaster

right now i think everyone fears that there is some great divide in the values of downtown vs. mountain and suburbs.

i think its a legitimate fear, but some people I talked to are hopeful that we'll actually find out that we all share similar values.

apparently that's what happened in Guelph... suburbs were surprisingly cool about everything.

i think the process of engaging the mountain and suburbs will be extremely difficult, but potentially enormously valuable

Even if the voting doesn't change anything, the dialogue will be hugely valuable, agreed. And that's maybe where we'd end up anyway. The Guelph Civic League itself is now apparently focused on community collaboration more than civic engagement.

There are obviously real distinctions between Guelph and Hamilton -- Guelph has no amalgamation hangover and no escarpment dividing upper and lower city and development dollars, lower poverty rate, markedly higher median income and and a comparatively compact footprint which may help densify political concerns.

But there are similarities in the whiteness of the political culture and the challenges that poses in terms of civic engagement. A different crop of 40-70-year-old white men (and a couple of women) running the city is "fresh blood" only in a nominal sense. Guelph at least has the gender ratio inverted: 9 women, 4 men. Their predominant visible minority populations are much the same as the GHA: largely subdivided between South Asian, Chinese and African-Canadians. None of whom are represented.

One potential snag I see is in depoliticizing the downtown. The core is the part of the city that most obviously needs help but it's traditionally the most politically disengaged (and as CATCH's numbers make clear, electorally disadvantaged). The sorry voting turnout in Wards 2 and 3 (variously attributed to apathy, youth, poverty, language barriers etc.) only distorts the picture further. And there's a lot to be angry about. But an alarmist tone to the conversation might only encourage suburbanites to raise the drawbridge.

Also curious about the difference between values and issues, which seems like a semantic fault line. For example: Is a vote for Aerotropolis a vote for or against business? It seems like you stand a better chance of building unanimity and a civic coalition if you're able to remove value loading from the polling and evaluation process.

[astroblaster]

i saw that the talk was being video taped. anyone know who was taping? it should get youtubed

[oldcoote]

Guelph has sprawl issues as well.

I know some people who live in old Guelph (downtown and near the university), and there is some legitimate issue with the new development closer to the 401.

[astroblaster]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

Also curious about the difference between values and issues, which seems like a semantic fault line. For example: Is a vote for Aerotropolis a vote for or against business?

I don't think you can really answer this question. Of course supporters of Aerotropolis will say its against...

Is anyone really against business?

So yes.. fault line. Maybe we can use constructive dialogue to cross that rift.