About Engage Kitchener

We want to hear from you!

Community engagement is the process of involving residents in municipal decision-making.

Engaging residents is critical for a healthy and functioning democracy. It encourages participation and a sense of civic responsibility. Hearing from residents helps us make informed decisions that reflect your concerns and values. It is also sometimes needed to meet legislated or regulatory requirements. Through engaging residents, businesses and community agencies we are better able to achieve the City’s strategic vision: “together we will build an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitchener”.

We want residents to have a meaningful role in the decisions that impact the services and programs they rely on every day. We are committed to:

• Providing meaningful opportunities to take part in decision-making on key issues and solving shared problems.
• Encouraging two-way dialogue with the City.
• Making it as easy as possible for anyone to join the conversation.
• Listening and reporting back to residents about the outcomes of the process.

Our Community Engagement Policy describes our principles and framework for engagement. It ensures we have a consistent approach for when and how we engage residents. We continually work to improve our engagement processes, most recently in the form of a review whose findings we’re working to implement.

Why we use Engage Kitchener to listen to residents

Engage Kitchener is our online platform for community engagement. It is the best place to learn about and give feedback on City projects and initiatives.

Traditional community engagement looks like attending public meetings, sitting on an advisory committee, or answering a paper survey. Engage Kitchener complements these and other in-person approaches. It makes it easier for you to give input or share ideas. It also helps us hear from even more residents by including those who can't attend in person.

Check out the Engage Kitchener FAQ for more information on using this platform.