The City of Prince Albert is looking for more people to help shape future decisions, including residents who may never have taken part in City Hall discussions before.
Applications are now open for the City’s new Collaborative Groups, an initiative approved by City Council on May 11. The groups are meant to bring together residents, community organizations, businesses, stakeholders and people with lived experience to discuss municipal issues and share ideas with the City.
Savannah Price, City Clerk for the City of Prince Albert, said the groups are advisory and will not make decisions, but they are intended to give administration and council broader input before reports and recommendations move forward.
“They’re basically an advisory group in nature,” Price said. “They don’t have any decision-making authority.”
Price said the City brought the new model forward after reviewing its committee structure. She said the old structure could be rigid, with formal meetings often held during weekday hours that did not work for everyone.
“What we’re hearing from residents and other people is that they want to be able to have discussions with the city without having to commit to too much,” she said.
The new groups could take different forms, including focus groups, task groups, informal committees, tables or hybrid meetings. Price said that flexibility should make it easier for people to take part.
The groups will be created when a project or issue lines up with the City’s strategic plan. Price said council or administration can apply to create a group through the city manager’s office. If approved, a terms of reference will outline the purpose and goal of the group.
She said feedback from a group could later be included in a report to council. For example, if the City was reviewing housing policy, administration could gather people with an interest or background in housing, collect their input, and bring that information back as part of a future report.
The City says residents and people with a connection to Prince Albert can apply. Price said that includes students, newcomers, temporary residents, people who recently moved to the city and others tied to Prince Albert.
“Everybody who’s tied to Prince Albert,” she said.
Price said ideas from newcomers and immigrants are welcome, including ideas based on things that worked in other countries or cities.
“We’re willing to hear from all avenues,” she said.
She said the City also wants youth, seniors, Indigenous residents, newcomers and others to feel welcome. The application includes optional demographic questions so the City can see whether it is reaching a wide range of people.
“Your voice matters regardless if you’re brand new to the city or if you’ve lived in the city for 20 plus years,” Price said.
Price said the recent You-th Speak Up event is not formally connected to the Collaborative Groups, but it came at a good time. She said she plans to send youth participants the application link and look at other ways to report youth engagement back to council.
Applications will be kept on file for up to two years. Price said people should not be discouraged if they are not contacted right away.
Residents can apply through the City’s website at www.citypa.ca under the City Hall tab, through Get Involved in Your Community and Collaborative Groups.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
