Engaging with Local Government: Tips on How to Speak to City Council

The Who

Are you passionate about making your city a better place to live? Do you want to start advocating but don’t know where to start? One of the best ways to engage with your decision-makers is to speak at City Hall!

This workshop will cover how the city of Vancouver's public hearings work and how you can get involved in public hearings to influence your local decision-makers.

The Why

Local Government (also known as municipal government) is the closest level of government to the people. They make decisions that impact our day-to-day lives, yet so many of us may not understand how they operate or why local government decisions matter.

Understanding your ability to affect change within local government will help get you started on influencing the policies your communities need.

Cities, towns, local communities, and neighbourhoods are often overlooked sites of resistance and action. Local governments make daily policy decisions that directly impact equity-seeking genders - including transit, housing, childcare, land planning, use of public spaces, community safety, reconciliation and decolonization.

The What

This workshop will cover:

• How local governments make decisions
• How you can engage & influence local government
• Tips on speaking to City Councillors!

(WTC) is a grassroots Vancouver-based non-profit that seeks to dismantle intersecting systems of oppression to transform where we live into places of social, economic and political equity. They do this with an intersectional feminist lens through civic literacy and education, research, advocacy and collaboration. Become a member of WTC.

Accessibility

The event will take place virtually on Zoom. It will be in English with live closed captioning. If you have any other requests that will support your participation, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

We acknowledge that the event will take place virtually on the stolen, unceded ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation).

Host or Publisher Women Transforming Cities