Full marks go to the new provincial government for listening to people about how to fix poverty. Equally notable is the effort the organizers of a series of poverty reduction meetings are going through to make sure people attend.
Community engagement is an oft-touted phrase made by governments at all levels and many are finding out they need to do more than simply call a meeting to get people to attend. They must make sure people have a variety of ways to comment and, of course, meetings should be live streamed so people can watch it on their phones, tablets or computers.
But if you really want a face-to-face meeting and if you really want to hear what people have to say first-hand — or you want them to hear what you have to say — you have to make the meeting inviting and provide people with some dignity.
This is what the organizers of the Coquitlam poverty reduction strategy meeting have done.
By organizing the meeting on a weekend and providing refreshments, transportation, child care, health supports and secure storage, the province’s poverty commission is telling people "We want you to come and we will do whatever it takes to encourage you to make the time."
No wonder the meetings in other cities have drawn more than 100 people to talk about their experiences and share ideas.
We hope the Coquitlam meeting draws a similar number or more, and we would put the challenge out to the school board and municipal councils to think hard about their meeting structure, considering openness, transparency and accessibility as the key foundations and measures of success.
If no one shows up to your meeting except for a few malcontents or a handful of those who are most engaged, you have to ask yourself why, and then fix the problem. Ask yourself the question: Do our constituents really think we care about their input?
If the answer is yes, more people would be engaged, either online or in person.
Recently, Shane Simpson, the provincial minister in charge of poverty reduction, said it’s going to take longer than expected to put together a poverty plan. It won’t be this spring, likely the fall is the new target.
We think that’s a good thing, especially if it means the input from Coquitlam’s March 17 poverty meeting — 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Best Western Plus Coquitlam Inn Convention Centre at 319 North Rd. — will be included in the action plan.
