Citizen engagement highlights package

Public engagement is the process of gathering feedback from citizens about programs, services and policies that affect their lives. This document can be a useful resource for Ministries when planning a public engagement.

Citizen engagement requirements

Before starting, the Ministry must inform their Government Communications and Public Engagement (GCPE) Director and the Director of Citizen Engagement at GDX. This is written into Core Policy, Section 22.3. This applies to all methods of public engagement, whether it is online or face-to-face, or both.

All B.C. government public engagement opportunities must be posted on govTogetherBC.

Managing communication with the public is an important role of GCPE. They can help manage messaging or issues, plan promotion and coordinate media. They also ensure that the project design meets corporate standards.

All public engagements must be branded as ‘B.C. government’ as this offers a consistent user experience. They must be easy to use and protect both citizen privacy and government security.

For online engagements, corporate software and technology must be used. Exceptions must first be approved by GCPE.

Hiring a contractor to do public engagement

The citizen engagement team has a Request for Standard Arrangement (RSA) for Public Engagement Services list with 10 different categories of services from community meetings, to engagement report writing. This GDX list of approved contractors can help you to execute your public engagement. Ministries may use other contractors when there is rationale for their specific use and if an exception is made. For example, they are subject matter experts or have worked on the project previously.

The citizen engagement team also has a list specific to contractors who can support virtual events.

It is never too early in the process to reach out to the citizen engagement team for help. Send an email to citizenengagement@gov.bc.ca.