By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
Brome Lake residents will be able to provide their input on the landmarks that have marked life and history in the community as part of the new civic consultation platform on the town’s website. Town officials intend for the platform, conceived by Joliette-based digital consulting firm Blanko, to be used to collect public input on a variety of public issues in the future, through quick surveys, polls, public consultations and presentations of major projects, they said.
“Included in the 2024-2028 strategic plan, this initiative demonstrates the municipality’s desire to strengthen citizen participation and foster open and constructive dialogue between the public and the municipal administration,” town spokesperson Ghyslain Forcier said in a statement on Sept. 24.
The platform, modelled on a similar project in Rimouski that was also developed by Blanko, was launched along with its first public consultation. “Citizens are invited to identify, on an interactive map, places of interest that, in their view, stand out in the Brome Lake area,” Forcier explained. “This approach helps fuel collective reflection and enrich discussions surrounding the overhaul of the urban plan … We’re very proud to be taking this step and putting in place a digital framework.”
“Residents are invited to submit spots that have had an effect on them, them whether it’s a heritage space or a place that that has a lot of memories for them or a memorable landscape or a cultural space, they can submit it with a photo; my colleague will take the data and it will be taken into account when we remake our urban plan.”
“This new tool reflects our desire to further involve the public in the decisions that shape our living environment. Everyone’s participation is valuable and will help us build projects that reflect the aspirations of our community,” Brome Lake Mayor Richard Burcombe said in a statement.
“Your input will be used, and it will influence certain ‘grandes lignes’ of our urban plan,” said Forcier, adding that the consultation platform was “bilingual, like all our tools.”
He said the platform would cost the municipality an estimated $2,500 annually, and was not covered by a grant.
Brome Lake intends to build on its experience with the digital consultation platform to develop a public consultation policy, along the lines of the policy recently developed in Bromont, over the course of 2026.
Brome Lake residents are invited to discover the platform online for themselves at portail.lacbrome.ca/en.