By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
The City of Sherbrooke is inviting residents to help shape how it communicates and collaborates with the public by participating in a survey to update its Politique de participation publique (Public Participation Policy). The initiative is part of a broader push to strengthen citizen engagement in municipal affairs, a goal Mayor Évelyne Beaudin says is central to good governance.
The short questionnaire, available online until April 13, is designed to gather public input on the values and principles that should guide future consultations. According to Beaudin, “Dialogue with citizens is at the heart of municipal action. Involving the public in decision-making is essential for governance that truly meets their needs.”
The current update builds on work that began in January with the creation of a dedicated Public Participation Team within the city administration. This new team is tasked with designing consistent engagement strategies and guiding how Sherbrooke connects with residents on everything from zoning and infrastructure projects to cultural and sports policies.
“We needed a guide for the team to know how to respond to the orientations of city council,” Beaudin said during an interview on April 10. “So, the survey is part of this work to elaborate our new public participation policy”.
While the city has conducted similar consultations in the past—including a broad community development survey held last year—the mayor clarified that the current initiative is more comprehensive and intended to encompass a wider range of municipal decisions.
“That one was more for citizen participation at the community level—how you can get involved in your neighbourhood or even your street,” she explained. “This one is for everyone, monsieur, madame, tout le monde. It’s about anything going on in the city”.
Urban planning remains one of the top areas where Sherbrooke residents tend to engage. Beaudin noted that consultations are often held around the development of new housing projects, traffic concerns, and public green spaces. However, engagement also extends to municipal policy-making in areas like culture and recreation.
“Each time we work on a new policy, we want to hear from the public. And we adapt our approach depending on the objectives of the policy or project,” said Beaudin.
Participation levels across the city vary, but Sherbrooke compares favourably to similar municipalities, the mayor said. “We have a big participation at city council meetings when I compare with my colleagues in other cities,” she said. “For other activities, it really depends.”
One key challenge is making sure residents feel their time and opinions matter. “If people take one, two, or three hours out of their lives to participate, they need to know their voice will be heard, that it will make a real difference,” Beaudin said. “That’s a game-changer. When people see that their participation is effective, they come back and participate again”.
The city is also working to improve how it invites residents to participate and how it follows up with them afterward. According to Beaudin, those early and closing moments in the engagement process can determine whether people view the experience positively or not.
Sometimes, especially when a project affects a small number of residents, direct outreach like door-to-door flyers works better. In other cases, large-scale engagement strategies are more appropriate. “We’re trying to build new standards to ensure the activities are useful for us, but mainly that they offer a positive experience for the public,” said Beaudin.
Asked why public participation matters so much, the mayor was unequivocal: it leads to better decision-making. “All the worst decisions that were taken in the past in Sherbrooke were always because there was not enough consultation,” she said. “When you don’t take the time to verify what people want, you just make bad decisions.”
Although turnout in municipal elections tends to be lower than in federal ones, Beaudin believes Sherbrooke’s relatively high levels of civic engagement are due in part to a robust local media landscape. “We have a lot of active local media. I think it helps people stay more interested in what’s going on in their city,” she said.
The mayor acknowledged there’s still room to grow, especially when it comes to participation in polls and surveys. But she remains hopeful that the new policy and its public input process will move the city in the right direction.
“If I run for election and I’m elected, I’m there for the people,” she said. “If I just suppose what they need, instead of verifying, I won’t be as good a politician as I could be.”
Residents can fill out the questionnaire until Saturday, April 13 at sherbrooke.ca/politiquedeparticipation. The results will help shape the updated policy, which will serve as a framework for future consultations across the city.