News

The City Thanks Public for Feedback on Let's Talk

17 September 2018


September 17, 2018
Kamloops, BC - The City of Kamloops’ Let’s Talk website is resulting in significant community engagement, and the City is thankful for the public’s input. Let’s Talk Kamloops (LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca) is a new way for the City to engage with citizens online.

“We want to provide residents with an alternative, easier way to engage with the City,” said Wendy Heshka, the City’s Communications Manager. “It’s not always possible for people to get to evening open houses or weekend engagement events, so the Let’s Talk website is a way for the public to contribute ideas and feedback on their own timeline from the ease of any computer or mobile device.”

Let’s Talk Kamloops currently features many City projects for public information and/or input, including:
  • Downtown Plan
  • Recreation Master Plan
  • Victoria Street West Upgrades
  • Cannabis Legalization
  • Biosolids Management
  • Municipal Election
  • Neighbourhood Stories
  • Citizen Communication Preferences

To date, Let’s Talk Kamloops has resulted in approximately 9,000 visits and 6,700 participants who are engaged, informed, and/or aware of the projects featured on the website. Over a three-month period from June to September, the Let’s Talk website received over 4,000 contributions from visitors. Contributions have included survey submissions, forum posts, stories, questions, pins on a map, idea uploads, and the sharing of FAQs or newsfeed items.

The City encourages Kamloops residents to visit LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca, learn about City projects, provide input as desired, and share with others. For more about the intent behind Let’s Talk Kamloops, please see our new video, featuring City Planner Carmin Mazzotta, at https://letstalk.kamloops.ca/why-engage

Background on Let’s Talk Kamloops:
Public engagement is a high priority for Kamloops City Council and Administration and, like other communities, Kamloops is at a turning point for the way people provide feedback to the City. Based on the costs to host in-person engagement, attendance at events, and the rising use of online platforms, the City embarked on a pilot program to test an online platform in June 2018, recognizing that the prior engagement framework may require the option of a digital component.

Opportunities for in-person engagement on City projects will continue. The Let’s Talk website is simply a new way for City departments to share information and for residents to provide feedback. Aside from providing more options for public input, another benefit of this website is the reduced cost of engagement. The six-month test of the website cost $6,000, which is substantially lower than in-person engagement costs.

The six-month trial of LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca will include the following evaluation:
• the utility of the website for City project teams
• the number of citizens reached through online engagement compared to past in-person events
• the number of residents who became engaged, informed, and/or aware of City projects through the website

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Media Contact:
Wendy Heshka
Communications Manager
City of Kamloops
250-828-3445
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City of Kamloops
7 Victoria Street West, Kamloops
British Columbia, V2C 1A2
Phone 250 828 3311
Email info@kamloops.ca

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