Newsletter

Register for all the latest updates in our regular newsletter

By:
On: Jan. 18, 2007
Broader Engagement in Local Planning Processes

Wellesley and many other community groups have been emphasizing that effective and meaningful community participation will be crucial to the success of the new LHINs and to the development of an innovative new provincial health strategy. One of the critical challenges will be ensuring that the full range of community voices and interests can be heard in strategic deliberations and involved in ongoing planning processes. Part of meeting this challenge will be developing new processes and forums so that marginalized groups traditionally excluded from public policy debate can be included. But part also will be ensuring that recognized stakeholder groups are not the only groups consulted or involved, and that established community organizations do not exclude members of the community they represent. Recent research from the British Joseph Rowntree Foundation illustrates the latter complexity: UK Minorities within minorities: beneath the surface of community participation. This study of participation in Bradford (UK) shows that minority voices within broader minority groups, such as the South Asian community, are not properly heard by planning authorities. See the summary here or the full report here. This research was passed on by my colleague Subha Sankaran at the Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse.

Post a Comment

* Required. Your email address will not be posted.


*


Comments will be reviewed and posted as quickly as possible. You will be notified by email when your comment is posted. The Wellesley Institute will not censor comments based on politics or point of view. However, any comment containing abusive or threatening language will not be posted.


Follow these comments (via RSS feed)