Description

For the past 15 years, Participatory Budgeting (PB) has given Toronto Community Housing tenants the opportunity to decide how to allocate funds to improve their buildings and developments. The total PB budget for all communities is $800,000.

Toronto Community Housing put PB on hold in 2017 in order to work with tenants on what an improved model should look like.

2017 Participatory consultation to improve PB

• Four meetings were held in early summer 2017 to get feedback from members of the current PB Monitoring Committee to help to identify two potential models for the new PB process.
• Four city-wide tenant consultation meetings were held in August 2017 to collect feedback on the two potential models and on other areas of PB that need to be improved.
• Three meetings were held in September and October 2017 to finalize the new model.

Main conclusions:

•  Have a separate tenant engagement process for non-capital and capital items
• We need a process that is clear and less complicated for tenants and staff
• Tenants want more of a say about selecting projects and less staff control throughout the process

 The 2019 PB process

 Phase one: Identify local needs

• Tenants will be educated on the process and encouraged to participate
• Staff will support tenants to develop their ideas and provide key information about items 
• Local needs will be identified at building meetings

 Phase two: Decide on projects

• Communities will decide which non-capital items to present on allocation day, and select a delegate and an alternate 
• On allocation day, delegates will vote on projects
• PB Monitoring Committees are formed

 Phase three: Implement Decisions

• Staff will purchase selected items
• Monitoring committees will meet monthly until all projects are signed off and complete
• PB monitoring committees will meet at the end of the year to assess the program

Download the PB Brochure (PDF) to learn more about the Participatory Budgeting program.