Participatory Budgeting in Toronto Facilitated by Maleha Rizvi and Jose Ramon Marti

Agenda Introduction to Participatory Budgeting “Real Money, Real Power” Video Overview of Toronto Pilots Group Discussion Summarize Feedback

PB 101 First implemented in 1989 in the municipality of Porto Alegre, Brazil Spread to over 1,500 towns and cities across the world Considered an example of best practice in government decision-making by the United Nations, World Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank “Revolutionary civics in action” – New York Times “The hottest idea in democracy since the voting machine” – The Atlantic

PB 101 A democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend a portion of the public budget Structured as a series of meetings or events in which (1) individuals identify spending priorities, (2) deliberate on these priorities, (3) develop spending proposals, and (4) vote on which proposals to implement Applied in a variety of settings, from elementary schools to public housing communities to entire cities Makes contributions to local governance, participatory democracy, citizenship learning, and social transformation Seeks to involve vulnerable and traditionally marginalized groups such as the poor, less educated, and non-native speakers

Real Money, Real Power

PBTO 2015 Pilot underway in three areas: Ward 33, and two NIAs - Oakridge (Ward 35) and Rustic (Ward 12) Timeline: April-May 2015 – Community education and engagement May-Aug – Communities develop proposals Sept – Community vote Nov – Report on evaluation of Pilot to Council Up to $150,000 in capital funding was allocated for each area for community improvement projects, totaling up to $450,000 across the three pilot areas Implementation of the selected projects will be completed by March 2017

PBTO 2015 City Councilors from the Pilot areas and staff are playing a key role in the process including convening community meetings, supporting outreach and engagement, and facilitating proposal development Standardized education, communication, and information materials being used across all areas and translated into different languages A range of outreach and engagement methods are tailored to each area City partnering with existing community partners and local networks to increase community outreach and engagement

Time for discussion!

Does Participatory Budgeting present a major opportunity for increasing public engagement in budgeting and civic affairs in Toronto?

Based on our knowledge of the Pilot, what are some challenges or concerns with the process?

How could the process be scaled up to increase its impact? What pools of public money could be allocated through this process? What community organizations or local networks could support this process?

Thank you for your participation! To learn more about the Pilot: