Don’t just sit there!

1. Don’t just sit there! On the piece of paper you receive, please describe a public experience that changed the way you think about and understand democracy or equity. Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

2. Building a Democratic CityHow Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto Josh Lerner - March 23, 2004 Supervisor: Kanishka Goonewardena Prepared for: City of Toronto Community Engagement Unit Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

3. Today’s Agenda - Why did I research participatory budgeting in Toronto? - What is participatory budgeting? - Problem #1: “Participatory budgeting” is used to describe or justify almost any type of budget process - Problem #2: Perception that participatory budgeting is not appropriate in Canada - Problem #3: Perception that participatory budgeting is not appropriate for the Toronto City budget Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

4. Why did I research participatory budgeting? • “Democratic deficit” • Government decisions not made in the public interest • Increasing social and economic inequality • People alienated and detached from government • People have less control over their lives • Budgets directly determine how resources are distributed Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

5. The Porto Alegre Experience Participatory Budgeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil: • year-long ongoing process • residents decide capital budget priorities in their own neighbourhoods • elected budget delegates integrate local and regional budget priorities into city-wide participatory budget • over $40 million US (20% of total budget) allocated each year • over 50,000 people participate Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

6. Why did I research participatory budgeting in Toronto? • Community organizations are organizing and advocating for participatory budgeting • Mayor Miller called for a “truly participatory” budget process • City organized new Listening to Toronto public consultations in January 2004 • Miller announced that the 2005 budget process would be more participatory - but how? Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

7. What is participatory budgeting? Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

8. What is participatory budgeting? Some very different answers: • The Harris government’s tax cuts • Formal public deputations on budget issues • Public consultations and focus groups about budget issues, such as Listening to Toronto • What they do in Porto Alegre • Anything that allows the public to participate in a budget-making process • Direct participation of community groups and citizens in the process of setting local government budgets Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

9. Problem #1 “Participatory budgeting” is used to describe or justify almost any type of budget process. Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

10. What I did I developed a definition of participatory budgeting as a distinct participatory governance process. • synthesizes existing research and experiences • describes the essential design features and core principles of participatory budgeting • can be adapted to different local contexts Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

11. Main design features Democratic structures • local budgeting units • regional budgeting units • city-wide budget council Shared responsibilities • residents decide budget priorities • elected budget delegates represent residents • city staff facilitate, provide technical support • participants oversee the process Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

12. Main design features Empowering activities • popular education • transparent budget spending criteria • focus on local direct-impact budget projects Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

13. Core principles • Democracy • Equity • Community • Education • Transparency • Efficiency Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

14. Problem #2 Perception that participatory budgeting is not appropriate in Canada Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

15. What I did I profiled two city-wide participatory budgeting programs that have worked in Canada: 1) City of Guelph - Neighbourhood Support Coalition 2) Toronto Community Housing Corporation - Community Based Business Planning Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

16. City of Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition • Neighbourhood groups deliberate community needs and priority projects (peer support groups, summer camps, language training) • Community Services Department and partner organizations contribute to Coalition budget • 35 Neighbourhood delegates and partner organization representatives meet to decide which projects are funded • Participants annually allocate $600,000 to over 400 community activities Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

17. Toronto Community Housing Community Based Business Planning • Tenants deliberate priority projects for their own buildings and grounds (new stoves, playgrounds, roof renovations) • Building delegates deliberate project funding at Regional Community Forums and then a city-wide Budget Council • During 3-year budget cycle, $18 million allocated on 237 projects • Over 6000 tenants participated Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

18. In their own words “This is the hardest thing to do. There are a lot of emotions here at the table.” - Guelph Neighbourhood Group representative “Each Group is individual but yet when we come to the table, we need to advocate and make decisions based on the good of the whole. I now understand the statement, what is good for you is also good for me.” - Guelph representative “Staff were shocked by how much we had to offer!” - TCHC resident “Once everybody gave a little bit, we all came together as a community.” - TCHC resident Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

19. Problem #3 Perception that participatory budgeting is not appropriate for the Toronto City budget Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

20. What I did • Identified potential benefits • Identified potential problems and ways to overcome them • Compared the current budget process with participatory budgeting • Proposed a model for participatory budgeting in Toronto • Proposed next steps for moving towards participatory budgeting Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

21. Recommendations and next steps Community education and consciousness 1) Sponsor community workshops on participatory budgeting 2) Organize a visioning exercise for the 2005 budget process 3) Establish neighbourhood budget groups Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

22. Recommendations and next steps City staff capacity 1) Host a participatory budgeting workshop for City staff 2) Initiate a facilitator training program 3) Research additional participatory budgeting programs 4) Hire new participatory budgeting staff Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

23. Recommendations and next steps Pilot programs 1) Organize pilot program in a specific geographic area 2) Organize pilot program in a specific city program or service 3) Encourage special purpose bodies to implement participatory budgeting 4) Encourage independent Toronto organizations to implement participatory budgeting Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto

24. Questions? Building a Democratic City: How Participatory Budgeting Can Work in Toronto