Community Engagement

Community engagement is about working together to shape the future of the County of Brant. It means encouraging community members like you to participate in conversations and share feedback about decisions that affect daily life in the County. Whether it’s about parks, roads, community programs, or big-picture planning, meaningful community engagement is about listening, learning, and sharing your voice to help create positive change.

Community engagement does not mean that everyone will always agree on decisions that are made within the County. Our community is made up of a diverse population with very different interests and approaches to life in the County and how to improve it. What we will do, is listen to all feedback and opinions, weigh them together with factors like different levels of government, resource constraints, long-term impacts, environmental needs, legal guidelines, and financial considerations, then incorporate all the information into the decision-making process, in a fair and balanced way.

For more information about community engagement processes in the County, please read the County of Brant's Community Engagement Framework.

What is Engage Brant and why do we use it

Engage Brant is the County of Brant's community engagement website. It provides an online space to share information, connect, share ideas, and gather feedback on projects and initiatives happening in the County. This easy-to-use platform provides an opportunity for you to learn about what’s happening in the County and participate in meaningful conversations – at your convenience. You can explore project updates, take surveys, join discussions, simply stay informed, and more.

Register at EngageBrant.ca/register to be notified of coming projects and community engagement opportunities.

Learn more about Engage Brant through these frequently asked questions.

Levels of Engagement

Engagement within the County of Brant will vary depending on the needs and goals of a project. With every project, we’ll let you know what you can expect - whether the project is simply to provide information, gather opinions, or involve you in deeper collaboration. The level of engagement will be clearly displayed on each project page.

Level	Our goal	We promise to
Inform	We will share project information to help you clearly understand the issue, possible options, and solutions.	Keep you informed
Consult	We will gather your feedback on the project.	Keep you informed Listen to and acknowledge concerns and hopes for the project. Provide feedback on how community input was used to inform the project.
Involve	We will work with you throughout the project to ensure your concerns and ideas are understood and considered.	Work with you to understand your concerns and ideas. Develop alternatives that reflect your involvement. Provide feedback on how your input contributed to the recommendation or final decision.
Collaborate	We will partner with you in the development of alternatives and preferred solutions for the project.	Ask for your advice. Incorporate your advice or recommendations into the project as much as possible. Provide feedback on how your advice or recommendations contributed to the recommendation or decision.
Empower	We will work with the community to make the final decision. *	Implement what you decide. Clearly communicate any instances where Council’s input is required.

*Please note: While we aim to uphold your decisions through the ‘Empower’ level of engagement, Council retains the authority to review and confirm outcomes to ensure they align with legal, financial, and community-wide considerations. We will clearly communicate any instances where Council’s input is required.

Commitment to continuous improvement

We are committed to evaluating and improving our community engagement practices through public feedback to better serve the community. Please take a few minutes to share your feedback about engagement with the County by completing our online survey or quick poll. Thank you!

FAQs

We have included a list of frequently asked questions about community engagement to help answer some questions you may have.

Join the conversation and get involved in the projects that matter most to you!