Frequently Asked Questions

[what if wetaskiwin] is an online forum for community engagement. It's one of the outcomes of the City of Wetaskiwin's 50-Year Community Vision, and it makes good on the City's commitment to engaging the City's communities and neighbours in more meaningful, actionable ways.

There are social media channels where people can weigh in on the City of Wetaskiwin. By comparison, [what if wetaskiwin] is a purpose-built portal that fosters purposeful, respectful conversations that community members themselves can moderate; that are free from the noise of social media; and that actually have the potential to result in real-world outcomes.

That depends. If you're happy with the status quo, then it's simply a place to explore what other Wetaskiwinites are talking about. But if you think the City is capable of more, then this is the place where sharing your questions, concerns and audacious goals will be respected and rewarded.

Rewarded with a better understanding of how your insights and priorities align with those of your fellow Wetaskiwinites. Rewarded with direct dialogue with City leaders. Rewarded, where possible, with real-world changes and improvements.

This idea comes from Wetaskiwinites themselves. [what if wetaskiwin] is rooted in a collective public desire of Wetaskiwinites to be heard by the City, to bring the community closer together, and to influence action on priorities.

The City's goal is to empower the people of — and around — Wetaskiwin engage in open, honest (and sometimes messy) conversations about our present state and possible futures. The City created [what if wetaskiwin], and will continue to maintain and develop the platform. However, the intent is for Wetaskiwinites to run the show.

In its simplest sense, [what if wetaskiwin] is a barometer of public sentiment. This sentiment then guides the City on how resources are allocated, or how projects are prioritized, or how issues can be better communicated. If ideas are simple, the resultant actions will likely be swift. More complex ideas and challenges will obviously take more time and effort to resolve. But right here is where we will figure it out.

Absolutely. The Vision is of great importance to the Mayor, City Manager, Councillors and other City administrators.

It's not practical for the Mayor or City Manager to moderate each and every project on [what if wetaskiwin]. However, if there is enough community consensus or concern around a particular issue, a city leader will weigh in to provide context and clarity.

Community visioning is a process of engaging community members to find out what they value most about Wetaskiwin and to share concerns, ideas, and aspirations for its future. Through this discovery, citizens are given a platform to discuss what they would like Wetaskiwin to look and feel like in 50 years and come to a mutually agreed upon vision.

50 years may seem like a long time to many of us, but the future always arrives faster than most people expect. Conducting a 50-year vision allows the entire community room to be creative and innovative in envisioning Wetaskiwin in 2070, whether its for their future selves, their children, or their children's children. This community vision will help guide every level of decision making within the City--and would be a huge help to every other agency and organization within Wetaskiwin. If we know where we want to be, then we can all work together in making that future a reality.

You're participating right now, by exploring this site and seeing — in real time — the aggregation of community input into different challenges and opportunities we face as a city. There are also more active ways to participate, including sharing a story of your own, commenting on a project, taking mart in a poll, or even signing up to be a moderator on this portal. in the end, this is your site. As a Wetaskiwinite, you are the community; by and large you get to decide the path these conversations will take.

The Vision is a commitment from City administrators to ensure decisions are based on the collective will of Wetaskiwinites. It was given a 50-year designation to outspan sitting Councils, and to give some of the broader-scope community-driven initiatives the time they need to take root.

Everything is up for discussion at [what if wetaskiwin]. But not all ideas are created equal. Some may be simple and easy to accomplish. Some will be more nuanced, complex or dependent upon other variables. Some will be non-starters. By having a centralized dialogue with all Wetaskiwinites invited to the table, right here is where we can examine these ideas, weigh their merits, and determine how they may be undertaken.

Our region has a lot going for it. As Wetaskiwinites we know this. But we also know we can do better in areas like safety, community, business growth and public perception. So we have two choices. We can do nothing and allow our story to be told for us, or we can shake off the status quo and take control of our own narrative.