Get involved
We are engaging with more residents in a variety of ways to get their feedback. We want to hear your input on city projects, programs and services that affect your daily life.
We are providing more opportunities to share information, consult and collaborate, with a goal to effectively incorporate your ideas, suggestions and concerns into the work that impacts you and your community.
Public engagement opportunities are taking place across the city. Every year the City engages with thousands of residents on a number of topics.
Accessibility features
The City of Ottawa is committed to the provision of accessibility accommodations for residents with disabilities to provide equal participation in City public meetings.
FM Loop assistive listening devices, which provides clear speech/sound and a reduction in background noise, can assist people with hearing loss. They are available for use in Council Chambers and rooms at City Hall for members of the public who attend City meetings.
In addition, the City has recently invested in new equipment and technology to improve resident engagement.
After conducting a review of City Hall spaces, a number of equipment upgrades at City Hall include:
- Increased accessible chair/seating options
- An active subwoofer and an advanced telephone conference system for enhanced sound quality
- Larger TV screens to display captioning and presentations
Since the City of Ottawa also holds public engagement events outside of City Hall, investments in portable equipment options for offsite public engagement events, are now also available upon request. These equipment systems include:
- A portable public address sound system that provides better sound quality and voice projection, and includes the Williams Sound FM loops system for the hearing impaired; works with cochlear implants and also with regular headphones
- A portable discussion system that has wireless accessible conference microphones, a soundboard includes the Williams Sound FM loops system for the hearing impaired; works with cochlear implants and also with regular headphones
Key2Access, a location-based app, will provide users with information about where they are in City Hall and ultimately help residents better understand the space they’re in. The app works by signaling beacons located throughout City Hall. The beacons provide details about where users are located in the building, including mentioning any nearby amenities such as restrooms and elevators, allowing residents to navigate City Hall more independently. The tool can assist all people and particularly helps those who are blind or partially sighted.
The app is available for download for free via the Apple store or Google Play.
For more information on the provision of accessible accommodations during the City’s public engagement events please contact publicengagement@ottawa.ca.