METRO NEWS / OTTAWA, By Adam Kveton

A new provincial bill is requiring cities like Ottawa to create planning advisory committees in an effort to encourage greater public engagement.

But some people say the city is looking at filling the committee with the same people the committee is meant to advise – the mayor, councillors and even the general manager of planning.

That leaves just two seats for citizens on the proposed six-person committee, which would also only meet once a year.

“We are disappointed,” said David Jeanes, president and chair of the board of Heritage Ottawa. “That’s a pretty limited citizen engagement.”

The recommendation for the board’s structure, put together by city administration and council, asks that Mayor Jim Watson (as ex officio), Coun. Jan Harder (chair of the Planning Committee), Coun. Scott Moffatt (chair of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee) and the city’s general manager of planning be appointed to the committee, alongside two citizens.

It is also recommends that the committee report to the planning and agriculture and rural affairs committees, which are chaired by Harder and Moffatt.

Watson, Harder and Moffatt would also select the two citizen members of the advisory committee if council approves the recommendation, which will be before them Nov. 1.

Asked if he feels this formulation of the advisory committee would serve any purpose, Jeanes said, “I don’t think so. It’s much more like a rubber stamp.”

Jeanes said this is consistent with the city’s changes to other committees over the past several years.

“Basically, there have been a couple of phases of downsizing advisory committees, reducing the number of people on the committees, reducing the number of committees, and reducing the number of meetings per year of the committees,” he said.

Though the city’s proposed makeup for the advisory committee is within provincial requirements, Jeanes added, “We think that the provincial intent for increasing citizen engagement was looking for more than this.”