By Joanne Chianello, Ottawa Citizen, April 1, 2015
If you were at Ottawa City Hall on Monday night, you would have witnessed a
somewhat familiar scene at 110 Laurier Ave. — hundreds of folks milling about
Jean Pigott Hall, squinting at placards set up around the edges of the atrium
for an hour or so, then filing into the council chambers to listen to a formal
presentation and ask questions. But if you returned to city hall the following
evening — because where else would you want to spend most of your weeknights?
— you would have been treated to a very different public meeting. About 23 round
tables covered in white cloths were set up in that same space. And while there
was a short presentation at the start of the evening, most of the time was spent
in facilitated group discussions around the tables. The 160 participants — plus
another 570 online — were encouraged to voice their hopes and dreams for a new
city project, without thought to budget, location or any other constraint. via
Chianello: Check out Ottawa’s blue-sky library planning — it’s worth your
time | Ottawa Citizen.