Frequently asked questions
Why is the City of Vancouver using an online public engagement platform?
How is Shape Your City Vancouver different from the Talk Vancouver survey panel?
I signed up but didn't receive the activation email. What should I do?
I've forgotten my password and/or my username. What should I do?
1. What is Shape Your City Vancouver?
It’s a space where you can share thoughts and views on municipal projects and initiatives. The site is hosted by Bang the Table, a specialized company that provides online engagement platforms for local government.
2. Why is the City of Vancouver using an online public engagement platform?
Using an online engagement platform is part of our effort to open up our public engagement activities, and make it easier for people to get involved in civic life.
ShapeYourCity.ca is a convenient way to:
- Share your voice
- Contribute at a time and place that suits you
- Provide input on a range of issues and topics affecting your city
- See what other community members think and engage in a discussion
3. How is Shape Your City Vancouver different from the Talk Vancouver survey panel?
Shape Your City Vancouver and Talk Vancouver offer different ways to engage and are sometimes used together:
- With ShapeYourCity.ca you can share your views by asking a question, submitting an idea, voting on others’ ideas, or pinning a comment on a map.
- With Talk Vancouver, you receive emails inviting you to share your views through online surveys.
Shape Your City Vancouver also serves a broader role as the City’s central digital platform to learn about and contribute to City projects and initiatives. Our goal is to feature all engagement projects in one convenient place, including information boards and other learning materials, key dates, and contact information.
By signing up for Shape Your City Vancouver you can access all the features of the Shape Your City Vancouver site.
4. How do I sign up?
To become a registered user:
- Sign up by clicking on the "sign in" button and selecting "register"
- Choose a username and a password
- Provide your email address, your name, and postal code
- Respond to the confirmation email to activate your account
- Return to the main page and click the "sign in" button
Your comments will appear under your username and you can comment anonymously through a username of your choice.
5. Why I am I being asked to register?
Knowing a little more about you and how you use the City provides us with higher-quality data with your feedback. It will also help us to collect feedback from specific groups (e.g. age, gender) and in-turn will provide a richer and more valuable response to help Council make decisions.
6. I signed up but didn't receive the activation email. What should I do?
There are a few reasons this might have happened:
- The email may have gone into your "spam email" folder. Check there first.
- Your email service provider may have a very strong firewall that is blocking the activation email. This happens occasionally. Contact your service provider.
- You may have typed your email address incorrectly. Try re-entering your email
7. I've forgotten my password and/or my username. What should I do?
To retrieve your account details:
- Click the "login" link on the top right of the screen.
- Click the "forgotten password" link under the "sign in" button.
- Type in your email address and click enter. You will then receive an email from us with your username and a link back to the site. Click on that link to reset your password.
8. How can I edit my profile?
Log into your account at ShapeYourCity.ca. Once you're logged in, you'll see your username above the homepage banner in the top right hand corner. Click on the drop down arrow, which brings up a menu, then click "profile" and make any updates.
9. What happens to my feedback / comments?
Your input, and the input of other residents and stakeholders, helps City leaders and decision-makers better understand the perspectives, opinions, and concerns of people potentially affected by City decisions.
When it comes to making a decision, public input is typically considered along with other factors, which may include things such as City policies and plans, technical constraints, legal requirements, and cost. Sometimes the opportunity for influence is limited (for instance, due to technical considerations such as public safety) while at other times the public can have a great deal of influence.
10. How is the site moderated?
Moderation is primarily carried out by Bang the Table. The moderators do not edit or alter any comments and will only remove comments deemed to be significantly off-topic, offensive or malicious, in which case they are removed from the site immediately. Please refer to the moderation guidelines.
11. Who can I contact about Shape Your City Vancouver?
If you have any questions about ShapeYourCity.ca, please email us at ShapeYourCity@vancouver.ca.
If you have a question about a specific project currently open for consultation, please contact the relevant project officer. Their contact details can be found in the "contact us" section for each project.