By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 14, 2012 An MVP – usually means Most Valuable Player but the Regional government has given it a bit of a twist and is calling for residents with a “my point of view” approach to things, to take part in a new on-line survey.
Do these survey ever make a difference? Or are they a device for the political leaders to get a sense of what voters want and then look for a way to be able to afford to go in that direction,
In the tiring “political speak” the Region announces that “As part of ongoing efforts to engage with residents, Halton is launching an online citizen survey panel (Halton MVP) to gather information about important Regional issues and initiatives. Halton MVP is now recruiting residents to join the panel at www.halton.ca/MVP.
Regional chair Gary Carr tasting honey on a farm tour. These days he is tasting the mood of the residents; wants to know what they are thinking. Take him up on the opportunity.
“I believe it is crucial that we engage with residents and I’m hopeful that the ease and flexibility of the online survey panel will attract many people to participate,” said Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Public Engagement is a priority of the Citizens’ Priorities Action Plan and I’m pleased to see new and innovative approaches being used to connect with residents in Halton Region.”
Who writes this stuff?
The Halton MVP survey panel will be managed and administered by Jane Armstrong Research Associates on behalf of Halton Region through a secure website. All correspondence, data collection and data analysis are the responsibility of Armstrong Research. To protect your privacy, all information provided by panelists will be held in strictest confidence by Armstrong Research. The names of panelists, or any other identifiable information, will not be released without written permission by the participant. Individual views will remain anonymous and data will always be analyzed – and presented to Halton Region – in the aggregate. This means that personal data and answers to survey questions are always combined with those of many other panelists so that no one panelist can be singled out or identified.
Residents who register to join Halton MVP may be invited to participate in up to eight surveys each year. Simply, respond to the surveys and have your viewpoint heard. Registration is easy and open to all residents of Halton Region (excluding employees of Halton Region) 18 years of age or older. For more information about Halton MVP visit www.halton.ca/MVP.
Sounds pretty harmless and given that we will be into summer re-runs on television this will give you something to do. We will report on the survey results and then watch closely to see if they get implemented.
