About Be Heard Vancouver
Welcome to Be Heard Vancouver, the City of Vancouver's online public engagement platform. It allows people to provide direct feedback, share ideas and ask questions about a variety of current City projects, initiatives and decisions on their own time--all from one central hub.
Be Heard Vancouver is open to everyone who lives, works or plays here; as well as people who own property or a business here.
The City of Vancouver uses online feedback along with face-to-face engagement activities--such as public meetings, open houses and hearings--to reach as many people as possible.
Q: How do I submit my feedback?
A: You can submit your feedback via the online discussion forums, surveys relevant, bulletin boards and polls for each of the City's active projects.
To participate for the first time, simply:
- Sign up for Be Heard Vancouver by clicking on the "Sign In" button in the top right of any page
- Choose a username and password
- Answer a few quick questions about you
- You will receive an email to validate your email address
- Return to the website and click the "Sign In" button
Q: Why do I need to register in order to make a comment?
A: While registration is not required to view the content of the Be Heard Vancouver site or to view other people's comments or questions, it is necessary to use many of the more interactive engagement tools offered here. We ask you to register for a few reasons:
- It helps us better understand if the feedback we receive accurately represents the demographics of our city and see which groups might not be well-represented so we can better target our marketing and promotion efforts.
- It promotes accountability and encourages people to provide more thoughtful responses because feedback can be attributed to them.
- It also means that we can send you updates about the projects you engage with and let you know when new projects you might be interested in are posted.
Q: Can I use Be Heard Vancouver anonymously?
A: Yes. Even when you register and post comments, the only thing that is visible to other users is your Username. If you want to remain anonymous, don't use your actual name as your Username.
Q: What happens to my feedback/comments?
A: All comments, ideas and suggestions are collated and used by the relevant project teams to inform the development of strategies, programs and activities, or to gain an insight into community views and opinions.
Often, feedback provided online is used in conjunction with other face-to-face engagement activities, such as stakeholder interviews, public meetings/hearings and open houses.
When a project closes, all feedback/comments are compiled into a report, which will be presented decision-makers at the City.
All feedback provided during consultation will be considered; however, this does not mean that every suggestion will affect the project or be adopted as proposed.
Note: All comments you make through this website will become public records for anyone to read.
Q: Is my privacy protected?
A: Please read our Privacy Policy.
Q: Who can I contact about Be Heard Vancouver?
A: Be Heard Vancouver is managed by the City of Vancouver's Communications Office staff.
If you have any questions about content of this site or the City's public engagement processes, please email beheard@cityofvancouver.us.
Q: How are discussion forums moderated?
A: All public comments within discussion forums, guest books, and questions and answers are moderated 24 hours a day, seven days a week for inappropriate language, comments that disrespect other participants and for comments that are off topic. Spanish moderation is currently provided 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
All moderation is carried out by Bang the Table and all moderation is independent to the City of Vancouver. 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 and the person who posted the comment is advised by email. See our moderation policy for more details.