"We're listening, speak up and be heard" is the District of Squamish council's motto going into their third open mic town hall meeting on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. at West Coast Railway Heritage Park.
"Have at us," said Mayor Greg Gardner.
"At the beginning of this council's term we decided to improve our communication with the public and we introduced town hall meetings. The purpose of it is so that members of the public can come out and get answers to their questions directly from council."
This meeting will showcase many of the recent activities, projects and programs the district has been involved in such as the Squamish Oceanfront Development sub area plan, the trails master plan, the zoning bylaw update, the 2031 multi-module transportation plan and construction and placement of the O'Siem Pavilion to name a few.
Gardner said these types of meetings have gone well in the past and no topic is taboo.
"It's [town hall meetings] been successful in the past and the questions are not limited - they can be on any municipal governance issue so we would encourage people to come out and enter dialogue with council," he said.
The manner of communication is a learning experience for everyone involved, he said.
"This is not just a learning experience for members of the public, it's a learning experience for council as well to determine what is on people's minds out there.
"Going to the public once every three years during election is not often enough - we need to be engaging more often and this is one of the key ways in which we do engage."
Interested community members who are unable to attend can send any inquiries with their full name to council and time permitting, the questions will be read and answered at the end.
