City, Thoughtexchange team up to increase community dialogue
By Nelson Daily Staff
The City of Nelson wants to hear from residents about concerns and ideas and is collaborating with the tech company Thoughtexchange to engage the community.
In a media release Monday, the City of Nelson announced it is teaming up with Thoughtexchange platform to foster open and constructive conversations on important issues, while providing real-time powerful analytics with actionable data.
“Not only are we supporting a local tech business, we are now able to provide a meaningful way for the community to engage with the Council and staff,” said Mayor John Dooley in the media release.
“We are pleased to be able to add this idea sharing platform to our engagement tools and we look forward to hearing from the public on issues that matter to them.”
The City of Nelson launched its first exchange Monday with the Rossland-based collaboration software, focusing on water conservation.
The public is invited to participate and share what they are doing to conserve water, how to inspire others to do the same, and what else can be done collectively to ensure Nelson’s water resources are used responsibly.
“I don’t know if I’m more excited as a Nelsonite or as a member of the Thoughtexchange team, “ said Jessica Nordlander, VP of Operations for Thoughtexchange and a proud Nelson resident.
“It feels great to see our community intelligence platform being put to use to crowdsource ideas in my own town. I’m proud to see our local leaders tap into the collective brain of Nelson to help solve problems.”
Nelson City Manager, Kevin Cormack, says this collaboration builds on the City’s commitment to supporting Kootenay tech firms, which includes the development of an Innovation Centre and Tech Group that brings together more than 300 tech workers.
He said also, the City-owned utility Nelson Fibre and its Colocation facility are providing important infrastructure for the local tech economy.
“We’ve known about Thoughtexchange for a while, so this is a great fit for our community,” Cormack explains.
“Nelson’s learning and successes will allow Thoughtexchange to pass our experiences onto other local governments and help them expand into the local government market.”
Talking about water conservation is just the first of many productive Thoughtexchange conversations the City of Nelson plans on holding. Residents can expect to see a new exchange each month as we work closely with the community on issues that are important to them.
To join the conversation, click here.
