No IserveU website yet as vote on 2023 Canada Winter Games bid looms
IserveU city councillor Rommel Silverio using Facebook and face-to-face talks to assess public opinion
Nearly four months after one of the candidates running under its banner was elected to Yellowknife's city council, IserveU still doesn't have a website up for residents to comment and vote on city issues.
In the runup to the Oct. 19 election, three candidates pledged, if elected, to vote in council according to public opinion, as measured by an IserveU website. Rommel Silverio was the only one elected.
Mike Westwick, director of communications for IserveU, says the website is delayed. He says the group wanted to be sure the site would meet the needs of the people using it, as opposed to just putting up a rush job.
"In the wake of the election, we had several consultation meetings with the public," he said.
"They suggested some features to us and we are working to include those features in the platform when it launches because we feel we have a responsibility to include them."
He gave a ballpark estimate of "months" before the website would be ready to launch.
Later this month, city councillors are expected to vote on whether or not to bid for the 2023 Canada Winter Games, the kind of decision for which supporters of the IserveU model said the platform would be best suited, but Westwick says Silverio doesn't need the website to make a sound decision on how to vote.
In the meantime Silverio says he is actively assessing public opinion on the issue.
"Right now I'm trying my best to use my social media, which is my Facebook, and then my email, both personal and my council email, and trying to be more visible to the public."
Silverio says he attended the recent public engagement sessions on the Canada Winter Games bid.
"I try to go out and engage with the people, so then when they see me, they'll ask me and we'll back and forth."