Sutton, Québec

Participatory Budgeting

Problem

Low trust stalls collaboration, leadership emergence, and shared risk-taking.

Solution

The Town of Sutton (population 4,548 in 2021) ran its first participatory budget in 2023 with $50,000 from its capital budget: residents proposed 29 projects, refined them in an ideas workshop (May 13) and an improvement workshop (July 18), 12 went to a vote open to residents aged 10 and over, 875 ballots were cast (18.7 percent), and council adopted the winning dog park and runner-up turtle crossing on November 1, 2023. The turtle crossing signage was built in 2024; the dog park was still unbuilt in September 2026 for lack of a site, and a second $50,000 edition launched that month with a vote set for March 2027.

Patterns used: Trust Infrastructure

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