Healthy Democracy Research
Mapping the Experiences of Diverse Candidates Running for Municipal Office in Ontario
Research conducted by Monumental Projects on behalf of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario between July 2023 and February 2024
Research includes desk research, survey, focus groups, and in-depth interviews
Release date: August 2024
About the research:
In late 2022, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s (AMO) Board of Directors approved its four-year Healthy Democracy Project, which built from AMO’s We All Win campaign to encourage greater diversity on municipal councils leading up to the 2022 municipal elections. The first step was to form a Project Advisory Group and the first significant initiative supported and informed by that Group was this foundational research project.
The research, findings, and insights found in this important research helps ground the work building from the We All Win campaign and drive strategic direction for the broader project. Data drives progress and focuses conversations through fact and experience. This research started with and then went beyond the barriers to participation to exploring common motivations, enablers, and assets of successful candidates. Further, through in-depth interviews and focus groups, solutions to barriers, challenges, and opportunities surfaced and are outlined in the report.
The research team from Monumental Projects was directed not to limit their findings to what AMO can influence and accomplish. As such there are recommendations and ideas that fall outside of AMO’s purview. As we acknowledge, the challenges facing our local democracies require a sector, community, and Ontario-wide approach to combine the capacity, resource, and expertise needed for lasting change.
We thank everyone who participated in the research for sharing their stories, passion, expertise, and insights in what are difficult conversations. We also thank our partners at Monumental Projects for the care and compassion they brought to this project.