City of Burlington launches Civic Recognition program: Nominations open now

Burlington, Ont.—May 2, 2024— The City of Burlington is excited to introduce a new civic recognition initiative to celebrate the individuals and groups who volunteer to make Burlington better. Civic recognition will be awarded twice each year, in the spring and fall. The application period for spring civic recognition nominations is open now until May 30 at burlington.ca/civicrecognition.

How to submit a nomination

Nominating an individual or group is easy.

• Visit burlington.ca/civicrecognition
• Review the civic recognition criteria. Nominated individuals or groups will have demonstrated a high level of achievement in one of the following areas:
  • Contributed significantly to the quality of life in the community through volunteer efforts
  • Identified and addressed a priority need in the community and put a solution into action
  • Achieved provincial, national, or international recognition and, in doing so, have brought honour to the City of Burlington 

• Review the civic recognition eligibility. To be eligible, nominees must:
  • Be a resident of Burlington or own a Burlington business
  • Not currently hold political office
  • Have contributed on a volunteer basis
  • Primarily serve the residents of Burlington
  • Not be a City employee or elected official nominated for their work as a City employee or elected official. City projects are also not eligible for an award.

• Complete the online nomination form by May 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Multiple nominations from the same person are accepted. Please fill out one nomination form per nominee.

Civic Recognition awards

All nominations will be evaluated by an independent selection committee made up of volunteer members from the City’s Advisory Committees. There is no limit to the number of individuals or groups who can receive recognition.

A celebration to recognize successful recipients will be held in person at an evening Council meeting on June 24, 2024.

Burlington is a city where people, nature and businesses thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at Burlington.ca/Enews and follow @CityBurlington on social media.

Quick Facts

• Through the years, the City has had a variety of programs designed to celebrate and recognize community champions including Burlington’s Best, which ran from 2012 to 2019.
• In 2021, as part of report MO-04-20, City Council directed staff to report back with options for resident recognition programs or events.
• In 2022, input from the public was gathered through a survey on getinvolvedburlington.ca asking for input on the best way to recognize volunteers for their contributions to the community. 
• Feedback shared through the survey informed a report that went to Council on Nov. 1, 2023 (CL-21-23). This report included a recommendation for the current civic recognition initiative which was approved by Council.

Quotes

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

“The City of Burlington has amazing residents who do incredible work in serving and supporting our community. Civic Recognition gives Council the chance to acknowledge these selfless individuals and how they have changed our city for the better. On behalf of Council, we look forward to shining a spotlight on these remarkable individuals who make a positive difference in our community.”

Samantha Yew, City Clerk

“Through the public engagement we did with the community, we learned many of these amazing volunteers prefer not to be recognized with a big event. They told us the work they do is the true reward. To honour this spirit, we are excited to introduce a new approach to civic recognition where we can express our thanks in a more relaxed and informal setting.”

Links and Resources

• For more information about civic recognition, including how to nominate someone for an award, visit burlington.ca/civicrecognition.
• Learn more about volunteer opportunities with the City at burlington.ca/volunteer.

-30-