What can citizens do to guide planning decisions in their community? That question is the focus of a town hall meeting this week in Chemainus.

The public is invited to hear presentations on the topic and screen a new film about Echo Heights on Thursday, Nov. 5.

Hosted by the Chemainus Residents Association, the forum aims to explore how citizens can work with local governments to influence land use and development. It is titled Chemainus Planning...As if Residents Matter.

Bernie Jones, an event organizer and local planning expert, explained some people experience frustration because they feel shut out of the planning process.

“What we want to suggest is that there are ways where people can be much more active participants in the planning process and not just reacting to the proposed plans,” he said.

A screening of a film about Echo Heights is set to start the meeting at the downtown Legion hall. Created by Victoria filmmaker Holly Pattison, the prize-winning documentary features interviews with locals about the forested area.

While the film touches on a specific development controversy, Jones emphasized that the rest of the meeting will focus on the general issue of community engagement.

The featured speaker in Chris Sholberg, a neighbourhood planner with the City of Nanaimo. He plans to share insights into a recent municipal planning project that closely involved community participants from the residential area around Departure Bay.

Sholberg described planning as a balancing act between what community members want and what city officials can reasonably support.

“It certainly has to be a partnership of the residents and the city,” he said.

In the past couple decades, Sholberg said, there has been a shift toward more community participation.

“It’s an engagement process and we want the community to buy in to the neighbourhood plan and feel like it’s actually something created by them as well as the city.”