People who have registered with the “Talk Vancouver” website over the past seven years received an e-mail yesterday about the City’s decision to transition to “QuestionPro.”
We are just posting this here for the record, and for some context. Below you will find…
- Text of the City’s e-mail notifying of the transition from Talk Vancouver to QuestionPro.
- Links to two blog posts from September and October 2013, when the City of Vancouver gave the company Vision Critical a no-bid contract to run “Talk Vancouver.” Over the years we have wondered a number of times if and when and how much personal or potential voter information was getting from Talk Vancouver to partisan or political interests. Back in 2013, civic reporter Frances Bula and investigative reporter Bob Mackin both noted the connection between an announcement stating that former communications expert under Gregor Robertson / Vision Vancouver had been hired by Vision Critical, and another one exactly a week later stating that “Vision Critical” had been chosen to to launch an “innovative online engagement program named “Talk Vancouver.”
- See also the data collection questions originally asked of people who were signing up with Talk Vancouver. We saved this text in September 2013. So basically, somewhere, all this personal information from people who provided it has been stored somewhere and still is. One asks, who had access to it over the years, and what will happen with that personal information now?
Separately, we note that Mayor Kennedy Stewart has just launched his own personal drive to collect your personal information. See our post, “Questions about Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s “Making Home” campaign in citywide planning context. And HIS personal collection and use of YOUR personal data” (25-Sep-2020).
Vision Critical was a locally-based company that was originally a spin-off affiliated with Angus Reid, but it appears to have recently become Alida (https://www.alida.com/) and their privacy policy is here. Meanwhile, QuestionPro (https://www.questionpro.com/) is a global online survey platform founded in Seattle in 2005 with major global clients like Coca Cola and Google, and their privacy policy here here.
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Text of the City’s e-mail notifying of the transition to QuestionPro, 24-Sep-2020
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on City projects and initiatives with us. Over the years your ongoing insights have helped inform what we do at the City. We truly appreciate you being a member of Talk Vancouver.
We come to you with some exciting news! The City is migrating Talk Vancouver to a new platform that will be powered by the company QuestionPro. This decision has been taken after much deliberation to better your experience with Talk Vancouver and continue to maintain the highest levels of privacy and security.
We are currently in the process of getting the new Talk Vancouver setup and will keep you updated on the movement between platforms, which will happen mid to late October.
This migration will not impact the way you interact with the City or any current links that you use to send us your feedback. We are working with QuestionPro for this transition to be as smooth and effortless for you. You can also unsubscribe from the panel at any time.
We thank you for your support and hope you enjoy the enhanced experience we are working to bring you.
Sincerely,
The Talk Vancouver Team
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COVERAGE AT THE TIME IN 2013
Vision Vancouver turns to Vision Critical for online engagement, and Vision Critical’s latest new hire is … former communications guy for Vision Vancouver (Frances Bula, 12-Sep-2013)
http://www.francesbula.com/uncategorized/vision-van-turns-to-vision-critical-for-online-engagement-and-vision-criticals-latest-new-hire-is-former-communications-guy-for-vision-van/
Talk Vancouver: ‘power to the people’ or a political ploy?
Exclusive: No-bid contract with market research giant sparks privacy, democracy concerns (Bob Mackin, 24-Oct-2013)
http://bobmackin.ca/?p=1254
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BELOW ARE QUESTIONS FOR TALK VANCOUVER IN SEPTEMBER 2013
OUR QUESTION IN 2020: WHERE IS THIS INFORMATION TODAY?
Sep 12, 2013
The TalkVancouver.com Survey begins: </
What are your favourite things to do in the City of Vancouver?
[Write in text box ]
+—– page ————–
Help us understand your relationship with the City of Vancouver. Where do you …?
[ The cursed drag and pull buttons, 3 of them ]
Live (Primary Residence) City of Vancouver
Work or Outside Vancouver but in the Metro Region
Attend School or Neither / Not applicable
Own or Run business
Play / Socialize/ Attend Events
+—– page ————–
What matters most to you? Of the items listed below, rank the five that you consider to be the most important. Scroll down to see the full list.
Please rank the items by clicking on the item. Number 1 would be the topic most important to you.
[ 5 long numbered boxes saying “Click item or drag here” ]
Infrastructure for walking & Transit
Affordable Housing
Property taxes & city spending
Goods movement & the road network
Civic Engagement
Libraries and recreation facilities
Ending street homelessness
Public Safety
Parks and public spaces
Becoming the greenest city in the world
A strong, competitive business climate
Efficient waste and water services
Social services like child care & seniors’ programs
Arts & culture
Other
+—– page ————–
It’s incredibly important for us to hear from a wide range of people, of all ages and backgrounds, as we work to build a better city. The following questions help us to determine how the feedback we receive reflects the variety of people who live, work and learn in the City of Vancouver. Individual responses are treated as anonymous and demographic information is always kept separate from personal identifiers such as your name and contact information.
In what month and year were you born?
[ Month box ] [ Year box ]
Are you…? [ click a button ]
Male
Female
Transgender
Other
Prefer not to answer
+—– page ————–
Including you, how many people live in your household?
[ box for typing a number less than 15 ]
+—– page ————–
And how many are:
Please make sure that the total number adds up to the number in your household.
Children 0-5
Children 6–14
Children 15–17
Adults 18 to 64
Seniors 65 and older
Total:
+—– page ————–
How long have you lived in the City of Vancouver?
[ boxes to select ]
<1 year
1-5 years
6-10 years
11-20 years
more than 20 years
+—– page ————–
Were you born in Canada? [ boxes Yes, No ]
————— [ at this point the progress bar shows half-done ]
+—– page ————–
Just a few more questions to go, and then you’re done!
City of Vancouver residents come from many different backgrounds. What is your main ethnic origin or that of your ancestors (parents, grandparents)?
Select the part of the world that represents your main ethnic origin, and a list will appear with more detailed options. You can select up to two from the list below.
[ each region box expands on selection, examples given
for North America and Asia and Other regions. They forget Mexico is North America ]
North America
Canadian
First Nations (or Aboriginal band)
American
Asia
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
South Asian (e.g. Punjabi, Indian, Tamil, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, etc. )
Other Asian (e.g. Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese, etc.)
Europe
Africa
Latin/South American
Other Regions
Middle Eastern (e.g. Lebanese, Iranian, Syrian, Iraqi, etc. )
Oceania (e.g Australian, New Zealander, etc.)
Caribbean (e.g. Jamaican, Barbadian, Cuban, etc. )
Other (please specify ) [ type text box ]
+—– page ————–
What language do you speak at home most often?
Please select one response only.
[ click in boxes ]
Cantonese English Farsi
French German Hindi
Italian Japanese Korean
Mandarin Punjabi Spanish
Tagalog Vietnamese Other – specify [ text box ]
+—– page ————–
Do you own or rent your primary residence in the City of Vancouver?
[ click in boxes ]
Own Rent Other (Please specify)
+—– page ————–
What type of dwelling do you live in?
[ click in boxes ]
Single, detached house
Duplex or townhouse
Apartment or condo
Other (specify)
+—– page ————–
What is the postal code for your residence in the City of Vancouver?
[ text box ]
+—– page ————–
Thinking about your mode(s) of transportation – how you get to work, school, and other activities, how frequently do you use the following?
Please select one response for each item.
[ The cursed drag and pull buttons, 5 of them ]
Car, truck, van – as driver Frequently (at least 4-5 times a week)
Car, truck, van – as passenger or Often (at least once a week)
Bicycle or Sometimes (about once a month)
Transit (e.g. Bus, Skytrain, Seabus
or West Coast Express, etc.) or Rarely (once every couple
of months or longer
Walk (including wheelchair, etc.) or Never
Are there any other modes of transportation you use that are not mentioned above?
Please be as specific as possible. [ text box ]
+—– page ————–
What is the highest level of education you have completed?
[ boxes to select ]
Elementary/grade school graduate
High school graduate
College / technical school graduate
University undergraduate degree
Post-graduate degree
Professional school graduate (e.g. medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry)
Other (please specify) [ text box allowing more than 4000 characters. I didn’t test more but you could write a long CV here. ]
+—– page ————–
What is your current employment status?
[ boxes to select or click ]
Employed / self-employed full-time (30 or more hours per week)
Employed / self-employed full-time (fewer than 30 hours per week)
Student
Homemaker
Currently looking for work
Retired
Not working
Other (please specify) [ Text box allowing a long essay or three ]
+—– page ————–
What is the main industry in which you work?
Please select one response only.
[ boxes to select or click. Two columns but shown here as single column ]
Advertising / Marketing / Public Relations
Agriculture / Forestry / Fishing / Hunting
Arts / Entertainment / Sports / Recreation
Automotive
Banking / Finance / Insurance / Accounting Services
Business / Professional Services / Management Consultancy
Charity / Voluntary / Non-profit Organizations
Cleaning / Waste Management
Construction & Building Services
Creative Services / Art & Design
Defence / Military / Police / Fire Fighter
Government and Civil Service (national or local)
Health care / Medical / Social care / Child care
Hospitality (hotels, restaurants, bars, catering and food services)
Internet / New or Online Media
IT and Telecommunications
Legal Services
Manufacturing
Media / Journalism
Personal Services
Publishing / Printing / Packaging
Real Estate (including rental and leasing)
Servicing and Repairs
Trades: Electricity / Gas / Heating / Plumbing / Carpentry
Transport / Storage / Warehousing
Travel / Tourism
Other (specify) [ Text box allowing a long essay or three ]
Prefer not to answer
+—– page ————–
Which of the following categories best describes your total household income per year before taxes?
[boxes to select or click. ]
Under $20,000
$20,000 to $39,999
$40,000 to $59,999
$60,000 to $79,999
$80,000 to $99,000
$100,000 to $149,999
$150,000 to $150 and above
Prefer not to say
+—– page ————–
Do you or does anyone in your household work for the City of Vancouver?
We value the input of employees and would like to include input from City employees in our Talk Vancouver community, however please note that some input is optional and that you are under no obligation to answer this specific question
[boxes to select or click. ]
Yes No Prefer not to say
+—– page ————–
You are almost officially a part of Talk Vancouver!
Please enter your contact information.
Please be assured that the City does not share data collected through Talk Vancouver with any other organization and individual responses are treated as anonymous. This is a safe, online space for you to share your insights with the City of Vancouver, along with other people in your community.
First name: [ text box ]
First initial of last name (Optional): [ text box ]
Email: [ text box ]
We need your email address in order to send invitations to participate in studies and discussion forums in the talkvancouver.com community.
Please re-enter your email address for verification purposes. [ text box ]
Create a Password: [ text box ]
This password is needed when you log into the talkvancouver.com community. Please enter an alpha-numeric password between 6 and 12 characters including at least one number.
Confirm Password: [ text box ]
[ next ]
+—– page ————–
The system has encountered an error with your request. Please try again later.
CityHallWatch: Tools to engage in Vancouver city decisions 