Case Study: Town of Aurora secures resident-verified feedback to approve private cannabis retail outlets with PlaceSpeak

Town of Aurora - Customer Case Study

The Town of Aurora faced a time-sensitive decision after cannabis legalization in 2018: whether to allow private cannabis retail stores before Ontario’s January 22, 2019 opt-out deadline. A mayoral Facebook poll meant to gauge public opinion was distorted by non-residents and duplicate accounts, so Council needed defensible, resident-only feedback — and turned to PlaceSpeak’s geo-verification engagement platform to ensure participants were actual Town of Aurora residents.

PlaceSpeak implemented its geo-verification technology and online engagement tools (discussion and events), producing a verified consultation with 161 connected participants, 872 unique views and 202 comments. That trusted, locally verified input gave Council confidence in the results and contributed to the Town of Aurora’s decision to approve private cannabis retail outlets, demonstrating PlaceSpeak’s measurable impact on policy-making.

Town of Aurora

Stephanie Mackenzie-Smith

Corporate Communications Manager