Governance Advice
Instant answers on roles, conflicts of interest, and council procedures.
Expert guidance for municipal leaders. Anytime.
Built on decades of helping communities thrive across North America — now available the moment you need it.
Trusted by community leaders across North America
Trusted by leading municipalities
Municipal leadership is demanding.
Bylaws. Budgets. Public engagement. Personnel. Strategic plans that gather dust. Decisions that shape your community for decades.
You need expert guidance — but you can't always call a consultant at 11pm on a Tuesday.
That's why we built Ask 13 Ways.
Ask 13 Ways
Your on-demand municipal advisor
Decades of community expertise, distilled and available 24/7.
Bylaws & Policy
Talk through bylaw and policy questions, grounded in best practice.
Communications
Think through public messaging and consultations with confidence.
Meetings & Agendas
Guidance on agendas and meetings that move things forward.
How It Works
Simple from the first question
Sign in
Create your account and get instant access.
Ask anything
Governance, bylaws, communications, strategic planning — just ask.
Get expert guidance
Answers grounded in Doug Griffiths' work, personalized to your jurisdiction and role.
Testimonials
What leaders are saying
“13 Ways helped our Council look through the weeds and at the big picture. Our strategic plan and branding guide are now integral components of our operations.”
Pricing
Simple pricing
Start with Professional today — Premium and Enterprise are coming soon.
Professional
$99/month
Full access to the Ask 13 Ways advisor.
- Unlimited questions, available 24/7
- Answers grounded in Doug Griffiths' 13 Ways methodology
- Personalized to your community and role
- Community Assessment reports
- Monthly newsletter with insights and updates
Premium
$299/month
The full 13 Ways toolkit for your whole team.
Everything in Professional, plus:
- Full access to 13 Ways Academy (courses, articles, downloads)
- Bylaw, Alignment, Communications & Meetings tools
- Public Engagement Tool for community surveys and feedback
Enterprise
Custom
A white-glove partnership for your municipality.
Everything in Premium, plus:
- A dedicated 13 Ways advisor assigned to your municipality
- Monthly strategy calls with Doug Griffiths
- Custom onboarding for your council and senior staff
- Direct phone access when you need it most
Included
Everything you need to lead effectively
Your subscription includes far more than the AI advisor — get our complete library of resources.
Courses & Training
Self-paced courses for municipal leaders.
- New Councillor Essentials
- Strategic Planning
- Public Engagement
- Leadership
Articles & Resources
Our complete library of articles, guides, and templates.
- Hundreds of articles
- Templates
- Workbooks
- Newsletter
Public Engagement Tool
Launch community assessments, gather feedback, generate diagnostic reports.
- Surveys
- Feedback
- Reports
- Benchmarking
Available as an add-on.
Beyond the App
Need more hands-on support?
Ask 13 Ways is perfect for everyday guidance. For deeper engagement, we offer speaking and consulting that have transformed communities across North America.
Speaking
Book Doug Griffiths for your conference, council retreat, or community event.
Consulting
Hands-on strategic planning, facilitation, and community development.
About Doug & 13 Ways
Built on decades of community expertise
Doug Griffiths is the founder and Chief Community Builder of 13 Ways Inc., which helps communities, organizations, and businesses overcome the attitudes and habits that hold them back. A four-term Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and former Minister of Municipal Affairs, he left politics in 2015 to focus on community building full-time. He's the author of the international best-seller 13 Ways to Kill Your Community, recognized as required reading for municipal leaders across North America; host of the Creating Community podcast; and an international keynote speaker who has delivered hundreds of presentations across Canada, the U.S., and around the world.
Behind Doug is a team whose combined expertise turns ideas into impact, spanning operations and strategy, technology and platform development, award-winning storytelling, community engagement, and marketing. It's the mix that powers everything from Ask 13 Ways to the hands-on work we do with communities every day, all in service of helping leaders build stronger, healthier, more resilient communities.
The Book
13 Ways to Kill Your Community
Whether you're an elected official, a city planner, or just someone who loves their hometown, this book will change how you see your community. Doug lays out the small, often invisible choices, from how councils talk about growth to how neighbours treat new ideas, that quietly decide whether a place thrives or stalls. It's frank, often funny, and packed with real examples from towns that got it right and towns that didn't. Get your copy:
“We give 13 Ways to Kill Your Communityall five stars. Not only is it well written and entertaining, it is also vitally important. Once you have read it, you will want to pass it along to others.”
Ready to lead with confidence?
Talk to our team
Questions about Ask 13 Ways, or want it for your council? Send us a note.