Speaking at a Council or Standing Committee Meeting

Delegation or Appointment Requests

Council Chambers

Delegations refer to any person, group of persons, firm or organization, who is neither a Member of Council nor a member of Township staff, and who is speaking to Council on an item on the agenda.

Appointments refer to a request to address Council on a matter not on the agenda, but must be related to Council.

No comments from the public are allowed at a Council or Standing Committee meeting unless a specific appointment has been scheduled. The only exception to this is if an item is included under the “Other Business”, “Communications” or “Appointments” section of the agenda and relates to a matter that would normally be dealt with at a meeting.

All the information on the form below is required in order for a delegation or appointment request to be approved. Failure to provide required information on time will result in deferral or denial of the delegation or appointment request.

Request to Speak at a Meeting Form

Why delegation or appointment requests?

The purpose of the delegation and appointment processes are to allow residents to make their views known to Council. Council welcomes and values input, comments, and constructive suggestions. Delegation requests ensure that this can happen in a way that is civil, organized, and is in line with the Township of West Lincoln's Procedural By-law.

It is also important to note that a delegation or appointment request being approved does not mean that Council agrees or disagrees with the position presented by the delegation or appointment. Council is free to take any position, or no position at all, on your delegation or appointment. Additionally, Council is free to introduce any recommendation or provide staff direction, or do nothing at all, in response to your delegation or appointment.

The Approval Process

Requests to make an appointment or presentation at a Council or a Standing Committee meeting can be submitted by mail or online using our Request to Speak at a Meeting Form, linked below.

Requests sent either physically or electronically must be delivered to the Clerk by 4:30 p.m. ten (10) days before the meeting in question (You can click here to view the Calendar to see upcoming meeting dates). Physical, written request must be also be signed by at least one person and addressed to, “The Mayor and Members of Council” or to, “The Clerk”.

A delegation that is presenting a PowerPoint Presentation shall provide an electronic copy by email, no later than 12:00 pm on the day of the meeting.

PowerPoint Presentations should be prepared using accessible formatting, including: using basic, legible font that is 18 points or larger, includes a small number of bulleted points per slide, using a high contrast colour scheme (e.g. black text on a white background), and including captions or alternative text alongside images or graphics.

Delegates shall provide a copy of their speaking notes to the Clerk, if they were used, prior to delivering presentation.

The Clerk will contact you by e-mail with additional information once your delegation or appointment request has been received.

Delegations and appointments will be approved at the discretion of the Clerk. Delegations are approved on a first come first serve basis, with a four delegation limit per meeting.

If in the opinion of the Clerk and/or the Mayor, the content of any individual or organizations request to address Council falls within the specific authority of a particular Committee of Council, such individual may be directed to approach the designated Committee of Council prior to addressing Council.

No delegation will be approved if they are presenting on the same issue that they have already presented to Council in the last four months and they do not have new information to present. Discussion topics other than the subject matter of the written request to appear as a delegation will not be permitted to be spoken about during a presentation. Delegations will not be permitted on items that will be the subject of an upcoming or closed public meeting pursuant to the Planning Act, unless exceptional circumstances apply, which have been reviewed and approved by Council.

Rules for Addressing Council

Registered delegations, as well as those speaking at a public meeting under the Planning Act, will be provided ten (10) minutes of speaking time, while those who do not register but are permitted to speak under the previously mentioned exceptions will only be given five (5) minutes. Speaking time can be extended at the discretion of Council. Note, speaking time does not include time spent addressing questions from Council following the presentation.

Unless authorized by a majority of the Members of Council, only one spokesperson shall be permitted to speak for each deputation present.

Equipment necessary to provide an electronic presentation will be available to the presenter, provided by the Township. No outside equipment will allowed to be used. Please contact the Clerk prior to the meeting with any questions related to presentation technology and/or equipment well in advance of your presentation to Council.

All presenters shall address the Chair at all times. Council Members may respond to presenters only when recognized by the Chair and shall not engage in back and forth debate. Senior staff may respond to concerns raised only on specific direction from the Chair and such staff may reserve the right to respond in writing at a later date. Once all questions asked by Council have been answered, debate can occur among Members of Council.

Collection of Personal Information

The name of individuals who are approved to speak to Council through the delegation or appointment process must appear on the meeting agenda. Additionally, a completed delegation or appointment request form, as well as an electronic presentation provided to Council, is a public document. Personal information collected on this form is collected under the authority of Section 6 of the Township of West Lincoln's Procedural By-law for the purpose of contacting individuals and/or organizations requesting an opportunity to appear as a delegation before a Committee or Council. The Procedural By-law is required under the Municipal Act, Section 238 (2).

Any question about the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information should be addressed to clerk@westlincoln.ca or 905-957-3346.