Meetings, Hearings, Committees and Delegations
Council Meetings
Council meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month in Council Chambers at City Hall. Meeting cancellations are posted in the Meetings Schedule. Members of the public wishing to attend Council meetings may view a copy of the Council Agenda online or obtain a copy from the Information Centre at City Hall. To find out if the agenda is available, contact the City Clerk's Office at 604-276-4007 on the Monday afternoon preceding the Council meeting or see Council Agendas and Minutes.
For the benefit of members of the public who are unable to attend Council meetings but are interested in the proceedings, these are streamed live on the City's website see Watch Meetings Online.
Public Hearings
A Public Hearing is a Council meeting that serves as a forum for members of the public to provide input to Council on all matters relating to land use.
Public Hearings are held at 7 p.m. on the 3rd Monday of each month in Council Chambers at City Hall. Meeting cancellations are posted in the Meetings Schedule. The Public Hearing agenda is made public through a notice that is published in the local newspaper the two Thursdays before the Public Hearing. For information on the process for participating at a Public Hearing see Speak at a Public Hearing.
Standing Committees of Council
Standing Committees are committees of Council members appointed by the Mayor. Appointments are announced at the first Council meeting in December of each year. Most matters which come before Council have been referred by one of the following Standing Committees of Council:
- Community Safety Committee
- Finance Committee
- General Purposes Committee
- Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Committee
- Planning Committee
- Public Works & Transportation Committee
Committees usually meet twice a month. The public is welcome to attend all open committee meetings. Meeting times and cancellations are posted in the Meetings Schedule.
For information related to agenda items on these committees, contact the Legislative Services Coordinators of the City Clerk's Office at 604-276-4007.
Appearing Before City Council as a Delegation
At a Regular Council meeting
A person or organization wishing to be heard on an item which is on the agenda of a Regular Council meeting may be heard at or near the beginning of such meeting. Written notification from the person or organization is not required in this instance.
A person or organization wishing to appear at a Regular Council meeting as a delegation on an item which is not on the agenda must provide the following:
- written notification of this intent;
- a summary of the item which is the subject of the delegation; and
- the specific action which is being sought by the delegation.
This notification must be submitted to the City Clerk's Office prior to the issuance of the agenda.
It should be noted that delegations may not be heard at Regular or Special Council meetings on the following:
- Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaws or Zoning Amendment Bylaws which have received first reading and which have not yet been adopted or defeated;
- Development Permit or Development Variance Permit Application;
- Matters on which the City has commenced prosecution, and on which judgement has not been rendered; and
- The promotion of commercial products or services
To Standing Committees
A person or organization wishing to appear as a delegation to a Standing Committee must follow the same procedures as those wishing to appear as a delegation at a Regular Council meeting, i.e., a person or organization wishing to appear at a Standing Committee meeting as a delegation on an item which is not on the agenda, may be heard at or near the beginning of the agenda of such meeting, provided that the following are provided:
- written notification of this intent;
- a summary of the item which is the subject of the delegation; and
- the specific action which is being sought by the delegation.
This notification must be submitted to the City Clerk's Office prior to the issuance of the agenda.
As in Regular Council meetings, delegations to Standing Committees may not be heard on the following:
- Official Community Amendment Bylaws or Zoning Amendment Bylaws which have received first reading and which have not yet been adopted or defeated;
- Development Permit or Development Variance Permit Applications;
- Matters on which the City has commenced prosecution, and on which judgement has not been rendered; and
- The promotion of commercial products or services.
For additional information about appearing before Council or Standing Committees, contact the Legislative Services Coordinators of the City Clerk's Office at 604-276-4007.