Appear as a Delegation at Council

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A delegation is a formal address to a committee or Council regarding a subject that is within the jurisdiction or influence of local government. We encourage all delegates to appear before the appropriate committee prior to appearing before Council.

On this page:

Register to be a Delegation
Delegation Guidelines
Participation in Meetings
Your Presentation
Written Submissions
Petitions
Permanent Record Notice
Staff Contacts

Register to be a Delegation

To register as a delegation to speak to an item at an upcoming Council or Committee meeting, please complete the Online Registration Form no later than four hours before the start of the meeting.

A list of upcoming Council Meeting Agendas are available online.

After you register as a delegation, Township staff will be in contact and provide additional information about the meeting. Delegates have the option of participating in-person at the meeting, or electronically. Electronic meetings are held using Zoom meeting software, and participants may connect by audio and/or video connection or by phone. Once the Online Registration Form has been approved, staff will provide further instructions on attending the meeting in-person and/or electronically.

All Council Meetings are open to the public unless they are a Closed Meeting under Section 239 of the Municipal Act. This means all information you provide during the meeting and any presentations or written materials submitted in relation to an agenda item will be included as part of the public record including your name, at a minimum.

Registering as a Delegation After the Agenda is Published

Delegations can register up to four hours prior to the start of the meeting by completing the Online Registration Form.

If you cannot complete the form before the deadline to register as a delegation, you can still send your written comments to us by email. These comments will be circulated to Council and will form part of the public record for the meeting.

Delegation Guidelines

The rules for being a delegation have been established by Council through the Procedure By-law.

As a delegation, you can address Council for a maximum of seven (7) minutes and may only speak once to an agenda item. A timer may be used to ensure your delegation is on track. We suggest that you use your own timer as well to stay within the allotted time frame.

If your delegation includes five or more people, two people can speak, each for a maximum of five minutes. Each speaker must register as a delegation separately, please note in your email the group/people being represented.

Proper meeting decorum is expected from all delegations. The Chair may expel any person who violates these expectations from the meeting. This means that delegations must not:

Speak disrespectfully of or to any person;
Use offensive words or unparliamentary language;
Speak on a subject other than the subject which they have received approval to address Council or Committee;
Disobey the Rules of Procedure or a decision of the Mayor or Council; or
Interrupt, speak-over, or continue to speak when advised by the Mayor not to, or otherwise disrupt the proceedings of the Meeting or the ability of Council or Staff to conduct business.

All comments must be directed through the meeting Chair. Members of Council or Committee may, through the Chair, respond to a point or question. If there are no questions, or once you have finished responding to their questions, your delegation will be considered complete. You will not be allowed to readdress Council unless specific questions are asked of you. You do not need to stay for the rest of the meeting after your item has been dealt with.

If you are attending the meeting as a virtual delegation, you may wish to familiarize yourself with Electronic Participation Procedures prior to your delegation.

Participation in Meetings

Once the Online Registration Form has been approved, staff will contact you with additional information.

In-Person Meeting Participation

Delegations can attend meetings in-person where the agenda identifies the meeting as being in-person or being a hybrid meeting.

Electronic Meeting Participation

Delegations can attend meetings electronically where the agenda identifies the meeting as being electronic or being a hybrid meeting.

Delegations can register up to four (4) hours prior to the start of the meeting by completing the Online Registration Form. Advanced registration is required to ensure staff can send you the electronic meeting invitation by email. Electronic meetings are held using Zoom meeting software, and participants may connect by audio and/or video connection or by phone.

Below are some tips for you as a delegation joining a virtual meeting of Wilmot Council using Zoom. We hope these help you to have the best experience as a delegation.

Before the Meeting

Test your Technology

Test all your technology in advance to ensure it works properly (e.g., your camera/video, microphone and Wi-Fi). This will help avoid delays when it is your turn to speak and minimize any difficulties you might experience.

Practice Speaking to the Camera

Try to always be looking at the camera when you speak, so the audience feels like you are speaking directly to them.

Dress Appropriately

This meeting is part of the public record and accordingly, will be broadcast on YouTube and the Minutes will be retained in Township of Wilmot archives. Please maintain proper decorum at all times.

Find a Quiet Place

Try to find a space in your home or office where you will not be interrupted during your delegation, and where background noises will be minimized. Consider a room where you can close the door. Always mute any live stream of the meeting you may have playing in the background.

Be Aware of your Surroundings

Adjust your camera so that you face a window or are exposed to plenty of light. Be mindful of personal objects in the background (e.g., photographs of family or items conveying personal information) that you might not want the public to see. Consider removing such objects, positioning your camera away from them, blurring your background or using a stock background image from Zoom – just make sure it is appropriate for a Council meeting.

Be Prepared

Review and practice your speaking notes/presentation. If you are using a PowerPoint presentation, ensure none of the slides have images of people unless you have obtained their written consent or are using stock images from the internet. Clerks staff needs your presentation before 4:30pm the Friday before the meeting at which you are appearing.

If you are using a PowerPoint presentation, staff will display it for you. You just have to indicate “next slide” for them to advance the slides.

Multiple speakers/presenters

If you are presenting with other people, ensure you provide Clerks staff with the names and email addresses of everyone so we can send the meeting invitation to them – please do not forward the meeting invitation to them yourself. If there are more than 5 people in your group, please select 2 spokespersons.

During the Meeting

Introduction

When you initially join the Zoom meeting, you will be placed in a waiting room where you can see and hear the meeting but will not be able to speak. When it is your turn to speak, staff will move you from the waiting room into the meeting and the Mayor will let you know it is your turn to speak. Turn on your camera and microphone, introduce yourself and any group/organization you are representing. It is not advisable or required for you to provide any personal information beyond your name (e.g., address, family composition).

Silence your Phone

Turn off all notifications and make sure your cell phone is on silent while you are speaking/presenting so that you can focus and pay full attention to any questions Council or Committee might have of you.

Questions from Council

After each delegation, Council may or may not have questions for you.

Conducting your Delegation

When you are finished, the Mayor or Committee Chair will thank you. Turn off your camera and microphone. Staff will move you back into the waiting room where you can stay until your item has been dealt with or you may leave the meeting and continue watching on the Township’s YouTube Channel.

Quick Do's and Don'ts

5 Do's for Being a Virtual Delegation

Do speak clearly and stay within the 7 minutes allotted to you.
Do keep body movements minimal and gesture slowly and naturally.
Do maintain eye contact by looking into the camera.
Do dress appropriately.
Do conduct yourself with decorum.

7 Don'ts for Being a Virtual Delegation

Don't make distracting sounds or movements.
Don’t eat or drink while on camera.
Don't shout or raise your voice when speaking.
Don't carry on side conversations.
Don’t make negative allegations/comments about members of the public or members of Council.
Don’t use hate speech or profanity.
Don't use copyrighted materials including, but not limited to, videos, images, music, etc.

Your Presentation

If you plan to use a PowerPoint presentation during the meeting, please submit the file in PDF format to the Clerks' office before 12:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before the meeting in order for it to be shown. Presentations received after that deadline will not be shown at the meeting but will be attached to the online minutes.

Presentation materials must be in compliance with the Municipal Freedom of Information Privacy Protection Act (MFIPPA) and cannot include photos of identifiable individuals, licence plates and/or names without the individual’s consent. Materials must not contain any of the following:

negative allegations or comments towards members of the public or members of Council;
profanity;
hate speech;
copyrighted materials including, but not limited to, videos, images, music, etc.

Clerks staff will review your presentation and return it to you to make appropriate adjustments if necessary to conform to the Township’s and MFIPPA requirements, and must be returned to Clerks staff the Friday before the Council meeting in order to be shown.
When you’re preparing your presentation, try to keep your:

speaking notes to a maximum of 550 words to keep a comfortable pace; and,
slide deck between five and eight slides.

These tips will help you stay in the seven-minute time limit and avoid rushing or leaving out information.

Written Submissions

If you do not wish to appear as a delegation but would still like to provide Council with your comments regarding an Agenda item, please send your written comments to us by email.

If we receive your written submission 5 business days prior to the meeting date, it will be included online as part of the Agenda package on our website. If your written submission is received after that, it will be circulated to Council and will be published online as part of the minutes only. In both cases, it will form part of the public record. Only personal information as defined by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) will be redacted from your written submission.

Petitions

Petitions given during a public meeting are part of the public record. If you want to submit a petition, please make sure everyone who has signed the document understands that all the information they included in the petition will:

be available to the public; and
not be protected under MFIPPA.

If you want to submit a petition, please email Township staff.

Permanent Record Notice

All Council and Committee meetings are recorded and live streamed to the Internet. Recent meetings of Council and Committees can be found on the Township of Wilmot's YouTube channel.

Staff Contacts

If you have any questions regarding registering as a delegation or the delegation process, please contact the Clerks' Office.

Chad Curtis, Deputy Clerk
519-634-8519 ext. 9228
Email

Candice Greenley, Administrative Clerk
519-634-8519 ext. 9278
Email

Contacts