Guide for Delegations

Members of the public who wish to make a presentation before a Standing Committee and or Council are called delegations.  There are two Standing Committees, the Executive Committee and the Planning and Development Committee.

In order to appear before Council, delegations are encouraged to have first appeared before the Standing Committee. Delegations shall be limited to speak not more than ten minutes.

Persons who wish to speak to an item that is on the Standing Committee meeting agenda are to register in writing by 4:00 pm on the day of the meeting.  Request for delegation status are to be sent to the Committee Coordinator at lroberts@city.pickering.on.ca or by fax at 905.420.9685 or by dropping off the request at City Hall.

If the matter is a statutory planning matter, no formal delegation is required for the Planning & Development Committee.

Persons who wish to speak to an item that is on the Council agenda are to register in writing by no later than 12 noon on the Thursday preceding the meeting. Request for delegation status are to be sent to the Committee Coordinator at lroberts@city.pickering.on.ca or by fax at 905.420.9685 or by dropping off the request at City Hall.

Notice to Correspondents

The personal information contained in your correspondence to Pickering City Council or its committees is collected under the Municipal Act, 2001. Any personal information you choose to disclose in your correspondence will be used to receive your views on the relevant issue(s) to enable the City to make its decision on the matter. This information will become part of the public record. It is our policy to publish the correspondent's name on the internet as part of the Committee/Council agenda. You may request, in writing, the removal of your personal contact information from the correspondence posted on the internet. Please send your written requests to Debi A. Wilcox, City Clerk, Clerks Division, City of Pickering, One The Esplanade, Pickering, ON L1V 6K7 or by fax 905.420.9685 or by email: dwilcox@city.pickering.on.ca 

Open and Closed Meetings of City Council

Open and Closed Meetings of City Council, including Standing Committees and Advisory Committees
Generally, the City and its Advisory Committees are required by law to give notice and hold all meetings in public.

The City takes a number of steps to ensure the highest degree of openness and transparency for meetings of Council, Standing Committees and Advisory Committees.

• In accordance with our Procedural by-law and notice policy, notice is provided for all meetings of City Council and its Committees
• All agendas for Standing Committees and Advisory Committees, including reports are posted at least one week in advance of the meeting
• Council agendas are posted by no later than 3 pm on the Thursday preceeding the Council meeting
• Meetings are only closed when legally permitted under the Municipal Act, and debate is confined to the topic and/or report that has been listed in the respective agenda
• City staff work diligently to minimize the amount of confidential information in reports and documents that are presented to Council and Committee

Reasons that a meeting can be closed to the public:

At times it is necessary for the City to close a meeting to the public so Council or Committee can consider confidential information as permitted under the Municipal Act.

Under the Municipal Act, a meeting can only be closed if the subject of debate falls under one of several exceptions to the open meeting rules:

• The security of the property of the municipality
• Personal matters about an identifiable individual
• A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality
• Labour relations or employee negotiations
• Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality
• Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose
• A matter in respect of which Council or Committee may hold a closed meeting under another Act
• Education or training of the members, so long as no decision-making is advanced.

No votes can be taken in a closed session, except for votes on procedure and votes to give confidential instructions to staff or agents.

Under the City’s procedures and in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Act, even if a closed session is required to consider a matter, the meeting will begin and end in public. Before closing a meeting, the Council or Committee will adopt a motion to close the meeting setting out the nature of the subject to be discussed and the statutory reason for closing the session. In most cases, the agenda clearly states the matter that will be dealt with as a confidential matter.

If you believe a meeting has been closed improperly:

The City and its Advisory Committees are required to follow the open and closed meeting provisions of the Municipal Act, and the City’s procedural by-law. If you believe that a meeting to which the Act applies has been improperly closed, you may request that the circumstances be reviewed. Prior to filing a complaint for review, we suggest that you contact the City Clerk at 905.420.4660, ext. 2153, or via email dwilcox@city.pickering.on.ca  and review the matter to mitigate any concerns you may have.

If you wish to make a request for investigation, you must contact the Provincial Ombudsman at the following address and complete a Closed Meeting Complaint Form.

Ombudsman Ontario, Bell Trinity Square, 483 Bay Street, 10th Floor, South Tower, Toronto, ON M5G 2C9

Or, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the Ombudsman’s Office at 1.800.263.1830 or by email at info@ombudsman.on.ca.