Communicate with Council and Committees

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The Township of Wilmot places great importance on hearing from its citizens and stakeholders, actively encouraging everyone to express their opinions and concerns to Council and Committees in a respectful and open manner, through both formal or informal channels.

Informal Channels

Telephone/Email

Email council@wilmot.ca for your email correspondence to be sent to all of Council.

For individual contact information for the Township of Wilmot Mayor and Councillors visit the Contact Us page.

Regular Mail

Mayor and Council

Township of Wilmot

Administration Complex

60 Snyder's Road West

Baden, ON N3A 1A1

Map this Location

Formal Channels

Delegations to Council

A delegation is a formal address to Council regarding a subject that are of a general interest of the Township of Wilmot. We encourage all delegates to appear before the appropriate committee prior to appearing before Council.

Council welcomes and encourages public input. If you wish to appear before Council you must notify Legislative Services via the Delegate Request form, fillable printable form, letter, email or phone call. Please review the deadlines for registration as a specific or general interest delegation below.

If submitting a Delegate Request form, it must be completed in full in order to appear before Council. If writing a letter in place of the form, the letter must include your full name, the name of your organization or business (if relevant), address, telephone number, and reason for appearing before Council.

A list of upcoming Council Meeting Agendas are available online.

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.

There are two types of delegations that allow members of the public to appear before Council.

General Interest Delegations means a delegation that is permitted to address Council on a matter of public interest within the jurisdiction of the Township of Wilmot in accordance with Section 6.4 of the Procedural By-law.

General Interest Delegations may register to speak to matters that are of a general interest of the Township of Wilmot; and,
Not more than three (3) General Interest Delegations will be permitted at each Regular Council Meeting; and,
General Interest Delegations that are for the sole purpose of generating publicity for an event shall not be permitted; and,
General Interest Delegations will be scheduled in the order in which they were received by the Legislative Service's Office.

Specific Interest Delegations means a delegation that is permitted to address Council on a matter listed on an agenda in accordance with Section 6.3. of the Procedural By-law.

Specific Interest Delegations may only register to speak to the following agenda items: staff reports, public meetings, notice of motions, and, by-laws.

Deadlines for Registration

General Interest Delegation Requests:

Any person who wishes to appear before Council as a Delegation on a matter of general interest shall provide a completed Delegation Request Form to the Legislative Service's Office by 12:00 Noon on the Monday before the Regular Council Meeting.

Specific Interest Delegation Requests:

In-Person Registration as a Specific Interest Delegations will be accepted up to the time the Meeting is started.
Electronic Participation as a Specific Interest Delegations will be accepted up to noon on the day of the Meeting, and Delegations must provide their email address and telephone number to enable Township staff to facilitate such participation.

Delegation Guidelines

The rules for being a delegation have been established by Council through the Procedural 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 unless presenting new information.

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;
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.

Members of Council may ask questions of clarification to the Delegate. If there are no questions your delegation will be considered complete. Delegates are not permitted to debate with members of Council. Though you are invited and welcomed to stay for the remainder of the meeting, once your delegation is complete, you are not required to do so.

Electronic Meeting Participation Tips

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

Below are some tips for you as a delegation joining a virtual Council meeting 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 Legislative Services 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 seven people in your group, please select two 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.

Including a Visual Presentation as Part of your Delegation

Visual Presentation Material submitted before agenda publication

If you plan to use a visual presentation during the meeting, please submit the file to Legislative Services via email before 12:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before the meeting in order for it to be included on the agenda.

Visual Presentation Material submitted after agenda publication

Presentation material to be displayed during the meeting will be accepted up until one business day before the Council Meeting. Please submit the file to Legislative Services via email. This material will be displayed, and included with the minutes of the meeting.

Visual Presentation Material submitted less then one business day before the Council Meeting

Presentations received after this deadline will not be shown at the meeting but will be attached to the online minutes.

Contents of Visual Presentation Material

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. The presenter will be responsible for obtaining and confirming consent has been received prior to the presentation being distributed publicly. Materials must not contain any of the following:

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

Legislative Services 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 Legislative Services staff the Friday before the Council or Committee 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 may help you stay in the seven-minute time limit and avoid rushing or leaving out information.

Notice of Meeting Video Recording and use of YouTube

Council and Committee meetings are recorded and live streamed to the Township of Wilmot's YouTube channel. By participating in these meetings, attendees and participants are consenting to their image, voice and comments being recorded and available for public viewing.

Written Submission to Council or Committee

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.

Written correspondence to Council or Committee forms part of an agenda and is added to the permanent record. It is provided to Councillors and/or Committee members and is published as part of a Council or Committee agenda on the Township's website.

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.

Public Meetings

Public meetings serve as formal gatherings where individuals can openly discuss topics listed on the meeting agenda. Township staff record and analyze the feedback and input provided during these meetings, compiling them into comprehensive reports with recommendations. These reports are subsequently deliberated upon by the council during future meetings, where decisions are made.

It is important to note that certain statutory requirements, such as those pertaining to Development Applications under the Planning Act, or the review of the Development Charges by-law under the Development Charges Act may mandate the organization of public meetings. During these meetings, both applicants and Township staff present detailed information about proposed applications, allowing members of the public to express their opinions and concerns.

Presentation to Council or Committee

In accordance with the Township's Procedural By-Law, individuals or organizations may make a presentation to Council or Committee, in the following circumstances:

1. Where the presentations made to Council/Committee by individuals or organizations at the invitation of Council/Committee.

2. Where the presentation is made to Council by a Committee, Local Board, local organization, registered charity, or Township-affiliated agency or organization.

3. Where the presentation is from senior levels of government or other municipal governments.

4. Where the presentation is by consultants retained by the Township providing information related to municipal operations that are not accompanied by a staff report.

Presentations are not permitted for commercial business purposes and do not include Delegations for Agenda items.

If you want to make a presentation to Council or Committee, please email Legislative Services.

Petitions

Petitions may be submitted to Legislative Services and will be included in an Agenda package and form 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 provide, including but not limited to their full name, phone number, address, and signatures, in the petition:

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

If you want to submit a petition, please email Legislative Services.

Staff Contacts

If you have any questions regarding registering as a delegation or the delegation process, please contact the Legislative Services.

Kaitlin Bos, Municipal Clerk
519-634-8519 ext. 9228
Email

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

Contacts