Speak Before Council, Committee or Transit Executive Committee

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Protocols during COVID-19

All Committee and Council meetings will be held in a hybrid meeting format with electronic and limited in-person participation. The rules with respect to registering as a delegate to speak before Council or a Committee are still the same. Delegations may participate in the meeting remotely and will join the meeting via phone only. Once you register, you will be provided with instructions on how to provide your delegation remotely. If in-person attendance is required, arrangements must be made by emailing clerks@durham.ca prior to the meeting.

Individuals may view the Council or Committee meeting via live streaming.

Individuals are also encouraged to speak with Regional staff or to submit written correspondence to Regional Council or a Committee if you have an idea or concern you want to share. Written correspondence can be submitted to the Legislative Services Division.

Register as a Delegation

To speak at a Standing Committee, Committee of the Whole, Durham Regional Council or Transit Executive Committee meeting, you must make a written request to be added to the meeting agenda. Your request should include:

the date of the meeting you wish to speak at
the subject matter or topic you would like to speak about
the name of the person who will be speaking
contact information (such as address, email and telephone number)
any audio-visual requirements

Note: Individuals must first appear before the Committee responsible for the matter before speaking to Regional Council, unless the matter has been put forward directly to Council on an agenda without first being considered by a Committee.

Submission Deadline:

12PM (noon) on Wednesday the week prior to the meeting

If you miss the deadline and the subject matter you wish to speak to is included on the Council or Committee agenda, you may submit a written request to be added to an addendum for the meeting by 12PM (noon the day before the meeting).

Written requests can be submitted as follows:

Email: delegations@durham.ca
Mail:
Corporate Services Department
Legislative Services
605 Rossland Road East, Level 1
PO Box 623
Whitby, Ontario L1N 6A3
Fax: 905-668-9963

Please be advised that your name and address will become part of the public record and may be posted on the Region's website as part of the meeting minutes.

For more information about appearing as a delegation, view Section 15.7 of the Council Procedural By-law Number 44-2018.

Additional Information and Tips for Delegates

Committees and Meeting Schedules

View our Committees page for information on our various Committees. For a schedule of upcoming meetings, view our Council and Committee Meeting Calendar.

Time Limits

Delegates can speak for up to five minutes. A delegation of more than five people can have two speakers, each speaking for up to five minutes.

You should be prepared to answer questions. Committee and Council members will have the chance to ask questions after your delegation.

Electronic Presentations

If you want to use an electronic presentation, email us a copy at least 24 hours before the meeting so that we can load it onto our audio-visual equipment. If you submit your presentation late, it might not be available for the meeting.

Please number your pages/slides to make it easier for the members of Council to reference during question period. Remember, you want to use your time effectively.

Written copy of delegation

Before the Committee meeting, email us a written copy of your delegation. Delegations appearing before Regional Council must submit their written copy or outline at least 24 hours prior to the meeting or a 2/3rds majority vote will be required to be heard.

If you are appearing in-person and want a copy handed out at the meeting, please bring the right number of copies with you and give them to Legislative Services staff before the meeting starts. For Standing Committee meetings we need 25 copies, for Committee of the Whole and Durham Regional Council meetings we need 50 copies, and for Transit Executive Committee meetings we need 25 copies.

Collection, use and disclosure of personal information

Written information (either paper or electronic) that you send to Durham Regional Council or Committees, including home address, phone numbers and email addresses, will become part of the public record. This also includes what you say at meetings. If you have any questions about the collection of information, contact the Regional Clerk and Director of Legislative Services.

Meetings are a public process

We live stream Standing Committee, Committee of the Whole, Durham Regional Council and Transit Executive Committee meetings. Anything you submit, including pictures, presentations or written submissions, will become part of the public agenda. Media might also be at meetings.

Tips for Delegates

Participating in the meeting electronically:
1. Delegates will join the meeting by phone only. You will be contacted by phone just prior to the start of the meeting. Once you answer your phone you will be part of the live meeting and anything you say while your microphone is on, will be heard by all participants and those viewing the meeting via live stream.
2. You can view the Council or Committee meeting via live streaming if you wish to follow along with the meeting. The Agenda for the meeting is also available from our Council and Committee Meeting Calendar.
3. The Chair of the meeting will advise when it is your turn to speak. You will then have five (5) minutes to speak.
  - If you can, put your phone on Mute when you are finished speaking but stay on the line. If members of Council wish to ask you questions following your delegation, your phone should be muted until you are ready to answer. Take your phone off “mute” to answer any questions and then put it back on “mute” when members of Council are speaking. If you cannot mute your phone, then please ensure there is no background noise.
4. If you sent an electronic presentation to RegionalAV@durham.ca at least 24 hours prior to the meeting, it will be displayed to those participating in the meeting via Microsoft Teams and in the Council Chambers. Please number your slides and have a copy of your slides with you when you are speaking as you will need to instruct the Region's IT team when to advance the slides and what slide they should be displaying.
5. Once your delegation is done you will be “removed” from the meeting. At that point you can continue to view the meeting via live stream if you choose.
6. Please note: You must provide your speaking notes at least 24 hours prior to the meeting so that they may be shared with members of Council if there are any technical difficulties and you are unable to “join” the meeting for some reason.

Should you wish to appear at the meeting in-person, please email us or call 905-668-7711 to speak with a staff member in Legislative Services.