Appearing Before Council

The Town of Whitby welcomes you to address Council on issues that are important to you. You may attend a Standing Committee or Council meeting by submitting a delegation request to appear before Council.

Our Committee and Council meetings are held in a hybrid in-person and virtual format. If you're appearing before Council, you can choose to attend in-person or virtually. You can watch Committee and Council meetings on our live stream feed available on the Council and Committee Meeting calendar.

Request a delegation

Request to speak at Committee or Council by completing the Delegation Request Form. You may also provide written correspondence about the topic you wish to discuss.

Please include the following information in your request:

Your name and contact information
Meeting date
Topic you wish to discuss on the agenda
Copy of your presentation (if applicable)
Any background information

If you're unable to access a computer to complete this request, please call 905.430.4315 to speak with a Staff Member in the Office of the Town Clerk.

Submission deadline

You must submit your request by:

10:00 a.m. on the morning of the meeting for Committee of the Whole
12:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before a Council meeting

You must submit your letter and request by either sending us an email, dropping it off in-person or by mail to:

Town Clerk, Town of Whitby
575 Rossland Rd E
Whitby ON L1N 2M8

You will be contacted by a staff member from the Office of the Town Clerk to confirm the meeting date and further details.

Please note

You must first appear before the applicable Standing Committee before speaking with Council, unless a matter was not previously considered by a Standing Committee.

If you're interested in speaking at a statutory public meeting, you are encouraged to register with the Office of the Town Clerk.

Presentation tips

When appearing before Council, review our presentation tips to know how our delegation process works in compliance with the Town's Procedure By-law.

What do I do prior to the meeting?

To prepare for the meeting:

Confirm your scheduled meeting date and time with the Office of the Town Clerk.
Let the Office of the Town Clerk know of any audio or video requirements you need.
Provide a copy of your presentation no later than 12:00 p.m. on the Friday before the meeting to the Office of the Town Clerk.

What do I do when I arrive at the meeting?

When arriving at the meeting:

Arrive in-person or logon to the virtual meeting at least 15 minutes before.
Step up to the debutant's table and be seated when the Chair announces your name and item number.
If attending virtually, ensure your microphone is muted until the Chair asks you to speak.

How do I address the Committee/Council members?

When addressing Committee or Council members:

Address your comments to the Chair to maintain order in the meeting.
Address the Chair (Mayor) as Mister or Madam Mayor or Your Worship in Council meetings.
Address the Chair (Council member) as Mister Chair or Madam Chair in committee meetings.

How long may I speak?

When speaking to the Committee and/or Council members, you can:

Speak up to five minutes unless otherwise provided by a majority vote of the members present.

Please note questions and discussion may follow and are not part of the five-minute limit.

What happens after I speak?

Once you have addressed the Committee or Council:

The Chair of the meeting will ask Members of Council or Committee if anyone has questions for you as the delegate.
You may answer any questions and then return to your seat in the audience or, if attending virtually, mute your microphone.
Once all of the delegations on a matter have been heard, Members of Council or Committee will debate the issue and consider the recommendations on the agenda.

Denied delegation

If your delegation request does not meet the requirements of the Procedure By-law and is denied, you can take the following steps to bring forward your request:

Approach the department responsible to inquire if they may be bringing the information forward in a staff report to a Standing Committee. If a report will be brought forward, you may submit a delegation request for the Standing Committee in which the report will be heard.
If the department will not be bringing a report forward, you may submit a letter to the Town Clerk addressing your request for inclusion on the weekly Council Information Index.
You may contact your local Councillor and they may wish to request the item from the Council Information Index be brought forward to a Standing Committee meeting. If the matter is brought forward on an agenda, you may submit a delegation request for the Standing Committee in which the matter will be heard.

Code of Conduct

In accordance with the Code of Conduct, when you appear before Council or a Standing Committee, you must not:

Speak disrespectfully of any person
Use offensive words
Speak on any subject other than the subject for which you have received approval to speak before Council or Committee
Disobey the decision of the Mayor or meeting Chair or Council/Committee
Enter into cross debate with other presenters, Town staff, Council or Committee members or the Mayor or Chair