Appearing as a Delegation

If you are aware of an upcoming item and you would like your delegation, written comments and/or presentation materials to appear on the agenda, please register or submit the material to the Clerk’s Office no later than 4:30 p.m., the Tuesday prior to the confirmed meeting.

Requests to appear as a delegation following the publishing of an agenda will be considered and may be listed on an addendum.

To speak to City Council about a topic that is not part of an upcoming agenda, please write the City Clerk’s Office and include

• a description of your concern
• the action you would like City Council to consider

All materials to be included with an agenda must be submitted to the City Clerk no later than 4:30 p.m., the Tuesday of the week prior to the confirmed meeting, for inclusion on the agenda. PowerPoint presentations and handouts can be uploaded with the Request for Delegation form or submitted to the Clerk’s Office via e-mail. 

If your delegation request or written comments are submitted after the deadline, then they must be given to the Clerk’s Office by Noon on the on the business day preceding the meeting. Please note we are unable to load files onto our computer during the meeting, including those brought in by the delegate on a flash drive or USB stick. 

Presentation materials must comply with the Municipal Freedom of Information Privacy Protection Act (MFIPPA) and cannot include photos of identifiable individuals, licence plates or names without the individual’s consent.

Your presentation must not include statements or materials which are:

• Intended for the sole purpose of generating publicity;
• Related to litigation or potential litigation or to any matter which is currently before any court or administrative tribunal affecting the City of Stratford;
• Ill-mannered toward City employees, members of City Council, committee, or any other member of the community.

For Sub-committee meetings: five members of Council are appointed to Sub-committees and will be in attendance, along with City staff.

For Committee and Council meetings: all 11 members of Council will be in attendance, along with City staff.

Sub-committee, Committee and Council meetings are “open” meetings which means that they are open to any member of the public wishing to attend. To appear as a delegation, you are required to be listed on the agenda or have submitted a request prior to the meeting, unless it is a public meeting.

Delegation presentations are near the beginning of the meeting. Prior to a delegation being heard, a motion to hear the presentation must first be made by a Member of Council. Once a motion is made, the Mayor or Chair will call you to come forward to the podium when it is time for you to speak. Please state your name for the record and organization or company you are representing, if any.

As a delegation, you shall not speak disrespectfully of any person, use offensive words, speak on any subject other than the subject for which you have received approval, disobey any decision of the Chair or enter into debate with other delegations, staff or Council members. 

If presenting for the first time on a topic, delegations are given 10 minutes to present. If the presentation is the second time on a topic, then delegations are limited to 5 minutes to present new information. These timelines do not account for questions from members of Council. 

Only one person at a time is permitted to speak and must be acknowledged by the Mayor or Chair prior to speaking. 

Community groups and associations are encouraged to select a single person to speak on behalf of the group. Please let us know if you are appearing on behalf of a community group or association.

You cannot register multiple delegations and you cannot register on behalf of someone else.

The purpose of a delegation is to provide information to Sub-committee, Committee or Council. After hearing your presentation and asking questions, Sub-committee may make a motion. They might refer the matter to staff to gather information or prepare a report or, they might make a motion recommending taking action on your issue. If a motion is made at Sub-committee, it will carry forward to the next Standing Committee meeting. Please be aware that a final decision from Council can take more than 6 weeks to decide due to meeting schedules.

The City of Stratford uses a three step decision making process. You can read about it in more detail at City Council.

Petitions presented to Council shall:

• contain a clear statement of the matter on which Council is being asked to take action,
• be a matter within the jurisdiction of Council,
• identify a spokesperson,
• include the signature, printed name and full address of each petitioner. If the signatures are affixed to more than one sheet, then the intent or action requested of the petition must be repeated at the top of each signature sheet, and
• shall be made available by the City to the public upon request.

Meetings of Council and Standing Committees may be attended by the media and be recorded by Cable TV network and broadcast on a local channel. Please note that your image may be seen as part of this broadcast. 

As a Delegation or Presenter please note that all Sub-committee, Committee and Council meetings are open (except those meetings authorized by law to be closed to the public) and your comments may be reported in the newspaper, radio, or on television.

Please note comments made at an open meeting by a member of the public or delegation become part of the public record.

Personal information that is collected will be used for the purpose of registering delegates and communicating with them about meetings, agenda matters and materials. Your information may be made public through the course of a meeting and corresponding agendas and minutes.

Personal information, as defined by Section 2 of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), is collected under the authority of the Municipal Act, 2001, and in accordance with the provisions of MFIPPA.