Engage with Council | City of Kawartha Lakes

Request to Make a Deputation or Presentation How to Speak Before Council Guidelines and Tips for Speaking Correspondence to Council

Video and/or audio recording is not permitted during Council or Committee of the Whole meetings, pursuant to Trespass to Property Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. T.21.

Request to make a deputation or presentation to Council

A deputation is an opportunity for a member of the public (or a group) to speak to Council or Committee directly about an issue either on an upcoming agenda, or a matter that has not been identified on an upcoming agenda.

A presentation is when Kawartha Lakes staff, an individual, or Community Organization have been invited to present information to Council or Committee typically including one of the following:

a ceremonial presentation to or from the City of Kawartha Lakes;
a presentation made by city staff and/or by consultants retained by the City or by another level of government;
a presentation to or from the City that in the opinion of the Head of Council is most beneficial for all involved if heard at a Committee of the Whole Meeting.

Unless specifically identified as a Legislated Public Meeting, anyone who wants to speak at a Council, Planning Advisory, or Committee of the Whole meeting must register as a deputant to be able to speak at the meeting. There are limits to how many people can speak at a meeting (see below), however there are no limits to the number of pieces of written correspondence on a Council Agenda.

All Meetings and Information Sessions are open to the public unless a resolution is passed to have a Closed Session in accordance with Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001.

You also have the option to submit correspondence or a petition to Council.

Please select from one of the options below to complete a form to register as a deputation or presentation to Council.

Online Form Printable Form

Speak to an Item On an Agenda

Submit a Request for Deputation or Presentation using the forms above to the Clerk's office
Forms must be submitted by 12:00pm, three (3) business days prior to the meeting (example: Friday at 12:00pm for meetings held on a Tuesday, or Monday at 12:00pm for meetings held on a Wednesday)
If the day preceding the day of the meeting is a holiday, the written request to speak must be received no later than two (2) hours prior to the meeting time on the day of the meeting

Speak to an Item Not On an Agenda

Submit a Request for Deputation or Presentation to the Clerk's office using the forms above
You will be contacted to confirm a meeting date for your deputation
Note: Any item of this nature will typically be placed on a Committee of the Whole agenda. These meetings will not result in any final decisions by Council until confirmed at the next Regular Council Meeting

Guidelines

Five deputations are permitted per Regular Council Meeting, and eight deputations are permitted at a Planning Advisory Committee Meeting
Deputations are limited to five minutes inclusive of all speakers
Deputations are limited to two speakers and only those persons listed on the Agenda will be permitted to speak
Any printed material, for circulation to Council, must be submitted to the Clerk's office no later than one hour before to the start of the meeting
No printed material may be distributed by the deputation on the Council floor
Deputants who read from a script must provide a copy to the Clerk's office for the public record
If you require audio-visual equipment please contact the Clerk's office upon confirmation of your deputation, to make arrangements.

Tips for Speaking

Rules of conduct for delegations are outlined in the City's Procedural By-law (Download)
Limit your deputation to the time allotted
Highlight your key points
Provide additional background and supporting information in writing in advance of the meeting for Council to review
Be specific about your request
Adjust the microphone to your height and speak clearly into it
Introduce yourself when you are called to the podium
Address Council through the Chair (Mayor)
The Chair may be addressed as Mr. Mayor or Mayor Elmslie.

General Decorum

At all times, including recesses or breaks, all persons attending a Meeting shall be restricted to the Designated Area and shall not approach the Council Floor unless invited by the Mayor or Chair
No shouting, cheering, booing, deliberate foot-stomping or any other unprofessional or unbusiness-like conduct shall be tolerated by the Chair, at the discretion of the Chair
Persons who are not Deputants may not address the assembly and shall not do so by shouting out, interrupting, or prompting a Deputation
Signs, banners, emblems or flags, carried or otherwise, are not permitted in the Council Chambers or other location designated as the Council or Planning Advisory Committee Meeting place, without prior authorization of the Chair
Profanity is strictly prohibited, whether it is audible or expressed through gesture.

Correspondence to Council

If you wish to address City Council in writing you may submit a letter on a specific topic or item to be placed on a City Council Agenda.

Deliver and address your letter to:

Mayor and Council
c/o Office of the City Clerk
26 Francis Street
P.O. Box 9000
Lindsay, ON K9V 5R8

You may also fax your letter to 705-324-8110 or email it to the Clerk's Office at clerks@kawarthalakes.ca

Your letter should:

include your name and address;
be signed and dated;
be legible;
provide a brief overview of the specific topic;
provide an overview of past interactions with City Staff on the matter;
not contain vulgar or profane language; and
avoid the inclusion of someone else's personal information (including their opinions) without their consent.

Please note that all correspondence submitted to the City of Kawartha Lakes will form part of the public record and will become a public document as it appears in an Agenda package posted on our website when this matter is before City Council or a Committee of Council. This means your letter will remain on the City's website for public scrutiny for some time, so please use discretion when including your own personal information, and avoid all use of someone else's personal information.

There may be occasions when your letter is not placed on the next City Council Agenda. This may be due to:

staff preparing a report in response to your concerns and your letter will be placed on the same agenda as the staff report
your letter being forwarded to a Committee of Council, as it may be more appropriate for the Committee to hear your concerns first
your letter containing information which is not suitable for a public agenda and will be dealt with on a confidential basis
your letter containing a request for service that can be dealt with by City Staff as part of normal City operations
your letter addressing concerns outside of the jurisdiction of Municipal Government

You can also request to speak to council in person, using the deputation process outlined above.