Speaking at a Council Meeting

Registration to attend City meetings in person or virtually

Council, Committee of the Whole and Standing Committees

Council, Committee of the Whole and Standing Committee meetings allow for in person or electronic participation via Zoom. Those wishing to speak at a meeting, either as a delegation or regarding Statutory Public Hearing items will be required to register by 9 a.m. the day of the scheduled meeting. 

Those wishing to register can do so at calendar.brantford.ca/meetings by selecting the meeting they would like to either speak at or attend and clicking the unique registration link. Here, participants will indicate whether they would like to speak at the meeting in-person or virtually, or attend the meeting in-person. Registration is also available by phone at 519-759-4150. Those wishing to speak at a meeting are required to register by 9:00 a.m. the day of the scheduled meeting. 

Members of the public are also able to provide their comments in writing or via email in advance of the meeting.  Comments can be submitted by emailing clerks@brantford.ca anytime prior to the meeting or by mail to City Clerk, City of Brantford, 58 Dalhousie Street, P.O. Box 818, Brantford, Ontario, N3T 5R7.  Comments can also be placed in the drop box which is available at the front of City Hall. All comments received prior to the meeting will be provided to members of the body.

Registering to watch online is not necessary as the meetings will continue to be streamed live via the City of Brantford YouTube Channel.

Advisory Committees and Task Forces

Advisory Committees and Task Forces will be held in a hybrid format and will no longer be streamed live. All meetings, except those of a quasi-judicial manner will be recorded and uploaded to the City of Brantford YouTube channel. Members of the public can attend the meetings virtually or in-person either as a delegation or to watch. 

Registration is required by 9 a.m. the day of the scheduled meeting. Those wishing to register can do so at calendar.brantford.ca/meetings by selecting the meeting they would like to speak at and clicking the unique registration link. Registration support is available by phone at 519-759-4150. 

Members of the public are also able to provide their comments in writing or via email in advance of the meeting.  Comments can be submitted by emailing clerks@brantford.ca anytime prior to the meeting or by mail to City Clerk, City of Brantford, 58 Dalhousie Street, P.O. Box 818, Brantford, Ontario, N3T 5R7.  Comments can also be placed in the drop box which is available at the front of City Hall. All comments received prior to the meeting will be provided to members of the body.

Submit Online Delegation Request Form   Printable Delegation Request Form

Rules Regarding Delegations at Meetings

Delegation time limit

There is a strict one hour time limit for delegations at meetings. Delegations will generally have 10 minutes for their presentation, inclusive of questions from Council or the Committee; however, where there are more than six delegations registered at a meeting, the time for each delegation will be reduced so as to equally divide the one hour time limit among the registered delegations.

Delegation appearance limit

Delegations may only appear before the City once on the same agenda item. Please note that only one delegation from the same group/organization/business will be permitted on the same agenda item, regardless of the members comprising that delegation.

Estimates Committee delegations

For meetings of the Estimates Committee, there is a strict two hour time limit for delegations where the agenda provides for delegations to be heard respecting the budget process. Delegations will generally have 10 minutes for their remarks, inclusive of questions from Members of the Committee. Where there are more than 12 delegations registered at the meeting, the time for each delegation will be reduced so as to equally divide the two hour time limit among the registered delegations. The City encourages all citizens and organizations to come forward during the Estimates process to identify and speak to community needs though specific requests for municipal funding will no longer be considered by the Estimates Committee. These requests must be processed through the Brant Community Foundation.

Addressing more than one matter at the same meeting

No individual or group/organization/business shall be listed as separate delegations at the same meeting. Such delegations may address a number of items appearing on the agenda, but will be considered to be one delegation and will be allotted one block of speaking time only.

PowerPoint presentations

PowerPoint presentations are permitted provided that an electronic copy of the presentation is submitted to the City Clerk no later than 9:00 a.m. on the day of the meeting. A copy will be distributed to Members of Council, or Committee as the case may be, as part of the delegation submission at the start of the meeting. Please note that all PowerPoint presentations must be provided in a .ppt or .pptx format only.

Matters that cannot be addressed by delegations

No Delegations shall be permitted to address Council or its Committees on the following matters:

  • Items listed on the Clerk's Report on Communications at meetings of Council
  • Proclamations
  • Labour relations or employee negotiations
  • Litigation that is either expected to proceed, that is currently proceeding, or that has already been decided by a trier of fact
  • Tenders, RFPs or other procurement matters
  • Any other matter that is properly the subject of the open meeting exceptions in the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended

Council or Committee, as the case may be, may in their discretion, refuse to hear any delegation.