Presenting to Council
Council Meetings
To view the Regular Meetings of Council, visit the Council Meetings page here.
Committee of the Whole meetings are scheduled on an as-needed basis and are advertised on the Public Notice page and at the notice board at Municipal Hall.
Unless otherwise posted, all meetings take place in the Council Chambers at Municipal Hall, located at 13211 Henry Ave. All meetings are open to the public unless the Community Charter requires a meeting to be closed. Should you wish to attend Council Chambers in-person, advance registration is encouraged by contacting corporateofficer@summerland.ca. Alternatively, electronic access to the meeting can be granted for those that wish to participate electronically. To receive the electronic meeting details, please email corporateofficer@summerland.ca. For those interested in viewing the meeting, but not seeking to actively participate, you may live stream the meetings via the District of Summerland’s YouTube channel.
The Council meeting schedule may vary during holiday periods and therefore it is advisable to check the Regular Council Meeting Schedule here or check with the Corporate Services Department the date for a meeting you may wish to attend. The Agendas and Minutes of Council current and previous Council meetings and public hearings can be found on our Agendas and Minutes Portal.
Shaw Cable will broadcast recorded Regular Council meetings recorded meetings will be broadcasted on channel 10 at 11:00 AM the Thursday after each Council meeting. Meetings can also be viewed online the day after each meeting.
Appearing Before Council as a Delegation
Any individual or group wishing to make a public presentation to Council must submit an Application Fillable Form - PDF (Fillable PDF). Application forms can be submitted to: Municipal Hall, 13211 Henry Avenue, Box 159, Summerland BC, V0H 1Z0 or emailed corporateofficer@summerland.ca.
Delegations are limited to five minutes for their presentation, followed by questions, if any, from Council. A maximum of 4 delegations may be scheduled per council meeting and delegations may request either the first (1:00 PM) or second (6:00 PM) delegation opportunity (we will do our best to accommodate, but your requested time is not guaranteed). Delegations are permitted to address Council a maximum of 4 times per year.
The Corporate Officer will contact you to confirm the date and time of the meeting at which you have been scheduled to appear. Delegation request applications, including all supporting materials (electronically), must be received by the corporate officer the Monday the week prior by 9:00 AM. Any delay in the receipt of the delegation application and supporting materials may cause the corporate officer to reschedule the delegation to another council meeting. In consideration of the environment, providing Council with paper handouts is discouraged.
On your scheduled meeting date, you are asked to sit in the gallery in Council Chambers until you are called forward at the appropriate time by the Mayor. When speaking to the Mayor, refer to him/her as “Mayor _______" (the person's surname).
Presentations should be short and concise and are limited to five minutes. If you are planning on using a PowerPoint Presentation please read these helpful guidelines (146KB PDF).
Making a submission to Council at a Public Hearing
If you wish to comment on a matter that is the subject of a public hearing (for example, a rezoning or Official Community Plan Amendment), you are encouraged to appear before Council and personally present your information. After the introduction of the applicable bylaw and a presentation by the applicant, the Mayor will ask for comments from the public. If you raise your hand when the Mayor asks, you will be invited to come forward and address Council. Please make sure you speak into the microphone at the podium and start by giving your name and address for the record. If possible, please limit your remarks to five minutes.
If you are unable to attend the Council meeting in person you are welcome to make a submission by email to corporateofficer@summerland.ca or by mail to the attention of the Corporate Officer, Municipal Hall, Box 159, Summerland BC V0H 1Z0. In your correspondence, please clearly indicate the address of the property you are writing about. Correspondence received between the time the public hearing is advertised in the local paper, and 12:00 PM (noon) on the date of the hearing, is copied and circulated to Council with their agenda package and becomes public information. When an issue is of concern to a neighbourhood, people of either side of the issue may send a petition to Council, but the best way to make your views known is to attend the public hearing in person or to send personal written correspondence via email or mail.
Public comment during a meeting?
Council provides a Public Comment Opportunity at the beginning of each agenda for members of the public who wish to speak to any of the business items on the agenda. The Public Comment Opportunity is a maximum of 15 minutes in total and two (2) minutes per speaker.
Depending on the nature of the agenda item, other opportunities to address Council may apply. All items that provide an opportunity for the public to comment will be noted on the agenda.
If you wish to speak electronically during a meeting of Council, please register to speak in advance of the meeting by emailing corporateofficer@summerland.ca. Should you wish to comment during a meeting that has already started, please view the meeting agenda for details regarding participation.