Council Meeting Schedule

The schedule of regular council meetings is posted annually.

Regular Council Meeting Schedule

Regular Council meetings take place at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at Maury Young Arts Centre (4335 Blackcomb Way) in the Franz Wilhelmsen Theatre.

Council may cancel Regular Meetings and schedule special meetings to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Agendas

Meeting agendas and packages are available online on the Friday prior to a scheduled meeting.

The agenda is also posted on the bulletin boards outside of Municipal Hall, and hard copies of the agenda are provided at the meeting or can be requested at Municipal Hall at no charge.

Hard copies of council meeting packages can be requested. Processing charges will vary depending on the size of the package.

Previous agendas, meeting packages, and minutes are all available online.

Conduct

All regular council meetings are open to members of the public. No one will be excluded from attending, except in the case of improper conduct.

The rules of conduct for council meetings are outlined in the Council Procedures Bylaw and Robert's Rules of Order.

Committee of the Whole

Committee of the Whole meetings take place in the afternoons on regular council days and are scheduled on an as-needed basis. Find Committee of the Whole meeting times and agendas.

Committee of the Whole meetings:

• Support council’s commitment to openness and transparency
• Provide opportunities for groups or organizations to make presentations directly to council;
• Provide opportunities for council discussion
• Help to inform council in their decision-making process

Council does not make decisions or enact policy at Committee of the Whole meetings.

Closed Meetings

Closed (in-camera) meetings are not open to the public. Council is only authorized to hold in-camera meetings under the circumstances set out Section 90 of the Community Charter. Closed meetings usually take place in the morning on regular council meeting days.

Meetings are closed for matters pertaining to personnel and land, labour or employee negotiations, law enforcement, litigation or potential litigation, and information prohibited from disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Bylaw Creation

Council exercises its powers through bylaws and resolutions. In order for a bylaw to come into force it must be given three readings by Council and then be adopted. A bylaw may be given up to three readings at one Council meeting, however that is not the case for all bylaws.

Some bylaws, about decisions on how land will be used or developed, require public hearings. At a public hearing, members of the public can express comments or concerns in person or in writing about the proposed bylaw to Council. By making their views known before the adoption of land use bylaws, residents and other interested parties play an important role in deciding how the community develops. Public Hearings take place after the first and second readings but before third reading of a bylaw. Public Hearings are generally scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and interrupt the Regular Meeting of Council at that time.

Some bylaws require further approval, for example the approval of a minister, before they are adopted. There must be at least one day between the third reading and the adoption of a bylaw. A bylaw can only be amended or rescinded by another bylaw.

Public Hearings

Public hearings are required according to the Local Government Act to allow the public to make representations to council before adopting official community plan or zoning bylaws.

Public hearings are held after first reading and before third reading of the bylaw by council.

If a public hearing is scheduled on a regular council meeting date, it will commence at 6 p.m.

Special Meetings

According to the Community Charter, the mayor or two council members can convene a special meeting of council if an important issue arises that council needs to meet on.

Watch Council Meetings

Live streaming video of council meetings is available online. Archives, sorted by date and by subject, are also available the day following each council meeting. Note that the Chrome browser is no longer supported. We are working on the issue.

• View Live
• Archived Meetings (Internet Explorer only)

Council meetings are also broadcast via Shaw Television on the Fridays and Saturdays at 12 p.m. following meetings.