1. WEST END NEIGHBOURS - Café # 3
“Speaking to City Council"
Tips on voicing your opinion

2. Does Vancouver City Hall seem like a
dark and forbidding place?
These are some ideas on sharing opinions
effectively.

3. • Many Citizens come to speak before the Council for
the first time. Their comfort level is low since it can
be overwhelming at times.
• We hope this information helps people feel more
at ease in addressing the Council so that they can
better articulate their thoughts.
Why Provide this Information?

4. What is a Public Hearing
• A Public Hearing is special meeting of City
Council.
• Public Hearings are held to consider rezoning
matters and heritage designations.
• The Mayor or Deputy Mayor is the chair of the
meeting and at least six members of City Council must
be present.
• The Vancouver Charter requires that Council hear
from the public about these issues before making a
decision.

5. How and When to Provide Input?
Opportunities for input can be informal or formal.
• Any resident can send a letter or an email to their
elected Council members at any time and on any
issue related to City government.
• Or a formal opportunity may be provided through
a Public Workshop, a Council Meeting or a Public
Hearing.

6. Public Hearing Notice
• Notice of a hearing must be published in a local
newspaper at least 7 days, and not more than
14 days, before the date of the hearing.
• The City sometimes sends “courtesy letters” to
nearby properties, or to people who have
declared an interest in the proposal.
• Notice is also provided on the City’s website at:
www.vancouver.ca

7. How do I register to speak at a Public Hearing?
There are two ways to register to speak:
• Call the City Clerk's Office at 604-873-7276 and
ask to have your name added to the speakers list.
• Residents can go to the Public Hearing about 30
minutes early and register to speak at the sign-up
table.

8. What if I don’t wish to Speak?
If you cannot attend a hearing, or simply don’t
wish to:
• You can share your information and thoughts
through a letter or email that can be entered
into the official record of the hearing or Council
meeting.
• An appearance in person does tend to “carry
more weight” than a written submission.

9. Public Hearing Agenda Package
• The City Clerks Department will prepare a
“Speakers List”.
• The Speakers List will be filled on a “first come,
first served” except if members of Council,
advisory panels, or union representatives wish
to speak – then those speakers go to the front
of list.
• The Speakers List and the Hearing Agenda will
be published and available at the entrance to
the Council chamber at the time of the Public
Hearing.

10. Typical Agenda

11. Public Hearing Procedure
• A "roll call" confirms attendance and Council
quorum and the Clerk reads the first agenda item.
• The Clerk then provides a summary of all
correspondence received for Council.
• Planning staff explain the application and the staff
recommendation before Council.
• The applicant is called upon to comment on their
application.

12. Public Hearing Procedure
• The Chair proceeds with delegations from the
public, in order, based on the Speaker’s List.
• If a person is not on the Speakers List they are
eligible to address Council after those on the
list have concluded speaking.
• When the last person on the Speaker’s List has
spoken, the Chair will call three times for any
others who wish to address Council on the
application.

13. Public Hearing Procedure
• The Chair may also allow Council members to
direct questions to staff or the applicant in
response to comments from the public.
• Council's role is to listen to the public - Council
does not debate or challenge the comments but
may ask questions about what they hear.
• All comments presented to City Council must
be about the merits of the application before
Council - other comments are out of order.

14. Tips on Speaking at the Public Hearing
• Give your name and address – or just the street
on which you live – this is helpful for Council.
• If you wish, state how long you have lived in the
neighbourhood.
• Write down your comments, both to speak
from, and so they can be submitted to Council
after you speak.
• Try not to repeat what others have said, but do
reinforce points already raised.

15. Speaking at the Public Hearing
• Address all comments to the chair of the
meeting, not to individual Council members or
staff.
• Don’t expect Council to answer questions you
have raised.
• There is no set limit on speaking times, but
speakers are normally requested to keep
comments to no more than 5 minutes.
• If you exceed your speaking time, you may
speak again but you may not repeat yourself.

16. What Happens Next?
• When the Public Hearing has concluded,
Council may discuss the application and reach
a decision or defer the discussion to a future
meeting.
• At this stage, no further public input is heard.

17. Making your Voice Heard
• Be Clear
• Be Brief
• Be Respectful
• Stay on Topic
• Be Relevant

18. Some Tips on Making an Effective Submission
• Know your material.
• Practice!
• Know the audience – tailor your message to the
decision-makers.
• Don’t apologize for any nervousness or
“stumble”.
• Format you submission to represent you — as
an authority and as a person – the purpose of a
Public Hearing is to hear from you – the Public.

19. Making your Case
• Make sure you are factual – generalizations can cause
Council to dismiss your argument.
• BUT – don’t be shy about sharing personal stories or
impacts. Provide the “human element” that Council
needs to make its decisions.
• Relate your submission back to the purpose of the
Public Hearing – the bylaw under consideration.
• Remind Council of its own legislation and guidelines.
• Remind Council of past consultation and input.

20. Council Response
• Council’s role is to Listen at a Public Hearing.
• Council MAY badger members of the public or
attempt to deflect the discussion from the
issues.
• Don’t feel obliged to answer questions or to
provide solutions.
• Defer questions to staff – the “experts”.

21. Final Conclusions
• Be firm, but avoid being confrontational or
angry.
• Remember that Council cannot entertain
discussion unrelated to the specific application
– stick to the topic.
• Provide solutions – Offer constructive solutions
about different approaches.

22. WEST END NEIGHBOURS - Café # 3
“Speaking to City Council"
Tips on voicing your opinion