Speaking at a Council Meeting

Any person who wishes to speak at a Committee or Council meeting must complete the Delegation Request Form. Shortly after submission, staff will notify you if your request has been approved. If you wish to speak at a Public Meeting that is scheduled in accordance with the Planning Act, 1990, as amended, you do not need to register as a delegation, however it is encouraged.

To ensure compliance with the Procedure By-law 23-035, any and all materials distributed to Council must be submitted to the Clerk’s Office by no later than 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting for Council Meetings and Planning - Statutory Public Meeting Committees occurring at 6:30 p.m.

All written submissions including those received past the deadline to clerks@cambridge.ca, related to the Council Agenda Material, will be included in the public record as part of the meeting minutes.

Delegations related to staff performance, labour relations, ongoing legal proceedings or solicitation of business will not be considered by Council or a Committee.

Council meetings are live-streamed on the City's YouTube Channel, and may be broadcast live on RogersTV.

View our City Calendar for upcoming meetings. 

Your Personal Information on the City's Website

The City of Cambridge collects personal information as authorized under Section 11.1, 12.2 to 12.5 and 12.30 of the City of Cambridge's Procedure By-law from your communication or presentation to City Council or its Committees. 

If you are submitting letters, faxes, emails, presentations or other communications to the City, you should be aware that your name, address or email address and the fact that you communicated with the City may become part of the public record and may appear on the City’s website.

The City makes a video record of committee and council meetings. If you make a presentation to a committee or Council, please be advised that the City will be video-recording you and the video may be accessed on the City’s website and YouTube Channel for the general public to view.

If you have questions about the collection of personal information or for a copy of the City of Cambridge's Procedure By-law, please contact:

City Clerk's Office
City Hall
50 Dickson Street
Cambridge, ON  N1R 1S8
Phone: (519) 740-4680
Email: clerks@cambridge.ca

How long can I speak for?

As a delegate, you are permitted a maximum of five (5) minutes to outline your request or concerns. If your delegation consists of a group of people wishing to address Council with respect to a particular position, then Council may determine that the group shall be represented by one (1) person or that the time limit may be extended up to a maximum of ten (10) minutes. The group of people must be identified on the delegation registration form. Written submissions or correspondence to Council shall not be read aloud at the Council meeting, only incorporated into the minutes of the Council meeting.

Members of the public are invited to submit written comments or requests to delegate via in person or virtually related to items on the agenda by completing the online Delegation Request Form no later than 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. All written delegation and correspondence submissions will form part of the public record.

If you wish to delegate during a statutory public meeting, please text 519-221-0635.  Alternatively, you may send an email to the Clerks' Division at clerks@cambridge.ca.  A member from the Clerks' team will connect with you to facilitate your delegation request.

Please note this number is only permitted if you are texting in for a statutory public meeting. This number is not monitored for Regular Council Meetings.

Please be advised that petitions submitted at a public meeting are considered to form part of the public record. Accordingly, if you wish to submit a petition, please ensure that everyone has signed it understands that their personal information will be available to the public and will not be protected under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990, as amended.

Helpful Hints for Engaging Council

Materials relating to your delegation need to be submitted to the Clerk’s Office by 4:30 p.m. the day before the meeting. Presentations must be in PowerPoint. The maximum file size to be submitted is 10 MB. If you are unable to provide your material prior to the deadline, please bring the material with you and have fifteen (15) copies for distribution. Please note that USB keys with delegation materials will not be accepted at the meeting.

At the meeting, delegates will be asked to provide a copy of their speaking notes and any information they present for inclusion in the public record.

Delegations should prepare their presentation material using accessible formatting:

  • Use large font size (18 points or higher)
  • Include only a few bulleted points per slide
  • Use a high contrast colour scheme such as black or dark blue text on white background
  • Images or graphics should include captions or alternative text

If you are asking for funding or to solve a problem, be aware that you may be asked to attend Council during the budget period of the year when Council is discussing the Capital and Operating Budget. Council will base their decision on value for the community, available budget and/or available staffing.

Some things to consider are:

  • Do you have support from a sector of the community? With limited resources available, Council is likely to concentrate on issues with a broad appeal.
  • Does your request fit in with our strategic priorities? If it does, there may be some room in the budget and staff allocation to accommodate your request.
  • Can your request wait? Council makes plans for the upcoming year in the fall/winter. If your request should be addressed in the upcoming year, Council could include it in the budget.

Delegates should try to locate themselves in an area with minimal background noise to ensure they are heard properly. Using a headset will provide better quality than the speakerphone option. A landline may provide a better connection than a cell phone or Internet-based phone dependent on the delegates internet speed. 

While we will make every attempt to bring delegates into the meeting in a timely fashion, we cannot guarantee times for when the delegate will be brought into the meeting. 

Delegates are to conduct themselves in accordance with the City of Cambridge Code of Conduct of Public Meetings. The Mayor/Chair may expel and exclude any member of the public who creates any disturbance or acts improperly during a meeting of Council or Standing Committees.

Individuals are asked to state their name and provide their delegation. Some helpful tips for your introduction include:

  • Introduce yourself and briefly describe your relationship to the issue. For example, you may be representing a group or you may live in or near an area where a problem is occurring.
  • State your topic. If you are requesting action to address a certain issue, describe the issue and the action you wish Council to take. If you are requesting funding, state the amount and purpose of funding.
  • Provide background information when appropriate. For instance, you may want to talk about how long the issue has been going on or how you or your organization has been affected. For funding requests, it is a good idea to provide your budget information and other revenue you have or are pursuing.
  • A bell will chime when you have one (1) minute remaining.
  • Once you have finished delegating, please remain at the podium to answer any questions that the Committee/Council may ask of you. Committee/Council members are permitted to ask a maximum of two (2) questions each per delegation.
  • The appropriate way to address Committee/Council is to preface their surname with Mayor or Councillor. For example: Mayor (insert surname) or Councillor (insert surname).
  • All questions or comments shall be made through the Chair. For example: Through you, Madam/Mister Chair