Anyone wishing to make a presentation before council must submit a request in writing, to the Clerk, on or before noon on the Thursday prior to the Regular Council Meeting. Unless posted otherwise, council meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. The Clerk will advise about whether the reason for the request can be dealt with by Administration or should be presented by the requestor before Council.
Delegations
A Community Delegation is any citizen or group of citizens who represent a recognized community group or organization who wish to make a presentation at a meeting to address existing or proposed municipal policies or initiatives.
Only one spokesperson per organization shall speak on behalf of the group at the delegation to Council.
Petitions
It is the fundamental right of citizens to petition their elected representatives. Petitions are one way citizens can bring grievances or concerns to the attention of Council.
A petition is basically a written request signed by citizens that asks Councillors to do something within their power about a particular issue. Instead of many people writing individual letters to Council, it is much easier to create a petition. One letter is written and people sign it to demonstrate their support.
Even when a petition does not result in an immediate or obvious resolution, petitions are important because they communicate your opinion to Members of Council and other citizens. Petitions are one way to bring public concerns to the Council agenda.
Who can petition Council?
Anyone who is at least 18 years old and a resident of Calvin, including businesses and unincorporated associations where the majority of the membership consists of residents, may petition Council.
Should you petition?
Petitioning Council may not always be your first course of action. Some matters which are operational or administrative are sometimes best resolved by appropriate staff with the Municipality of Calvin.
What are the rules governing petitions?
At a minimum, a petition must contain the following:
- A statement of purpose.
- The signatures of a least two citizens currently residing in the Municipality of Calvin,
- The local addresses of each citizen signing the petition.
- The name of a spokesperson (or “principal petitioner”) including their mailing address, street address and telephone number.
The subject of any petition must be a matter over which Council has the power to act. In other words, the topic must be a municipal responsibility rather than a Provincial or Federal matter.
Is a Petition a "public" document?
Personal information on a petition form is collected under the authority of section 28(2) of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purpose of informing Council of the views of the petition. Personal information will not be used by the Municipality for any purpose other than to ensure it meets Council's requirements for a valid petition and to ensure contact with the spokesperson or principal petitioner. Once submitted to Council, the first page of the petition will appear on the Municipality’s website at calvintownship.ca