Appearing Before Council

Council has provided additional direction (see Resolution C2026-006) on deputations during the 2026 Election Year.

The Council resolution outlines the following:

• Deputation deadlines as outlined above remain in effect. Anyone wishing to make a deputation must submit a written outline of their deputation by Monday at 12:00 p.m. prior to the meeting. This written outline will be shared with all members of Council in advance of the meeting.
• Each resident may make one deputation of up to 5 minutes per meeting day.
• Election-related deputations, including campaigning or content intended to influence an election, will not be heard.

Legislative Services staff receive and process deputation requests in accordance with Council direction and the Procedural By-law.

• Staff will confirm with deputants via email that the deputation request has been received and will provide further meeting details.
• Confirmed deputants will receive a reminder email ahead of the scheduled Council or Committee meeting.

• On the Monday prior to a scheduled Council or Committee meeting, staff will advise Members of Council whether deputants have submitted materials in respect of their deputation by the applicable deadline. These materials are circulated to Members of Council in advance of the meeting.

Final decisions on whether a deputation will be heard rest with Council.

Should you wish to withdraw your deputation, email clerks@eastgwillimbury.ca.

Statutory Public Meetings are held under provincial legislation, including the Planning Act.

Residents who wish to provide verbal comments at Statutory Public Meetings are encouraged to pre-register by emailing clerks@eastgwillimbury.ca, but are not required to do so in order to speak.

Public participation is limited to the specific statutory matter before Council and remains subject to applicable time limits.

To find out more about upcoming public meetings, visit the Town's Public Meetings page.

In accordance with the Town's Procedural By-law, no deputant shall:

• speak disrespectfully of any person;
• use offensive words or unparliamentary language;
• speak on any subject other than the subject for which you have requested to address Council or Committee;
• disobey the rules of procedure of a decision of the Chair or Council.

All deputants are required to follow the Town's rules of decorum during meetings. Council or Committee may limit or stop a deputation if these rules are not followed.

For more information, please review the Procedural By-law.

Members of the public can share their views at any time through other channels, such as:

• Written letters
• Emails
• Meetings with Members of Council
• Contacting Customer Service or completing a Customer Service Feedback Form
• Participating in public engagement opportunities as they become available on the Town's website and social media channels. To stay up to date on these opportunities you can follow the Town's social media channels on Facebook, X, Instagram or LinkedIn or sign up for the Town's eNewsletter. The eNewsletter is sent out once a week with the most up to date Town news and information.

Information submitted to Council or Committee, including deputations, written correspondence, and any supplementary materials, may be included on a public agenda and, if included, may be published, broadcast, or archived as part of the public record of a Council or Committee meeting.

Where information is included on a public agenda or disclosed in an open meeting, the Town is required to ensure compliance with applicable legislation governing the disclosure of information, including the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Under this Act the Town has a legal duty to protect the personal information about identifiable individuals that it receives.

To fulfil the Town’s legal duty, submissions that the Town receives from members of the public including when they submit a deputation request must comply with applicable legislation and must not include:

• personal information about identifiable individuals, including third parties, except where disclosure is permitted in accordance with the Act;
• information that identifies an individual in connection with allegations, complaints, or compliance-related matters;
• information relating to ongoing or contemplated litigation, investigations, or enforcement matters where disclosure would be inconsistent with applicable legislation;
• audio, video, or other recordings containing identifiable individuals where such disclosure would result in the disclosure of personal information; or
• any content that cannot be lawfully disclosed as part of a public Council or Committee meeting.