City Council Delegation Request Form

We're pleased to offer residents the opportunity to make electronic or phone delegations at City Council meetings and Council Budget meetings. However, due to the risk of technical difficulties, instead of making an electronic delegation you are encouraged to submit written correspondence to the Office of the City Clerk, which will be shared with the members of Council and form part of the public record of the meeting. Visit our Council Meetings webpage for information on submitting correspondence to City Council.

Please read the information below should you wish to continue with making a request for an electronic or phone delegation. Please note, the process and timelines are different than our normal practice for making delegations.

Delegation Rules

• Delegation requests must be submitted using this form by 9:00 a.m. the day of the meeting. Example: for a Monday evening meeting, this form must be submitted and received by City staff by 9:00 a.m. on the Monday.
• Delegations are only permitted for items on the agenda.
• Delegations are not permitted for the following agenda items:
  • Report Requests. 
  • Notices of Motion.
  • Closed Session Items.
  • Items listed as Correspondence or noted as Additional Correspondence.
• Electronic Meetings are held using Zoom (Zoom is a free online meeting tool). Visit www.zoom.us to learn more about Zoom.
• You are responsible for accessing Zoom on your device (i.e. laptop, PC, mobile phone, tablet) and ensuring that your device meets the minimum technical requirements needed to run Zoom.
• To ensure optimal audio and visual representation, electronic delegations will be limited to one individual speaking at a time. Group electronic delegations will not be permitted.
• Delegates are limited to five minutes to present.
• PowerPoint presentations must be submitted by noon five days before the Meeting (example: submitted by Thursday at noon for a Monday meeting).
  • PowerPoints will not be accepted after the submission deadline.
  • If you register as delegate after the PowerPoint submission deadline you will not be able to submit a PowerPoint presentation.
  • Delegates will not be able to control their PowerPoint presentations during the meeting. City staff will advance PowerPoint presentations for delegates.
  • Revised or updated PowerPoint presentations will not be accepted after the PowerPoint submission deadline.    
• Electronic delegates must take part in a test session with City staff in advance of the meeting.
• When they are not speaking during the meeting, delegates are required to turn off their camera and their microphone must be muted (delegates will still be able to see and hear the meeting when their cameras are off and their microphones are muted).
• In order to participate via phone you must have a landline or cell phone. Rotary phones cannot be used. 

Process for Requesting to Make an Electronic or Phone Delegation

1. Complete the questions listed on this form. Requests to make a delegation will ONLY be accepted using this form.  
2. Once the form is submitted, a member of the Clerk's Office will email you information regarding the mandatory test session.
3. After successfully participating in the test session you will be emailed information for the Council Meeting. 

Forms must be submitted in full to be accepted. Upon submitting your form, this page will refresh and the message "form successfully submitted" will display. If you do not see this message it means your electronic delegation request form has not been received by the Office of the City Clerk.

Your Contact Information

Mandatory Test Session - for Electronic and Phone Delegates

Delegates are required to participate in a mandatory test Zoom session with City staff. Testing will cover the quality of the delegate's device; review the process for the delegate to join the meeting; and review the delegation process. 

The Mandatory Test Session will be held at 10 a.m. the day of the Council Meeting.

• Test sessions take less than 5 minutes to complete.
• Other members of the public may be in the same test session. 
• City staff will contact you via email with your test session information.
• If you do not attend the test session you will not be able to make a delegation to City Council.

Delegation Process During Meetings - Electronic Delegations

• Delegates are required to join the meeting 15 minutes in advance of the start time for the meeting.
• Delegates are responsible for ensuring their background is free from offensive or vulgar material. If inappropriate material is visible you will be removed from the meeting.
• Your microphone is to be muted and your video camera is to be turned off until you are called to speak.
• Once the Chair has called you to speak, you are responsible for turning on your video camera and microphone. 
• After you've finished speaking, the members of Council will have the opportunity to ask you questions. 
• Once your delegation is over, please mute your microphone and turn off your camera. Once voting on the item has taken place, delegates will be removed from the meeting completely.
• Once removed from the meeting, you can visit www.stcatharines.ca/YouTube if you wish to continue watching the meeting.

Delegation Process During Meetings - Phone Delegations 

• Delegates are required to join the Council Meeting 15 minutes before the start of the meeting.
• Delegates’ microphones are to remain muted until they are called to speak.
• Once the Chair has called you to speak, you are responsible for unmuting your microphone.
• Delegates are not to use speaker phone.
• After you've finished speaking, the members of Council / BSC will have the opportunity to ask you questions. 
• Once your delegation is over, you are to mute your phone.
• Once voting on the item has taken place, delegates will be removed from the meeting completely.
• Once removed from the meeting, you can visit www.stcatharines.ca/YouTube if you wish to continue watching the meeting.

Technical Difficulties During Meetings

• Beyond the mandatory training session, City staff will not provide technical assistance for delegates before or during Meetings.
• If a delegate’s connection to the meeting fails during the meeting, it is the discretion of the Chair to call for a brief recess, change the order of the delegates, or decide to proceed with the meeting without the delegation. If the connection cannot be re-established, the comments received up to that point will be included as part of the official record and the meeting will continue.
• If a delegate does not present when called upon by the Chair the delegate will be considered absent and the meeting will continue without the delegation.
• If, in the Chair’s opinion, a delegate’s audio / video is not of an acceptable quality, the Chair may require the delegate to use the dial-in option or may continue the meeting without the delegation.

Personal information, as defined in the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), collected in connection with the request to appear as a delegate at a City Council meeting will be used solely for purposes related to the delegation for the specified meeting and for any consistent purposes, including the delegate’s name and submission being included on the Meeting agenda, minutes, and related materials. By providing your information, you acknowledge that all personal information submitted to the City of St. Catharines is being collected under the authority of the Municipal Act and is subject to disclosure under the Municipal Freedom of Information Act (MFIPPA). Questions about this collection, use and disclosure of this personal information may be directed to the Corporate Records Coordinator at 905-688-5601 ext. 1504.