Professional Documents
Culture Documents
COUNCIL DECISION-MAKING
TABLE OF CONTENTS
VOLUME 2: COUNCIL DECISION-MAKING
GLOSSARY V
MAIN CONTACTS ................................................................................... IX
INDEX.xi
1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1
1.1 YOUR ROLE IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS ............................................1
1.1.1 Statutory role of City Council .................................................2
1.1.2 Council and Committee workload ..........................................2
1.1.3 Members' responsibilities.......................................................3
1.2 THE CITY CLERK'S SECRETARIAT ........................................................5
1.2.1 Procedural advice ..................................................................5
1.2.2 Confidential motion drafting ...................................................5
Appendices 1
1A Council Procedures, Municipal Code Chapter 27
TABLE OF CONTENTS i
3 AGENDAS ........................................................................................... 11
3.1 HOW TO GET COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE AGENDAS ............................. 11
3.1.1 Electronic distribution .......................................................... 11
3.1.2 Paper distribution ................................................................ 12
3.1.3 Confidential agenda materials............................................. 12
3.2 GOING PAPERLESS! ......................................................................... 13
3.3 HOW MEMBERS CAN GET THINGS ON THE AGENDA .............................. 14
3.3.1 Write to Committee ............................................................. 14
3.3.2 Submit a Member Motion to City Council ............................ 15
3.4 PUBLIC PETITIONS ........................................................................... 16
3.4.1 How Council deals with public petitions .............................. 17
3.5 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE PUBLIC ............................................... 17
3.6
APPENDICES 3
3A Writing guide for Notices of Motions and Condolence Motions
4
MEETINGS 21
ii TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPENDICES 4
4A Seating protocol for committees
4B Council Chamber seating plan
4C Points of order and privilege
5 APPOINTMENTS ................................................................................ 43
5.1 MEMBER APPOINTMENTS .................................................................. 43
5.1.1 Process ............................................................................... 43
5.2 MAYOR'S APPOINTMENTS & MEMBERSHIPS........................................ 44
5.2.1 Toronto Police Services Board ............................................ 46
5.2.2 Corporations Nominating Panels ........................................ 47
5.3 PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS .................................................................... 47
5.3.1 Eligibility requirements ........................................................ 48
5.3.2 Term of appointment ........................................................... 48
5.3.3 Board information ................................................................ 49
5.3.4 Recruitment process ........................................................... 49
5.3.5 Nomination process ............................................................ 50
5.3.6 Public reporting of recommended candidates ..................... 50
5.3.7 References for candidates .................................................. 51
5.3.8 How to help promote public appointments .......................... 51
iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
GLOSSARY
The following terms are defined for the purpose of this handbook.
Agency
Agenda closing
Bill
By-law
Centre table
Chair of Council
City Clerk
GLOSSARY v
Code of Conduct
Community council
Condolence motion
Confidential
documents
Corporation
Council Procedures
vi GLOSSARY
Media gallery
Member motion
Members of Council
or Members
Minutes
Motion without
notice
Municipal Code
Notice of motion
Order paper
Point of order
Point of privilege
GLOSSARY vii
Public gallery
Public petition
Secretariat
Special Committee
Standing committee
viii GLOSSARY
MAIN CONTACTS
City Clerk
Ulli S. Watkiss
416-392-8010
uwatkis@toronto.ca
Director, Secretariat
John Elvidge
416-392-8641
jelvidge@toronto.ca
Agenda subscriptions
Kathleen Bartha,
Administrator
416-397-4104
kbartha@toronto.ca
Audio Visual
Services
416-392-7181
416-392-6665
klunn@toronto.ca
Marilyn Toft,
Manager, Council &
By-Laws
416-392-7032
mtoft@toronto.ca
Committees and
Boards
Frances Pritchard,
Manager,
Committees &
Boards
416-392-4339
fpritcha@toronto.ca
Community Councils
Helen Smith,
416-392-0146
Manager,
hlsmith@toronto.ca
Community Councils
Condolence Motions
Marilyn Toft,
Manager, Council &
By-Laws
Individual Committee
matters
416-392-7032
mtoft@toronto.ca
MAIN CONTACTS ix
416-392-0473
cnlhelp@toronto.ca
Monday to Friday,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Member Appointments
Marilyn Toft,
Manager, Council &
By-Laws
416-392-7032
mtoft@toronto.ca
Presentations in
Council
Barbara Sullivan,
Director, Protocol
416-392-4273
bsulliv2@toronto.ca
Public Appointments
Kelly McCarthy,
Manager, Public
Appointments
416-397-7796
kmccart3@toronto.ca
x MAIN CONTACTS
INDEX
A
Agendas
-
11
14-16
Closings
15
Confidential material
12
Going paperless
13
18
Appointments
-
Members
43
Mayor's
44
Public
47-51
40-41
C
Chapter 27 (Council Procedures)
Appendix 1A
38
Closing a meeting
37
Code of Conduct
Committee meetings
23-27
Making amendments
26
23
Member seating
24, Appendix 4A
Non-member participation
26
Order of business
25
Public participation
24
Voting
27, 32-33
Condolence motions
19
12
INDEX xi
17
27
Council/committee system
Council meetings
27-33
Amendments
32
29
Centre table
28
27
Holding items
31
32
Media gallery
29
Members' Lounge
29
Order of business
30
Order paper
31
Public gallery
29
Seating of Members
27, Appendix 4B
Security
29
Voting
32
Council procedures
Appendix 1A
D
Deadlines (agendas)
14-16
Declaration of interest
39-40
Delegated items
Appendix 2A
E
Electronic agendas
11
H
Holidays (meeting dates)
xii INDEX
21
I
Integrity Commissioner
51
L
Legislative framework
M
Members' Lounge
29
41
Motions
-
Condolence motion
19
Notice of motion
15
16
Writing guide
Appendix 3A
O
Open and closed meetings
36
Order of business
25, 30
Order paper
31
P
Paper agendas
12
34-35
Appendix 4C
18
Procedural advice
Procedures (Council)
Appendix 1A
Public correspondence
17
29
24
Public petitions
16-17
INDEX xiii
R
Recruitment process (public appointments)
49
Responsibility of Members
Role of Council
Seating of Members
24, 27,
Appendix 4A
Appendix 4B
Secretariat
Security in Council
29
Schedule of meetings
21
27
Special meetings
22
T
Times of meetings
23
V
Voting
27, 32
40
W
Workload Council and committees
Appendix 3A
xiv INDEX
INTRODUCTION
This volume provides an overview of the Councillor's role in the
decision-making process.
The City of Toronto Council operates in accordance with various
pieces of provincial legislation and municipal by-laws, including:
INTRODUCTION 1
Community
Councils
Standing
Committees
2 INTRODUCTION
Special
Committees
City
Agencies
and
Corporations
Boards by
virtue of
office
External
Boards
INTRODUCTION 3
4 INTRODUCTION
The City Clerk and the staff of the City Clerk's Secretariat provide
meeting management support to City Council, Committees and a
number of City Boards by: preparing and publishing agendas;
giving notice; taking minutes of meetings; publishing decisions;
managing the City's Municipal Code and By-laws; and managing
Council Member and public appointments.
INTRODUCTION 5
6 INTRODUCTION
2.1
Council can waive some but not all of its rules on a twothirds vote.
2.2
AGENDAS
3.1
AGENDAS
11
12 AGENDAS
3.2
Going paperless!
It is possible to go paperless when attending Committee and
Council meetings:
The following are not posted online and are available in paper
only:
AGENDAS
13
3.3
14 AGENDAS
AGENDAS
15
3.4
Public petitions
A Member may wish or be asked to file a petition at a Council
meeting. Council's Procedures (Appendix 1A) set out the
requirements for public petitions.
Before submitting a petition at Council, Members must examine it
to ensure that it meets these requirements. As petitions often
contain personal information, Members must confirm that the
petitioners' intent is for the petition to be submitted to City
Council or Committee as a matter of public record.
16 AGENDAS
3.5
AGENDAS
17
3.6
18 AGENDAS
3.7
Condolence Motions
Contact:
AGENDAS
19
20 AGENDAS
MEETINGS
Contact:
4.1
Schedule of meetings
Council approves an annual Schedule. The Schedule complies
with all relevant Council policies on respecting days and times of
cultural or religious significance.
No meetings are scheduled on:
Statutory holidays
Mawlid al-Nabiy
Orthodox Christmas
(Eastern)
Eid al-Adha
Eve of Passover
Easter (Western)
Orthodox Easter
(Eastern)
MEETINGS
21
Written or electronic notice for the special meeting must state the
business to be considered.
A majority of the Members can petition the City Clerk to call a
special meeting:
Petitions must set out the purpose and the date and time
of the meeting.
22 MEETINGS
4.3
Meeting times
City Council meetings
Committee meetings
4.4
Committee meetings
4.4.1 Meeting room features
City Hall has four Committee rooms. Committee Rooms 1 and 2
are the largest and are used by Council's standing committees
and special committees. Committee Rooms 3 and 4 are smaller
spaces which are generally used by other committees.
The former Council Chambers in the Etobicoke, North York and
Scarborough civic centres are used by the respective Community
Council.
MEETINGS
23
24 MEETINGS
Declarations of interest
Confirmation of minutes
Public presentations
Questioning of officials
Voting
MEETINGS
25
Speak to a matter
Place motions
Vote
Committee Chairs will open questioning and speaking to nonmembers before taking the matter into Committee for debate by
appointed members.
26 MEETINGS
4.4.7 Voting
Once all debate on an item has ended, committees will vote.
Committees generally vote by a show of hands. A committee
member can request a recorded vote. Recorded votes are
included in the minutes of the committee meeting.
4.5
MEETINGS
27
28 MEETINGS
MEETINGS
29
30 MEETINGS
Call to Order
National Anthem
Moment of Silence
Confirmation of Minutes
Declarations of Interests
General Bills
Confirmatory Bills
Adjournment
Council reviews and adopts the Order Paper at the start of each
day.
MEETINGS
31
On the first day, the Chair will do an agenda review of the Items
listed on the Order Paper. Members may hold additional items
for debate (those not already held in advance).
Once Council adopts its Order Paper for the day, any change
requires a two-thirds vote of members present.
4.5.14 Voting
Council can vote by a show of hands. Any Member can request
that a vote be recorded. Recorded votes are included in the
minutes of the Council meeting.
32 MEETINGS
Motion to refer
Motion to defer
Motion to receive
MEETINGS
33
4.6
34 MEETINGS
These include
Rights and
privileges of a
Member
"personal
privilege"
These include:
MEETINGS
35
4.7
36 MEETINGS
MEETINGS
37
a procedural matter; or
38 MEETINGS
4.8
Declaring interests
Members of Council are bound by the provisions of the Municipal
Conflict of Interest Act.
City officials cannot give Members advice on their interests.
Members must independently determine if they have an interest
for the purposes of the Act.
Members must declare interests at each meeting that an
applicable matter appears on an agenda. Members should not
rely on City officials, including the City Clerk, to remind them of
interests previously declared.
MEETINGS
39
4.9
40 MEETINGS
4.10
MEETINGS
41
42 MEETINGS
APPOINTMENTS
5.1
Member appointments
Contact:
5.1.1 Process
The City Clerk will canvass all Members for their interest in
appointment to Committees and boards. The City Clerk will ask
Members to submit their preferences by a deadline. The City
Clerk will submit the summary of Members' preferences to the
Striking Committee. The Striking Committee will submit its
recommendations for appointments to City Council for its
consideration.
At the midpoint of the term and when vacancies occur throughout
the term, the City Clerk will canvass Members for their interest in
being appointed.
APPOINTMENTS 43
5.2
44
APPOINTMENTS
Heritage Toronto
Invest Toronto
Toronto Zoo
APPOINTMENTS 45
Build Toronto
Waterfront Toronto
46
APPOINTMENTS
5.3
Build Toronto
Invest Toronto
Public appointments
Contact:
APPOINTMENTS 47
Committee of Adjustment
48
APPOINTMENTS
Frequency of meetings
Compensation of members
APPOINTMENTS 49
50
APPOINTMENTS
APPOINTMENTS 51
52
APPOINTMENTS