Speak at a City Council meeting about an agenda item

COVID-19 update

Following updated guidance issued on December 4, 2020, and extended on February 5, 2021, in-person participation for local government meetings and public hearings is not permitted under the Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Order on Gatherings and Events .

We recommend participating in meetings by sending comments to City Council online.

If you prefer to speak at the meeting, you may attend by phone. Request to speak below. We'll contact you with instructions on how to attend when we receive your request.

Prepare to speak by phone

What you need to know

Requests usually open one week before a meeting once we post the agenda. Request early to speak earlier.

Meetings are publicly streamed and recorded.

Types of meetings open to speakers
Deadlines to request to speak
Upcoming meetings taking requests
Prepare to speak
Track your turn to speak

Types of meetings open to speakers

Speak to City Council about agenda items at:

Public hearings
Council meetings
- For staff reports, you'll present on the day of the meeting
- For Council member motions, you'll present on Wednesday at the standing committee meeting
Special Council meetings
- Only for agenda items that allow speakers
Standing committee meetings (City Finance and Services, Policy and Strategic Priorities)
- For staff reports, you'll present on the day of the meeting

Deadlines to request to speak

Public hearings

Online: 5pm, day of the meeting
By telephone: 5:30pm and 6pm day of the meeting, call 604-829-4238
If you miss the deadline, attend the meeting electronically and follow the instructions for joining when additional speakers are called.

Council, Special Council, and Standing Committee meetings

Online: 8:30am, day of the meeting
By telephone: 8:30am, day of the meeting, call 604-829-4323
All requests must be received no later than one hour before the meeting is scheduled to begin.

Upcoming meetings taking requests

April 15 public hearing

You can speak about:

CD-1 Text Amendment: 1280 Burrard Street (Formerly 1262-1290 Burrard Street)
Rezoning: 4825 Laurel Street
Sign By-law Amendment: 688 Hamilton Street
Amendments to the Zoning and Development By-law to Increase Social Housing in the RM-4 and RM-3A Zoning Districts

The deadline to request to speak for the above items is Thursday, April 15, 2021, at 5 pm for online requests and from 5:30 pm to 6 pm for phone in requests by calling 604-829-4238.

Request to speak View the full agenda

Prepare to speak

Know what to expect by watching our video. It's full of tips and rules to help you prepare.

Check in before you speak

Due to COVID-19, it's recommended that you participate by phone or send written comments.

Speaking by phone

After you request to speak by phone, you’ll receive a confirmation that you’re on the speaker's list and detailed instructions on how to call in.

Follow the meeting by watching the livestream or following @VanCityClerk on Twitter to make sure you don’t miss your turn to speak. Call at the start of the item that you signed up to. Call from the phone number you provided in the request form.

The capacity to accommodate registered speakers by phone far exceeds the highest number of speakers who have ever registered to speak.
When it's your turn
We assign you with a speaker number that shows your position to speak about an agenda item. Numbers are assigned in the order we received requests to speak.

To keep track of agenda items and speaker numbers, follow our @VanCityClerk Twitter account or watch the meeting live online.

It's difficult to predict when it'll be your turn to speak – especially for meetings with a lot of speakers – because:
- Agenda items don't have start times
- Agendas can be changed during the meeting
- Speakers can sign up until one hour before the scheduled start of the meeting
- Council can ask speakers questions after they present, which can take anywhere from 0 to 33 minutes per speaker (three-minute question period × 11 elected officials = 33 minutes) at Council and Standing Committee meetings. Council members still have 5 minutes each to ask questions during Public Hearings.
Accessibility: a speaker who requires assistance to present to Council and is present at the meeting may have another individual read a statement they have prepared.
How long you can speak for and how to prepare

After staff and consultants make their presentations, the chair of the meeting invites speakers in the order they registered.

You will have five minutes to speak as an individual or on behalf of an organization. Only one individual speaker or representative speaker from each organization is permitted. You'll be notified when you have 30 seconds left to speak.

For public hearings only: You have 5 minutes if you speak as an individual or 8 minutes on behalf of other persons or groups. Each person or group representative needs to be present at the public hearing and must not be speakers themselves.

State your name, organization (if applicable), position on the recommendation (for or against), and rationale.

After you finish, any member of Council has up to 3 minutes to ask you questions at Council and standing committee meetings and 5 minutes at public hearings.

Council will hear all registered speakers. If many people signed up, you may have to attend more than one meeting before it's your turn.

Speaking by phone

A moderator will assist you during the session. When it's your turn, the moderator will unmute your microphone. At the end of your 5 minutes, you'll be informed if Council has questions for you and to remain on the line.

You can listen to the meeting while waiting on the phone or on the web livestream. Mute the livestream when it is your turn to speak.

If you have a presentation, it will be made visible on the livestream and you will need to say “next” to instruct the moderator to advance to the next slide.

Virtual participants, including Council, will be able to hear you speak, and ask questions directly, which you can answer over the phone.

If your call is dropped or disconnected, staff will advise the chair who will give you the opportunity to call back to resume your talk.
Presentations and written material
Presentations

Send your presentation to us one hour before the meeting.
- For Regular Council, Special Council, and Standing Committee meetings, email the presentation to speaker.request@vancouver.ca.
- For public hearings, send your presentation using the public hearing comment form.
Presentations received less than one hour before the meeting starts aren't accepted.

Due to COVID-19, physical material will not be accepted unless received more than 24 hours before the meeting starts.

Video and presentations are broadcast on the:
- Screen on the east wall of the Council Chamber behind the meeting chair
- Computers that councillors use during meetings
- Screen in the third floor foyer
- Live webcast
Audio is broadcast on the:
- Speakers in the Council Chamber and third floor foyer
- Live webcast
Written material

Send any written material for Council to the City Clerk up until one hour before the meeting starts.
- For Regular Council, Special Council, and Standing Committee meetings, email the material to speaker.request@vancouver.ca.
- For public hearings, send your presentation using the public hearing comment form.

Track your turn to speak

We assign you with a speaker number that shows your position to speak about an agenda item.

Speak at a City Council meeting about an agenda item

COVID-19 update

What you need to know

Types of meetings open to speakers

Deadlines to request to speak

Public hearings

Council, Special Council, and Standing Committee meetings

Upcoming meetings taking requests

April 15 public hearing

Prepare to speak

Check in before you speak

When it's your turn

How long you can speak for and how to prepare

Presentations and written material

Track your turn to speak

Follow the meeting on Twitter

Contact information, partner agencies, and website policies