WEST END NEIGHBOURS - Café # 2“So You Want to Speak to City Council"

A crash course on voicing your opinion at

city rezoning hearings

Welcome: Objectives and Topics

• Introduction to “Café” concept• General overview about the purpose of

Municipal Government• Review of the role of City Council• Opportunities for Public Input• Purpose of Public Hearings– The Public’s Role– Council’s Role

• Sharing opinions effectively• Questions, Comments, Concerns?

What is a Café?

•17th and 18th century practice that focused on enlightening public opinion by encouraging the exchange of news and ideas.

•Inspired by the “Salons” of Europe – a gathering of people held partly to amuse one another and partly to increase the knowledge of the participants.

Order of Events

• Presentation on Municipal Government and Public Input

• Question / Answer / Discussion to Follow

• For those questions that can’t be answered this evening, we will attempt to find the information and report back to the WEN Website:

www.westendneighbours.com

Does Vancouver City Hall seem like a dark and forbidding place?

We’ll try to provide some ideas on sharing opinions effectively

• Many Citizens come to speak before the Council for the first time. Their comfort level is low since, at times, it can be overwhelming.

• We would hope this session helps people feel more at ease in addressing the Council so that they can better articulate their thoughts

Why Hold this Session?

Municipal Government

• A bit of background on Municipal Government

• Democracy is a political form of government in which governing power is derived from the people, either by referendum (direct democracy) or through elected representatives of the people (representative democracy)

Local Government

• Representative democracy is founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people – City Government is a form of this type of democracy

• City Council is charged with the responsibility of acting in the people's interest

Local Government• "Local government" only acts within powers delegated to it by

higher levels of government and in BC, Local Government is considered a “child” of the province.

Responsibilities of Local Government include:• Public safety - policing and firefighting • Local transportation –management of the roads and bridges• Management of education through the school board• Finance and collecting municipal taxes. • Parks• Utility services (Water distribution, Sewer, etc) • Planning and development including regulating building permits

and the zoning of land

City of Vancouver Government

• The City of Vancouver is governed by Mayor Gregor Robertson and 10 Councillors, all who serve a three-year term

• Operation of the City Government is regulated by a provincial statute called the Vancouver Charter

• All other municipalities in BC are regulated by the Local Government Act and the BC Community Charter

Role of City Council

• The principal job of a Council member is to make policy for the governance of the City

• Council’s main focus is not the day-to-day administration of city affairs, it is the making of policy and passing of legislation to establish priorities for the function of the City

• Council relies on input from many sources, including staff, citizens' groups, advisory committees, other organizations and levels of government and residents

• After policy decisions are made by Council, City staff implement these decisions.

Where does this leave the Public?

• We have a group of elected officials who are charged with running our city efficiently by making policy and passing legislation

• We have legislation that says we are entitled to provide input

• So what are the ways in which we best share our opinions?

How and When to Provide Input?

• Type of situations in which the public might be called to provide input to Council are for general issues, such as for the creation of a long-term financial plan or for specific land use changes such as rezoning bylaws

• Input could be directed toward

• Creation of Policy • The Community Plan Process • Public Hearings for Rezoning Bylaws

How and When to Provide Input?

Opportunities for input can be informal or formal

• Any resident can send a letter or an email to their elected Council members at any time and on any issue related to City government

• Or a formal opportunity may be provided through a Public Workshop, a Council Meeting, or a Public Hearing

What is a Public Hearing

• A Public Hearing is special meeting of City Council. The Mayor or Deputy Mayor is the chair of the meeting and at least six members of City Council must be present

• Public Hearings are held to consider rezoning matters and heritage designations.

• The Vancouver Charter requires that Council hear from the public about these issues before making a decision

Public Hearing Notice

• Notice of a hearing is to be published in a local newspaper at least 7 days and not more than 14 days before the date of the hearing

• The City sometimes sends “courtesy letters” to nearby properties, or to people who have declared an interest in the proposal

• Notice is also provided on the City’s website at: www.vancouver.ca

How do I register to speak at a Public Hearing?

There are two ways to register to speak:

1. Call the City Clerk's Office at 604-873-7276 and ask to have your name added to the speakers list

2. Residents can go to the Public Hearing about 30 minutes early and register to speak at the sign-up table

What if I don’t wish to Speak?

• There may be situations where you cannot attend a hearing, or simply don’t wish to

• You can share your information and thoughts with a letter or an email which can be entered into the official record of the hearing or Council meeting

• An appearance in person does tend to “carry more weight” than a written submission

Public Hearing Agenda Package

• The City Clerks Department will prepare a “Speakers List”• The Speakers List will be filled on a “first come, first served” except if

members of Council, advisory panels, or union representatives wish to speak – then those speakers go to front of list  

• The Speakers List and the Hearing Agenda will be published and available at the entrance to the Council chamber at the time of the Public Hearing

Typical Agenda

Public Hearing Procedure

• A "roll call" confirms attendance and Council quorum and the Clerk reads the first agenda item

• The Clerk then provides a summary to Council of all correspondence received• Planning staff explain the application and the staff recommendation before Council. • The applicant is called upon to add any further explanation or reasons why the

application should be approved, and any comments on the staff recommendation

Public Hearing Procedure

• The Chair proceeds with delegations from the public, in order, based on the Speakers List

• if a person is not on the Speakers List they are eligible to address Council after those on the list have concluded speaking

• All persons who deem themselves affected by the proposed by-law are afforded an opportunity to be heard in matters contained in the proposed by-law

• The hearing may be adjourned from time to time, and may be re-convened on a different day

• When the last person whose name is on the list has spoken, the Chair will call three times for any others who wish to address Council on the application

Public Hearing Procedure

• The Chair may also allow Council members to direct questions to staff or the applicant in response to comments made by delegations from the public.

• Council's role at a Public Hearing is to listen to the public - Council does not debate or challenge the comments being offered but may question what they hear in order to be clear as to what is being said

• All comments presented to City Council are to be to the merits of the application before Council - other comments are out of order.

Speaking at the Public Hearing

• Give your name and address – or just the street on which you live – not required, but is helpful for Council

• If you wish, state how long you have lived in the neighbourhood

• Write down your comments, both to speak from, and to allow them to be submitted for Council after you speak

• Try not to repeat what others have said, but do reinforce issues already raised, and with which you agree

Speaking at the Public Hearing

• All comments should be addressed to the chair of the meeting, not to individual members of Council or to Staff

• Don’t expect that questions raised will be answered, but you may wish to suggest to Council that they ask questions

• There is no set limit on speaking times, but speakers are normally requested to keep comments to not more than 5 minutes

• Should you exceed your speaking time you may speak multiple times, but you may not repeat the same information

What Happens Next?• When the Public Hearing has concluded, Council frequently will proceed to discuss the

application and reach a decision – this may include advancing a rezoning bylaw to the next step

• Council may pass the proposed by-law in its original form or as altered as Council sees fit based in input at the Public Hearing

• When this discussion occurs, it is a discussion of City Council and no further public input is heard.

• Council will sometimes conduct this discussion at a future Council meeting

Making your Voice Heard

• Be Clear• Be Brief• Be Respectful• Stay on Topic• Be relevant

Some Tips on Making an Effective Submission• Know your material • Practice! • Know the audience – tailor your message to the decision-makers• Relax. Thank Council for the opportunity. Pause, smile and count to three before saying

anything. Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm • Don’t apologize for any nervousness or “stumble”• Your submission should represent you — as an authority and as a person – the purpose of

a Public Hearing is to hear from you – the Public

Making your Case

• Ensure you are factual – generalizations can cause Council to dismiss your argument if you don’t back up your position

• BUT – don’t be shy about sharing personal stories or impacts. Provide the “human element” that Council needs to make its decisions

Making your Case

• Relate your submission back to the purpose of the Public Hearing – the bylaw under consideration

• Remind Council of its own legislation and guidelines

• Remind Council of past consultation and input

• Be cautious about raising view impacts as a principal objection – the City does not typically provide legal protection for private views

Making your Case

• Provide solutions - Offer constructive suggestions about different approaches

• Be firm, but avoid being confrontational or angry

• Be aware that Council cannot entertain discussion unrelated to the specific application – stick to the topic

Council Response

• Council’s role is to Listen at a Public Hearing

• Council MAY badger members of the public or attempt to deflect the discussion from the issues

• Be firm

• Don’t feel obliged to answer questions or to provide solutions

• Defer questions to staff – the “experts”

Value of Public Hearings

The Public hearing is the public's only legal opportunity to speak directly to Council on matters that will affect quality of life. That process needs to be taken seriously, and the public needs to feel comfortable sharing their views - not be criticized for their opinions.

With the Public’s participation, City Hall can seem like

an opportunity, rather than a

challenge.Perhaps the sun can shine once again at 12th and Cambie.