Council Meetings

Electronic Council Meetings

• Council Meetings and General Committee Meetings will be held electronically, until further notice.
• Until further notice is given, meetings will begin at 6 p.m., not the usual 6:30 p.m. start time.  
• Meetings will be broadcast live on the City's YouTube Channel. The live feed for the meeting will become active a few minutes before the scheduled start time of the meeting.
A recording of each meeting will air on YourTV on Wednesday at 9 a.m. following each Council Meeting.

2021 City Council Meeting Dates

2021 Meeting Dates - meetings start at 6 p.m.

• Monday, January 18
• Monday, February 1
• Monday, February 22
• Monday, March 8
• Monday, March 29
• Monday, April 12
• Monday, April 26
• Monday, May 3 - Special Closed Council Meeting for the purpose of equity education and training for the members of Council.
• Monday, May 10
• Wednesday, May 26 - Special Closed Council Meeting for the purpose of equity education and training for the members of Council.
• Monday, May 31
• Monday, June 7 - Special Council Meeting to discuss the City's Strategic Plan and for the Annual Meeting of the Shareholder for St. Catharines Hydro Inc.
• Monday, June 14
• Monday, June 28
• Monday, July 12
• Monday, August 9
• Monday, September 13
• Monday, September 27
• Monday, October 4
• Monday, October 18
• Monday, November 1
• Monday, November 15
• Monday, November 29
• Monday, December 13

Procedural By-Law 

Meetings of Council are regulated by Bylaw 2015-170, the City's Procedural By-Law. The procedural by-law is amended by the following by-laws:

• Bylaw 2019-32
• Bylaw 2020-36
• Bylaw 2020-63

Submitting Correspondence for Items Being Discussed at City Council Meetings

If there is an item on the Council Agenda or General Committee Agenda that is of interest to you, please send an email to the Office of the City Clerk outlining your thoughts, concerns and opinions regarding the item, or mail or drop-off your correspondence to City Hall.

• Items of correspondence received will be shared with the Members of Council and the appropriate City staff members.
• At the start of Council Meetings and General Committee Meetings there is an agenda item called "Adoption of the Agenda." At this time, the title of each item of correspondence and who it is from will be identified as additional correspondence.
• The additional items of correspondence will be listed in the minutes for the meeting and form part of the official record.

Submitting Correspondence by Email

• You can attach a letter to an email or simply type an email and send it.
• Correspondence must be submitted by noon the day of Council Meetings. We have set this deadline to give the Members of Council enough time to read all of the items of correspondence submitted. 
• To submit correspondence by email please send an email to the Office of the City Clerk

Submitting Correspondence by Mail

• Items must be dropped off by 4:30 p.m. two business days before the meeting. Example, for a Council Meeting happening on a Monday, correspondence must be dropped off by Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
• Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, items cannot be brought to the Office of the City Clerk. Mail correspondence must be placed in the mail slot at City Hall (50 Church Street). The mail slot is located at the James Street entrance of City Hall. Put your item(s) of correspondence to the attention of the City Clerk.

Electronic Delegations at Council Meetings

Physical delegations at City Council Meetings are not available at this time.

At this time, the recommended method for submitting information to the Mayor and Members of Council is through written correspondence. See the section above for details. 

If you would like to make an electronic delegation, please review the process detailed below. Please note, as with any form of technology, there is always a risk for technical difficulties. Therefore, instead of making an electronic delegation, individuals 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.

Requesting to make an electronic delegation at an upcoming City Council Meeting

• Electronic meetings, and electronic delegations, are held using Zoom.
• Phone delegations are also available using Zoom. Phone delegates do not need to download Zoom to participate; however, they must use a landline or cell phone in order to participate. 
• Requests for electronic or phone delegations must be received one day in advance of the meeting. Example - for a Monday meeting, the request must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.
• Electronic and phone delegates are required to attend a mandatory test session at 10 a.m. the day of the meeting. Only those who successfully attend the test session will be able to participate in the meeting.
• Electronic and phone delegation requests will only be accepted using our online Delegation Request Form.

Contacting your Ward Councillors  

We recommend reaching out to your Ward Councillors regarding agenda items that are of interest to you. Your Councillors can then advocate on your behalf at Council Meetings.

Help Your Neighbours

We recognize that not everyone has access to all forms of technology. If you know someone who wants to comment on an item on the Council Agenda or General Committee Agenda, but doesn't have access to email, please consider emailing on their behalf.

In your email to the Office of the City Clerk, simply state the name of the individual for whom you are submitting the item of correspondence. We will then attribute that item of correspondence to the individual identified.