Communicating with Council

Writing to Mayor and Council

All correspondence should be addressed to "Mayor and Members of Council" in order to be considered for placement on a Council agenda.    

Submissions may be dropped off at the Orillia City Centre at the first floor reception desk, mailed, faxed or e-mailed. Submissions received before 12:00 Noon on the Wednesday prior to a regular Council meeting will be considered for placement on that agenda and will generally appear within the "Consent Agenda" section.

If you wish to receive a response, please include your complete mailing address with your postal code, phone numbers and email address as part of a covering email or cover page to your submission, in order for staff in the City Clerk's Office to contact you.

It is the City's practice when emails/letters are received and also circulated/copied to all members of Council by the author, that it not be placed on an upcoming agenda.  The purpose of this practice is to eliminate the duplication of items received by members of Council.

Any member of Council may request to have an email/letter they have received, to be placed on an agenda for discussion.

Do not include personal information within the correspondence if you do not wish this information to be published.

Letters containing profanity or submitted anonymously will NOT be circulated or placed on an agenda.

The City of Orillia collects personal information in your communications to City Council or its Committees under the Municipal Act, 2001.  This information is collected to enable Council and/or its Committees to make informed decisions on the relevant matter.  Individuals who make submission to Council should be aware that any personal information in their communications may become part of the public record and may be made available to the public through the agenda process which includes publication on the City's website.

Appearing Before Mayor and Council

Deputations to Council

Any person wishing to appear as a deputation to Council at a regular meeting must complete the "Deputation Request Form" and return it to the Clerk's Office.

Deputation requests are screened by the Clerk, in consultation with the Mayor. The Clerk's Office will contact you by telephone, letter, or email regarding your request. The Clerk will inform Council of requests that are not granted.

If a deputation request is granted, all presentation materials must be submitted to the Clerk's Office by 12:00 Noon on the Wednesday prior to the Council meeting date. 

Deputation Guidelines

There are some restrictions regarding delegations/deputations:

• The subject matter of the deputation must be within municipal jurisdiction.
• Any person who has previously addressed Council on a topic will not be allowed a second deputation unless the person can prove that there is new information to present to Council.
• No deputation requests will be heard during the summer months.
• A maximum of three speakers will be permitted per deputation.
• Each deputation will be limited to a maximum of 15 minutes.
• No more than two deputations shall be scheduled for any Council meeting, subject to the necessity to deal with matters of an urgent nature.
• Deputations to Council from declared candidates for elected office shall not be permitted.
• Deputations shall not promote a specific business.

Deputation Process

Deputations are scheduled at the beginning of regular Council meetings only. If you are chosen to present a deputation, you do not have to read your deputation to Council. They will have already received a copy of your written submission. Instead, simply state the reason you are appearing, the solution or action you are seeking and the reason for your request.

Following your deputation, members of Council will then have the opportunity to ask you any further questions but they shall not enter into a debate. Members of Council will only interrupt a deputation on a point of order.

After Council has heard your deputation and the members have asked you any questions that they might have, the Mayor will ask you to take a seat in the gallery.  Any motions arising from a deputation shall be considered under the "Motion" heading of the agenda. Members of Council will then discuss the matter and determine an appropriate course of action.

Contacting Mayor and Council

Visit the following pages for Mayor and Members of Council contact information.

Mayor Steve Clarke

Councillors