District Council and Council meetings

District Council meets regularly to discuss and make decision on topics and issues of interest to the community.  

Council meeting types

Below is an overview of the different types of meetings held by Council, along with their purposes.  

Regular meetings 

We hold regular council meetings on Monday evenings at District Hall that are open to the public.  

Meeting agendas and packages are posted the Tuesday before a scheduled regular meeting. 

During the start of every regular meeting, there is a 30-minute period for public input. Priority is given to individuals addressing specific agenda items, but there is also an opportunity for input on matters not listed on the agenda. 

Council approves and posts the schedule for regular council meetings annually in December for the upcoming year.  

Special meetings 

Special meetings are called as needed to address urgent business. These meetings require a public notice, and can be called by: 

  • the Mayor   
  • the Mayor upon the request of two or more Council members 
  • two or more Council members under specified circumstances  

Occasionally, the Mayor will ask that a special meeting include all the items of business that appear on a regular agenda (minutes, public input, council reports, etc.), which is why the meeting will often resemble a regular meeting and include public input.  

Workshops 

Workshops allow Council the opportunity to discuss and ask staff questions in an informal setting. While workshops are open to the public, the public input opportunity is limited to 10 minutes at the end of the workshop and the public must speak to an agenda item.  

Workshops are included on the meeting schedule approved annually in December. They may also be added to the schedule as required throughout the year.

Closed meetings 

All meetings of local government elected and appointed bodies (committees, commissions, and other subsidiary bodies) must be open to the public unless authorized to be closed.  

Under certain circumstances, municipal councils or regional district boards may close a meeting or part of a meeting by passing a resolution outlining the basis for closing the meeting.  

Learn more about the specific requirements to hold a closed meeting  

Public hearings 

Public hearings allow all residents a reasonable opportunity to make representations to Council if they believe their property is affected by a proposed bylaw. This includes making a speech or presentation at the public hearing, or providing a written submission.

The Local Government Act governs public hearings, which are required for zoning bylaw amendments not residential and consistent with the Official Community Plan (OCP). When there is no consistency with the OCP, local government must hold a public hearing on a proposed zoning bylaw, including amendments to the bylaw.   

As part of the new provincial housing legislation, we can no longer hold public hearings for residential projects conforming to the OCP. 

Council may not receive new information for consideration related to the topic of the hearing following the closure of a public hearing. However, after the bylaw is adopted or defeated, Council may, once again, discuss it and receive information on it.   

Public meetings 

Public meetings allow the public to speak to Council about various issues or proposed changes that do not require a public hearing, such as consideration of a childcare facility licence or changes to business licence regulations.