Presenting to Council

Contents

Contributing Your Voice at Public Hearings

Rocky View County Council meetings are open to public participation. Residents and interested parties are welcome and encouraged to attend/observe the proceedings.

Some Council agenda items are Public Hearings. If you believe you are affected by a proposed bylaw or other public hearing item, you have the opportunity to be heard.

If you provide your input to a Public Hearing you are consenting to the public release and distribution of your written or verbal submission as part of the public record. Anonymous submissions are not accepted or considered.

Method of Input

Accepted methods of input include:

  1. a written submission; OR
  2. a pre-recorded audio or video presentation; OR
  3. an in-person presentation

An individual or group may provide a written submission for a public hearing and may choose to either provide a pre-recorded audio/video submission or to present at the public hearing, but not both, in addition to their written submission.

Information on the dates, bylaw numbers, and public input submission deadlines for County public hearings can be found at www.rockyview.ca/public-notices.

No matter how you submit, you should state whether you are in support or in opposition to the matter.  You can be in favour of some parts and opposed to others, and you can discuss these specifics in your input.  But you should classify your overall input as in support if you are mostly in favour, or in opposition if you are mostly opposed.

Providing the same input in multiple ways does not increase your impact on the public hearing. The points you make are considered by Council, but extra consideration is not given to any one point simply because it is repeated in different formats. You should choose the method of providing input that is best for you and gives you the best opportunity to state your case.

Submitting in Writing

If you are unable to present in person at the public hearing, you may provide a written submission that will be provided to Council ahead of the public hearing.

All written submissions must be received by the deadline indicated on the public hearing notice in order to be included in the Council Meeting Agenda package ahead of the public hearing. Late submissions may be provided to Council at the public hearing, subject to a resolution of Council.

For a submission to be included as part of a public hearing, submissions must be received prior to the advertised submission deadline and must include the following:

  1. the name of the person providing the submission and how they are affected by the subject of the public hearing, preferably in the form of a statement of whether they are in support or in opposition and with reasons why;
  2. an indication of where the person lives in proximity to the subject of the public hearing, preferably in the form of a municipal address or legal land description;
  3. the names, if any, of any additional people that the submission is on behalf of; 
  4. an indication of where any additional people named in the submission live in proximity to the subject of the public hearing, preferably in the form of a municipal address or legal land description; and
  5. how any additional people named in the submission are affected by the subject of the public hearing, preferably in the form of a statement of whether they are in support or in opposition and with reasons why.

Written submissions must be provided in email, PDF, Microsoft Word, or physical copy format.

  • Email: Put your comments in an email and send it to legislativeservices@rockyview.ca. Include the bylaw number of the public hearing in the subject line, and your name and your municipal address (or legal land description) in the body of the email.
  • PDF or Word: Attach your submission to an email and send it to legislativeservices@rockyview.ca. Include the bylaw number of the public hearing in the subject line, and your name and your municipal address (or legal land description) in the body of the email.
  • Physical Copy: You must include the bylaw number of the public hearing, your name, and your municipal address (or legal land description) on the first page of your submission. Place your document in an envelope and write “PUBLIC HEARING SUBMISSION” clearly on the outside. Mail or courier your submission to:

    Legislative and Intergovernmental Services, Rocky View County Hall
    262075 Rocky View Point, Rocky View County, AB, T4A 0X2

    Your physical copy must be received by the submission deadline. If needed, there is an After Hours Drop Box (mail slot) at County Hall that you can use to deliver your submission. Please use only this drop box. When County Hall is closed staff or security guards cannot accept your submission in person.

Submitting a Pre-recorded Audio or Video Presentation

If you are unable to present in person at the public hearing, you may submit a pre-recorded audio or video presentation that will be played at the public hearing.

All pre-recorded presentations must be received by the deadline indicated on the public hearing notice to be played at the public hearing. Late submissions may be provided to Council at the public hearing, subject to a resolution of Council.

Pre-recorded audio/video submissions at a public hearing are limited to five minutes for an individual, or 10 minutes for a group unless extended by a resolution of Council.

Begin your presentation by clearly stating your name and the municipality you live in (such as Rocky View County, Calgary, Cochrane, etc.). Do not provide your phone number or other personal information on your recording.

If you are speaking on behalf of a group, you must state your name and municipality, and then the names and municipalities of two other people who have specifically given you authority to speak on their behalf. This counts against your time limit, so there is no need to give more than two additional names even if your group is larger, unless you believe it is important to do so. Do not provide phone numbers or other personal information on your recording.

When your presentation is complete, have the bylaw number of your public hearing ready and CLICK HERE to submit your file.

Note: Rocky View County cannot assist you in preparing or submitting your presentation. If you do not have the equipment or technical ability to record and upload your input, please provide your submission in writing or attend the public hearing to present.

Presenting in Person

To speak in support or opposition to a matter, you may attend the public hearing at the date and time indicated on the public hearing notice.

Presentations at a public hearing are limited to five minutes for an individual, or 10 minutes for a group, unless extended by a resolution of Council.

When presenting at a public hearing, each presenter must provide:

  1. their name and how they are affected by the subject of the public hearing, preferably in the form of a statement of whether they are in support or in opposition and the reasons why;
  2. an indication of where they live in proximity to the subject of the public hearing, preferably in the form of a municipal address or legal land description;
  3. the names, if any, of any additional people that the presentation is on behalf of;
  4. an indication of where any additional people named in the presentation live in proximity to the subject of the public hearing, preferably in the form of a municipal address or legal land description; and
  5. how any additional people named in the submission are affected by the subject of the public hearing, preferably in the form of a statement of whether they are in support or in opposition and the reasons why.

If your presentation includes a written or visual component, you must bring a digital copy or 20 physical copies for distribution at the public hearing. Any materials provided at the public hearing will be retained by the County to be included in the public record.

Questions

Information on County public hearings can be found at www.rockyview.ca/public-notices.

Rocky View County cannot assist you with your input. However, if you have questions of clarification on anything outlined on this page, or on the public hearing process in general, please email us at legislativeservices@rockyview.ca or call us at 403-230-1401.