How to Participate
Your Voice Matters
The District of Tofino Mayor and Council greatly value community input. Members of the public are welcome to attend all meetings of Council and may speak as a delegation or during the allotted question period. Portions of meetings may be closed to the public when sensitive or confidential District business is being considered. Council is authorized to close meetings only under the circumstances set out in section 90 of the Community Charter.
Ways to Participate in Council Meetings
Correspondence to Mayor & Council
All correspondence is circulated to the intended recipient. Specifically, all correspondence addressed to Mayor and Council (electronic or mail) is circulated to their @tofino.ca email addresses but not necessarily added to a Public Council Meeting Agenda.
Letters addressed to Mayor and Council, are circulated in two ways:
- By direct email to all Council members; or
- Included on the Public Agenda package.
For letters to appear on the public Council Agenda, section 39(1) of the “District of Tofino Meeting Procedures Bylaw No 1229, 2016” as amended, requires letters must:
- be legible (typed, written, printed);
- signed by, or identified as being from, at least one person who provides a full legal name, mailing address and phone number;
- not contain libelous statements about third parties or personal information about an identifiable individual; and
- be submitted to the Corporate Officer by 12:00 Noon on the Wednesday prior to the requested Council meeting agenda.
The Corporate Officer determines which letters are included in the public Council package in accordance to District bylaws and provincial legislation. Council members may request that letters be discussed at a meeting, otherwise letters may appear on the Consent Agenda as per section 34(7) of the Meeting Procedures Bylaw.
Privacy and Online Solicitation Disclaimer:
All correspondence addressed to Mayor and Council becomes part of the public record and subject to the District of Tofino’s Privacy Policy and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Once published in an online Agenda Package, news media outlets and other third parties may reference the letter and content.
The District of Tofino does not accept unsolicited comments, inquiries, or correspondence to Mayor and Council or District staff via social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter). The only accepted formats for public comment are as follows:
- Emails or physically written (hard copy) submissions;
- District-made forms (electronic and paper), and
- Delegation requests to Council.
To submit a letter to Council or contact District Staff, please visit the Contact Us page.
Attending Council Meetings
All regular Council and Committee meetings are open to public attendance.
The public gallery is expected at all times to show due respect towards Council, its decision-making process and the public office held by its members.
While attending a Council meeting:
- Turn off or silence your cell phone.
- Do not applaud or otherwise interrupt the proceedings.
- Refrain from vocal outbursts and rude or offensive behaviour.
Public Comment and Question Periods
At two points during Council meetings, the public can speak for up to 2 minutes on any topic listed on the agenda, provided they have signed up to speak. Within Zoom, the public can use the Q&A feature to sign up for public input sections of the agenda. Staff will allow those who have signed up to be unmuted for up to 2 minutes, however no video will be permitted. A maximum of 10 minutes is allocated for this portion of the agenda.
How it works:
- Register in advance for the meeting of your choice.
- Sign up to speak during the Public Comment on Agenda Items section by using the Q&A window.
- Click on the Ask Question tab, and type in the agenda item number you wish to speak on. Please do not type your comment, only type the agenda item number you will be speaking to, and the Chair will call upon you when it is your turn to speak.
- You will be unmuted for up to two minutes. Your video function will not be permitted.
- Once the Public Comment period is concluded, no more comments or questions will be addressed until the Question Period is reached on the agenda.
Important notice: In order to fulfill the obligations of Council and to ensure a safe and secure meeting space, no comments, questions, or other interruptions of the Council proceedings will be permitted. Disruptive participants will be removed from the meeting at the discretion of the Chair.
Delegation Requests
The public can apply to address Council on matters within their jurisdiction.
Delegates are individuals or group representatives that are formally included on a Regular Council or Committee of the Whole meeting agenda typically to:
- Provide information and opinion on an agenda item or other matter being considered by Council
- Initiate discussion on a matter of broad community interest that falls within municipal jurisdiction
- Bring Council up to date on a project, idea or concept
Deadlines: Delegation requests and all correspondence must be submitted by noon, the Wednesday before the meeting date.
Number of Delegations: Only two delegations will be heard per meeting, with a maximum speaking time of 10 minutes each. Delegations are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. If the spots are full, we will try to accommodate you on the next available agenda.
Use the form below to sign up for a delegation.
Submit a Petition
A petition is a document addressed to Mayor and Council (or a Committee) and signed by an unspecified number of individuals. In most cases, a petition is a request to provide support or opposition to a matter under debate.
To be considered, a petition must:
- Be addressed to Council (or Committee).
- State the request (i.e. to support or oppose a matter) on each page of the document.
- Contain the printed names, addresses and signatures of the petitioners making the request.
- State on each page that petitions received by the District of Tofino are deemed public records, and names and addresses are subject to public disclosure. They may be published in a meeting agenda posted on the District’s website if the matter comes before Council or Committee.
Petitions should be submitted to the Manager of Corporate Services at the Municipal Office.
Public Hearing
Public Hearings are held to provide the public with an opportunity to convey their views on proposed amendments to the District’s Zoning Bylaw or Official Community Plan Bylaw.
Public Hearings are noted in the Town Hall Calendar.
Volunteer on a Committee or Advisory Body
Each fall, the District recruits interested members of the public to fill vacancies on its committees, commissions and other bodies. Applications are reviewed by Council and appointments made in December.
Contact
Correspondence to Mayor and Council
Submit Written Input
Correspondence to Mayor and Council can be forwarded to:
Tofino Municipal Office
121 Third Street
PO Box 9
Tofino, BC, V0R 2Z0
Correspondence can also be submitted by email directly to the Corporate Services Department.