Council Legislative Process Review -
Deputations at Committee Meetings
(City Council on December 16 and 17, 1998, deferred consideration of this Clause, together with the following motion, to
the next regular meeting of City Council to be held on February2, 3 and4, 1999:
Moved by Councillor Moeser:
"That the foregoing Clause be amended by adding thereto the following:
'It is further recommended that:
(1)the joint report dated December 15, 1998, from the City Clerk and the City Solicitor, embodying the following
recommendations, be adopted:
"It is recommended that:
(1)the Procedural By-law be amended to incorporate the following procedure for hearing deputations from the public and
from Councillors at Standing Committee meetings who are not members of the Committee:
(a)introduction of the subject matter by the Committee Chair;
(b)deputant(s) appear before Committee on the subject matter;
(c)Committee Members and Non-Committee Members may ask questions of deputant(s) through the Committee Chair;
(d)Non-Committee Members who wish to address the Committee are then permitted to speak as deputants;
(e)following deputations, Committee and Non-Committee Members may ask questions of staff;
(f)subject matter is considered and debated by Committee Members only;
(g)once debate has commenced, Non-Committee Members may only question Committee Members with the permission of
the Committee through the Committee Chair; and
(h)Committee makes a decision;
(2)the Procedural By-law be amended to provide that seating in Committee meetings shall be determined by lottery and
shall ensure that the public can clearly distinguish Committee Members from Non-Committee Members in attendance; and
(3)the appropriate officials be authorized to take any action necessary to give effect thereto, including the introduction of
the necessary bill in Council."; and
(2)the City Clerk be requested to evaluate these amendments to the Council Procedural By-law and report thereon, in
October, 1999, to the appropriate Committee of Council.' ")
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(Clause No. 6 of Report No. 15 of The SpecialCommittee to
Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team)
The Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team recommends:
(1)that the following process be adopted respecting deputations by Members of Council at Committee meetings:
(i)Councillors, who are not Committee Members, may ask questions of deputants, staff or Members of Council on
Committees; and
(ii)Committee Members then taking carriage of the item; and
(2)that this shall serve as notice to give effect to the necessary amendment to the Council Procedural By-law.
The Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team reports, for the information of Council,
having requested the City Clerk, in consultation with Councillor RonMoeser, Chair of the Sub-Committee, Relocation of
All Members of Council to City Hall, to provide for a designated seating arrangement in Committee Room 1 at City Hall,
and that such designated seating provide for a separation between Members of the Committee and other Members of
Council.
The Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team submits the following
communication (December 2, 1998) from Councillor Ron Moeser, Chairman, Sub-Committee, Relocation of All
Members of Council to City Hall:
I would request Committee to consider adopting the process used previously by both the City of Scarborough and the old
City of Toronto Committees, whereby:
(1)public presentations/deputants may speak on any matter on the Agenda with speakers being limited to five minutes each
and one speaker per topic;
(2)Councillors, who are not Committee Members, may ask questions of deputants, staff or Members of Council on
Committee; and
(3)Committee Members then take carriage of the item.
(City Council on December 16 and 17, 1998, had before it, during consideration of the foregoing Clause, the following
joint report (December 15, 1998) from the City Clerk and the City Solicitor:
Purpose:
To report on proposed amendments to the Procedural By-law to implement Recommendations Nos. 1 and 2 of Clause No. 6
of Report No. 15 of the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team.
Financial Implications:
None.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1)the Procedural By-law be amended to incorporate the following procedure for hearing deputations from the public and
from Councillors at Standing Committee meetings who are not members of the Committee:
(a)introduction of the subject matter by the Committee Chair;
(b)deputant(s) appear before Committee on the subject matter;
(c)Committee Members and Non-Committee Members may ask questions of deputant(s) through the Committee Chair;
(d)Non-Committee Members who wish to address the Committee are then permitted to speak as deputants;
(e)following deputations, Committee and Non-Committee Members may ask questions of staff;
(f)subject matter is considered and debated by Committee Members only;
(g)once debate has commenced, Non-Committee Members may only question Committee Members with the permission of
the Committee through the Committee Chair; and
(h)Committee makes a decision;
(2)the Procedural By-law be amended to provide that seating in Committee meetings shall be determined by lottery and
shall ensure that the public can clearly distinguish Committee Members from Non-Committee Members in attendance; and
(3)the appropriate officials be authorized to take any action necessary to give effect thereto, including the introduction of
the necessary bill in Council.
Council Reference:
In Clause No. 6 of Report No. 15, the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team has
recommended that the Procedural By-law be amended to include the following process for deputations by Members of
Council at Committee meetings:
"(i)Councillors, who are not Committee Members, may ask questions of deputants, staff or Members of Council on
Committees; and
(ii)Committee Members then taking carriage of the item."
Comments:
Under section 115 of the Procedural By-law, Non-Committee Members of Council appearing at a Committee are accorded
"all the same rights and privileges of a [Committee] Member, except for the right to present motions, or to vote."
The proposed procedure is intended to make the political process more efficient by altering the participation of
Non-Committee Members at Committee meetings. Consistent with current practice, Non-Committee Members would
address the Committee after all public deputations have been heard. Non-Committee Members would be allowed to speak
as deputants, ask questions of staff, and, once debate has begun, question Committee Members through the Chair.
Opportunities for further consideration and debate would continue to exist at Council. The proposed procedure would not
alter public access to the political process.
Conclusions:
Members of Council have frequently expressed a desire to improve the legislative process. The recommended procedure
achieves this by streamlining the participation of Non-Committee Councillors at Committee meetings. Citizen participation
is unaffected by the proposed amendments to the Procedural By-law.
Contact Names:
Wayne Reeves, Clerk's Division (392-8107)
Mary Ellen Bench, Legal Division (392-7245)
