Local residents are needed to sit on a range of City boards, committees and tribunals. Bring your skills and experience to the table and make a difference in your community.

Upcoming Deadlines

Shape Your City

Transit, housing, libraries, public health, arts and culture, and community centres are vital parts of Toronto’s neighbourhoods. The City of Toronto supports programs and services like these through the work of numerous boards, committees and tribunals, each made up of residents appointed by City Council to play a part in local decision making and help shape their city.

Do you want to lend your voice to this important work? Do you have skills and experience you can share? Would you like to give back to your community and get involved with local government?

Search for an opportunity that interests you and apply now.

 

The City of Toronto delivers some of its key services through boards, committees and tribunals. The opportunity to contribute to this work ranges from local community centres to quasi-judicial tribunals to boards which oversee programs and services that impact people across Toronto on a daily basis. Each of these boards, committees, and tribunals includes members of the public who apply to join and can be appointed by City Council to help shape their city.

Generally a four year commitment, each opportunity is a great way to contribute valuable, diverse perspectives to the decision making process, give back to your community, and get involved with local government. Some opportunities also include remuneration.

To learn more about what opportunities are available, search our website, contact our office, or join our e-updates list to stay informed about upcoming deadlines. Please let us know if you require any supports or accommodations at any stage of the application process.

Reflecting the Diversity of our City

The City of Toronto values equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation and encourages the participation of members of equity-deserving communities in the public appointments process. In addition, City Council recognizes that the City of Toronto is best served by boards, committees, and tribunals which reflect the diversity of our communities.

A voluntary and confidential diversity survey which all applicants are encouraged to complete is included at the end of each application. The information gathered in these surveys is used to help the City understand if it is achieving its objectives for access, equity, diversity, and reconciliation and if there is more staff can do to engage residents from across the City and remove any barriers to participation.

The data from these surveys is reported on a quarterly basis on our Diversity Dashboard, with the identities of individual applicants remaining confidential.

To be eligible for appointment to a City board, you must be:

  • a resident of Toronto
  • at least 18 years old

Each opportunity may also have additional eligibility requirements listed on its application page.

City staff or employees of City agencies and corporations, and relatives of current Members of Council are not eligible for appointment. To support engagement with as many residents as possible, members of the public can generally only serve on one City board, committee, or tribunal at a time.

Further details on eligibility requirements and restrictions are listed in the Public Appointments Policy.

To apply for a position, you need to complete a secure, online application.

The application is your opportunity to share why you are a strong candidate for a position and it will be used to determine whether you are selected for an interview. Your responses should demonstrate how your skills and experience fit with the mandate and qualifications of the board, committee, or tribunal to which you are applying.

  • You can apply at any time for the opportunity that interests you, and specific application deadlines will be announced when an active selection process is underway.
  • If the opportunity you are interested in does not have any current vacancies, you can still apply – your application will be kept on file for two years and will be considered if any positions become available during that time period.
  • You can apply for as many opportunities as you like, but you will need to complete a separate application for each one.
  • Current members who are interested in being reappointed for another term of office must reapply in the same way as new applicants.

If you need assistance with the online application or prefer a paper copy of the application, please contact us at 416-397-0088 or appoint@toronto.ca.

The Public Appointments Secretariat in the City Clerk’s Office coordinates the appointment process and is the main point of contact for applicants. Candidates are shortlisted, interviewed, and nominated by various committees and panels including:

City Council considers all recommendations from these committees and panels and ultimately decides who will be appointed.

Steps in the Process

  • Vacancies: Many vacancies come up at the start of a new term of City Council, but new vacancies also come up throughout the term. Where possible, boards and committees have staggered terms which creates more opportunities for interested candidates. Current vacancies are highlighted on the Public Appointments homepage and are announced through our e-updates list.
  • Recruitment and applications: The Public Appointments Secretariat coordinates the outreach and recruitment process and screens the applications for eligibility. All active applications are then forwarded to one of the committees or nominating panels above.
  • Shortlisting: A committee or nominating panel reviews the applications and decides which applicants to interview. The goals of the nominating panel include achieving a balance of:
    • applicants who together cover the range of qualifications and skills needed
    • experienced and new members
    • geographic representation from different areas of the city, and
    • equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation to support appointments that reflect Toronto’s communities
  • Interviews: Staff contacts candidates and coordinates with the nominating panel to schedule the interviews.
    • All candidates who are interviewed will be asked the same questions.
    • Interviews are 15-30 minutes long.
    • Candidates will be interviewed one by one by the panel.
    • Interviews may be held in-person at City Hall or by video conference, depending on the nominating panel and the opportunity in question.
  • Recommendations to Council: After the interviews are completed, the nominating panel recommends the final candidates for appointment to City Council. The names and biographies of the recommended candidates are publicly reported, and will appear on the Council agenda.
  • Appointments: City Council makes the final decision on who the successful candidates will be, which may be the same or different from the panel’s recommendations.
  • Communications: At the end of an appointment process, everyone who applied will be notified of Council’s decision. The names and biographies of the appointed board members will be posted on the boards, committees and tribunals profile pages.

Tips for Applicants

When you will hear back

When there are current vacancies, the process can often move quickly between the application deadline and the shortlisting of candidates. If you apply for a position when there is no vacancy, you will likely not hear from us until a vacancy occurs, which could be weeks or months.

The time it takes is based on a number of factors, including the amount of time required to review the applications, how quickly panel meetings can be arranged, and how many other vacancies are being filled at the same time. Contact our office for any updates.

Preparing for interviews

To help prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to:

  • review information about the opportunity you are applying for.
  • review agenda material or attend meetings of the board you are applying for to become familiar with its current issues and discussions.
  • anticipate the interview questions and be prepared to speak succinctly about your experience and skills, and demonstrate your passion and commitment to goals that are relevant to the specific board, committee or tribunal you’re applying to.

Providing references

If you are selected for an interview, the nominating panel may request staff to conduct reference checks before the interview. In this case, staff will provide the results of the reference checks to the nominating panel. Reference information is kept confidential.

Future opportunities

If you are not selected, your application will remain on file for two years and will be considered for future vacancies on the board, committee, or tribunal you applied for. You are also encouraged to apply for other opportunities that may come up and to explore other ways to contribute to the City’s decision-making process.