Council and Committee Meetings

Decisions regarding municipal programs and services in Pickering are made by City of Pickering Council through Standing Committee and Council Meetings. Meetings are held in accordance with the Municipal Act and the City's Procedure By-law.

The City hold's two Standing Committee Meetings and one Council Meeting on a monthly basis. Standing Committee Meetings are typically held on the first Monday of the month, and Council Meetings are typically held on fourth Monday of the month.

Standing Committee and Council Meetings are open to the public, with exception of some matters that may be considered in closed session in accordance with s. 239 of the Municipal Act.

For the most up to date meeting information, including dates, times, locations, livestream and videos of meeting proceedings, visit the City's Meeting Calendar.

Meeting Calendar

Find meeting information including dates, times, agendas, minutes, videos, and livestreams.

Participate

Make your opinions known by making a delegation, submitting written comments, or a petition.

Coming Soon: New Council Chambers!

The City is happy to announce that the Council Chambers will be reopening for public meetings in September 2026.

Significant enhancements to the space have been made including:

Accessibility upgrades: A newly designed seating layout ensures inclusivity, meeting accessibility standards and providing a welcoming environment for all.
Modernized Audio-Visual (AV) Technology: Enhanced technology has been installed to improve both in-person and electronic meeting experiences, allowing for greater public engagement and transparency.
Lighting, Privacy, and Security Enhancements: Upgrades have been made to create a safer, more functional space for Council, staff, and the public.

Livestreaming and meeting videos will continue to be made available on the HTML agendas through the City's Meeting Calendar, for anyone wishing to watch the meeting proceedings electronically.

Participate

The public may make their opinions known on particular agenda items by making a delegation, submitting written comments, or submitting a petition.

Personal Information and Privacy Notice

Please note that the names of delegates as well as the municipality in which they reside or the organization they represent (if applicable) are published on the City’s website as part of the Committee/Council Agenda and Minutes. No other personal information will be made public, however the information collected on delegation request forms will be kept on file in the Clerk’s Office.

Personal information which includes opinions and views, contained in delegations, written comments, and petitions to Pickering City Council or its Committees, is collected under the authority of the Municipal Act, 2001 and in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). Any personal information you choose to disclose in your delegation, written comments, or petition will be used to receive your views on the relevant issue(s) to aid the City to make its decision on the matter.

If your delegation or written comments pertain to a City Development matter, your name and contact information will be added to the interested parties list to receive future notifications on that particular matter. Contact information may also be provided to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) should the matter be the subject of an appeal.

Delegations

Members of the public who wish to provide verbal comments on a matter before a Committee or Council are known as delegations.

Eligibility Criteria

Who can make a delegation at a meeting?

In accordance with the City's Procedure By-law:

Delegations at any meeting, whether in-person or virtual, may only speak to an item on an agenda, and shall be limited to the following:

- residents of the City of Pickering
- an owner of a business in Pickering; or,
- a Pickering taxpayer.

Exceptions

Despite the clause above, as deemed appropriate by the City Clerk, Delegations may be made by:

- a representative of any level of government;
- a community based non-profit or charitable organization;
- a non-Pickering landowner, or their representative(s) that is impacted by an application to Pickering under the Planning Act; or,
- an applicant’s representative(s) with respect to an application to Pickering under the Planning Act or other applicable legislation.

What can I speak about at a meeting?

Delegations are only permitted to speak to matters listed on a meeting agenda.

Exceptions

Delegations may be made regarding matters not listed on a meeting agenda from a representative of any level of government or a community based non-profit or charitable organization as deemed appropriate by the City Clerk.

I don't meet the eligibility requirements. What are my options?

Those not permitted under the delegation eligibility requirements shall be considered only upon a written request from a Member of Council that the Delegation be added. Members shall submit the request in writing to the Clerk, and such request must be signed by both the mover and the seconder who wishes that the Delegation be heard. Upon receipt of the written request, the Clerk shall add the Delegation to the additional delegation listing and the Delegation shall not be heard unless they have been granted permission by a Two-Thirds majority vote of the Members present at the meeting.

Please contact your Ward Councillor should you wish to make such a request.

Those that are not eligible to make a delegation at a Council or Committee meeting may submit written comments to clerks@pickering.ca in lieu of making a delegation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much time do I have to make a delegation?

Delegates are allotted up to five (5) minutes to make their delegation. Should there be more than one individual speaking to the same matter as a group, the group shall be allotted up to ten (10) minutes to make their delegation.

How do I make a delegation electronically?

Upon confirmation of your delegation, you will receive instructions regarding how to connect to the meeting electronically.

Note: It is the delegate’s responsibility to ensure they have the appropriate technology to connect to the meeting. Should any technical issues arise, the delegate may submit written comments to the Clerk which shall be distributed to all Members of Council after the meeting.

Can I display slides as part of my delegation?

Delegations may provide photos or slides in a PDF or PowerPoint format as part of their delegation, and must indicate this in their Delegation Request Form.

Delegates must provide their PDF or PowerPoint document(s) to clerks@pickering.ca by 12:00 pm noon on the business day prior to the meeting.

Materials provided as part of your delegation may not contain content that is disrespectful, offensive, or off-topic from the approved delegation subject matter you have been confirmed to speak to.

Deadlines

Electronic Delegation Requests: 12:00 pm noon on the business day before the meeting.
Slide Decks: 12:00 pm noon on the business day before the meeting.

To register to make a delegation, you must submit a request using the form below.

Submit a Delegation Request

Written Comments

Members of the public are welcome to provide written comments or opinions on a matter before a Committee or Council. Written comments pertaining to matters on a meeting agenda are compiled and provided to Committee or Council as part of a Supplemental Information Package (SIP) prior to the meeting.

When submitting written comments, please clearly identify the subject matter it relates to. Please include the agenda item number and/or report number if applicable.

Written comments regarding matters on a meeting agenda must be received by 12:00 pm noon on the business day prior to the meeting.

Submit Written Comments by Email

Written Comments can alternatively be delivered in-person or by mail to:

Legislative Services
Pickering Civic Complex – Counter 2H
One The Esplanade,
Pickering, ON, L1V 6K7

Petitions

A petition is a formal written request to Council to take a particular action on behalf of more than one individual. Members of the public may submit a petition in accordance with the City's Petition Procedure.

Petition Requirements

To be received by The Corporation of the City of Pickering (the "City"), the petition must be addressed to the City and request a particular action. Petitions consisting solely of statements of opinion or statements of grievance will not be accepted as a petition.
Petition requests must fall within Council's jurisdiction and cannot pertain to the jurisdiction of the Upper Tier Council or the provincial or federal government.
Petitions must be concise, clearly worded, legible, typewritten or printed in ink (no pencil).
The subject of the petition must be listed at the top of each page for multi-page petitions to ensure that signatories are fully aware of the nature of the petition. Pages should be numbered and total number of pages indicated.
The petition must be appropriate and respectful in tone, and must not contain any improper or offensive language or information.
Each petitioner must print and sign his or her own name. A paper petition must contain original signatures only, written directly on the petition.
Each petitioner must provide his or her full address.
For electronic petitions, petitioners must provide name, address and a valid email address.
The petition must clearly disclose on each page that it will be considered a public document and that the information contained in it may be subject to the scrutiny of the City and members of the general public.
All petitions must include a contact person.

How Petitions are Processed

The City Clerk will review all petitions received to ensure compliance with the requirements of the City's Petition Procedure

Petitions received by the City Clerk that are not in compliance will be circulated to Mayor and Council for information, noting that the petition does not meet all the criteria set out in the City's Petition Procedure.

Petitions received by the City Clerk that are in compliance will be forwarded to the appropriate City
Department responsible for the subject matter.

The City Clerk will confirm receipt of the petition by letter to the petition contact person and notify them of the City Department responsible for the subject matter. The letter and petition will also be copied to the Mayor and Members of Council, the CAO and the department responsible for the subject matter for
information.

The City Department will review the petition and do one or more of the following:

review the petition and reply to the petition contact person, the Mayor and Members of Council, the CAO and City Clerk with information or recommendations;
consider the petition in making administrative decisions;
implement the request contained in the petition; or,
provide a report to Council seeking direction if required.

City Departments responsible for the subject matter will communicate with the petition contact person in writing to advise of actions or decisions which are made or taken as a result of the petition, and if applicable, to advise of report recommendations and the meeting dates for reports to Council.

Please see the template below to submit a petition.

Paper Petitions can be delivered to the City Clerk at the applicable meeting, in-person at the Clerk's Office, or by mail to:

Legislative Services
Pickering Civic Complex – Counter 2H
One The Esplanade,
Pickering, ON, L1V 6K7

Electronic Petitions can be submitted by email with the prescribe template attached.

Petition Template Submit an Electronic Petition by Email