These procedures provide guidance to Regional Council members, Committee members and staff on electronic participation during any meetings of Regional Council and Council Committees, including those held during a declared state of emergency; and, provide the necessary framework to ensure consistent administrative practices.
- The Region of Peel Procedure By-law shall apply to any meetings of Regional Council and Council Committees including an Electronic Meeting held pursuant to these procedures, except as provided for herein.
- Amendments to these procedures are permitted to be made by simple majority vote of Council to accommodate effective and efficient meetings, as long as any such amendments are consistent with the intent of, or do not directly conflict with, the Procedure By-law; and are not contrary to prevailing Provincial legislation or orders.
- The Chief Administrative Officer and the Regional Clerk, in consultation with the Regional Chair and the Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Corporate Service, will determine the method and technology used for an Electronic Meeting in Open Session or Closed Session, based on the available Information Technology resources and the prevailing circumstances of the meeting.
- The Regional Chair shall lead the meeting and be supported by the Regional Clerk (or designate); the Regional Chair, Committee Chairs, Regional Clerk and Committee Clerks shall be permitted to participate electronically.
- The Chair is to announce each agenda item on the floor of the meeting and shall maintain an orderly meeting process keeping members informed.
- Members are required to inform the Office of the Regional Clerk at least 24 hours prior to commencement of a meeting at which they intend to participate electronically.
- Members participating electronically shall be responsible for testing and ensuring the reliability of their connection using audio-only communication or audio-visual communication prior to the start of the meeting.
- Members unable to connect, or reconnect, (see sections 4.c., 4.d. and 4.e.) may email the Clerk's office at council@peelregion.ca for assistance.
- Roll call shall be conducted verbally by the Chair, confirming each person in attendance either physically or electronically.
- Members participating using audio-only communication, shall verbally announce if they leave the meeting and shall verbally announce when they rejoin the meeting.
- If a member loses connectivity during a meeting for more than two (2) minutes, the member will be deemed to have left the meeting; and shall notify the Clerk’s office at council@peelregion.ca (see section 3.b.).
- If quorum is maintained, the meeting will not be recessed while members attempt to reconnect, unless otherwise requested by the Chair.
- If quorum is lost, the meeting shall stand in recess until such time as the connection is re-established. If the connection cannot be re-established to the point where a quorum can be maintained, the meeting shall stand adjourned and any items of business shall be carried over to a future meeting.
- Any member participating in-person shall use the request to speak (RTS) system.
- The Chair shall ask each electronic participating member by name, in alphabetical order of surname, to confirm if they wish to be added to the Speaker’s List on the current item, or through an alternative means as advised by the Clerk.
- Electronic participants may also email Clerks at council@peelregion.ca for assistance (including the submission of questions or request to speak) during the course of debate.
- The Regional Clerk shall maintain a Speaker's List for the current agenda item.
- The Chair, with the Clerk's assistance, is to manage the Speaker’s List to ensure all members are able to participate in debate in keeping with meeting rules.
- Chair to call out name of member assigned the floor.
- After the Speaker's List is completed, the Chair will confirm there are no remaining members to be added to Speaker's List, before voting commences.
- Each member is provided two opportunities to speak (five minutes each), subject to the rules as provided in the Procedure By-law.
- After the member is finished speaking, the Chair may confirm verbally the list of remaining speakers and shall call out the name of the next member assigned the floor.
- Any motion accepted by the Chair is to be read by the Chair and/or Clerk.
- All votes, with the exception of procedural motions (see section 8.e.) shall require a recorded vote to be conducted by the Clerk, as directed by the Chair.
- Clerk to call each individual member by name in alphabetical order of surname to be asked to vote verbally.
- If the member is participating electronically, the member will be asked to indicate their vote verbally; and if no response to indicate vote is provided, the Clerk will ask the member if they are present; if no response is provided the Clerk will ask the member if they are present a second time; if the member fails to respond, they will be deemed to be absent during the vote and will be declared absent from the meeting at the time of the vote. If the member indicates that they are present and no response to indicate vote is provided, the vote will be recorded in the negative.
- Clerk to announce results to Chair and Council and the total of each vote (yes/no/absent/abstention/conflict of interest).
- When voting on procedural motions and other non-recorded votes, the Chair or Clerk shall ask whether there are any objections (rather than calling each members vote). If no objections are stated, the motion would be deemed to be adopted.
- Each member shall remain silent and attentive to the proceeding when not assigned the floor by the Chair.
- Each member to listen for their name to be assigned the floor to speak or to vote.
- Each member to take directions from the Chair in order to facilitate an effective, efficient and orderly meeting.
- Delegations must be submitted to the Office of the Regional Clerk, by way of electronic or written submission, in accordance with requirements of the Regional Procedure By-law, for distribution to Council or Committee members.
- Delegations may attend electronically.
- Delegations will be provided an opportunity to present and answer questions electronically.
- Should a Delegate be required to participate electronically in closed session, the Delegate shall state for the record that the Delegate is adhering to the rules set out in the Procedure By-law 27-2022.
- Members of the public may attend meetings at the designated meeting location of the Chair and Clerk, in accordance with Public Health measures, legislation and orders and/or the advice of the Medical Officer of Health.
- If there are members of the public that are physically in attendance at a meeting, they must be able to hear the member(s) who are participating electronically using Audio-only communication; or see the member(s) who are participating using Audio-visual communications.
- Public members, the media and non-essential staff are encouraged to view Regional Council and Committee meetings from a separate location using the Region's live streaming protocols.
- In order to ensure that meetings are accessible to the public, meetings will be recessed for 15 minutes in the event that the live stream is interrupted or fails. If the live stream cannot be restored within the time specified by the Presiding Officer, the meeting shall be adjourned and all outstanding matters will be placed on the next appropriate agenda.
- If the meeting should move into closed session, those members who are participating remotely must ensure that no other person is in the location from which they are taking part in the meeting, or make appropriate arrangements so that any other persons cannot see or hear any of the confidential deliberations taking place.
- If this is not possible, the member must withdraw from the meeting until it has moved back into public session.
- Prior to moving into a closed session, members shall declare that they adhere to the confidentiality standards as outlined in the Regional Council Code of Conduct.
