Speak at a public hearing

A public hearing is an opportunity for members of the public to speak to Council if they feel their interest in property is affected by a proposed bylaw. The proposed change is presented in the form of an application. Council may consider more than one application at a public hearing.

Official Community Plan (OCP) and Zoning bylaws differ from other District bylaws in that Council is statutorily required to hold a Public Hearing before the OCP or Zoning bylaw can be changed. The Public Hearing must be held after the first reading of the bylaw and before the third reading.

Hybrid meeting format 

District Council meetings are held in a hybrid format with a combination of in-person and electronic participation by some or all Council members, staff and the public. At the minimum, the Municipal Clerk or designate will be in attendance.

How to participate in the public hearing

You can share your input at the public hearing by:

  • speaking in person 
  • speaking virtually
  • submitting written content

Once the speakers who signed up in advance have had the opportunity to speak, the Mayor will provide attendees observing virtually who did not sign up in advance to speak — but have decided to do so once the hearing is underway — with an opportunity to speak.

You'll be invited to share your input via telephone and dial-in information will be shared over the live stream during the hearing. 

Signing up to speak 

To sign up in advance to speak at the public hearing in person or virtually, contact the Municipal Clerk at signup@dnv.org before 3pm on the day of the meeting. After you have registered to speak, we will send you a detailed email with instructions on how to prepare for your input opportunity. After the list of registered speakers has been exhausted, there will be an opportunity for additional speakers who had not signed up in advance to make submissions.

Submitting written content

You may submit your comments in writing either by mail or hand to Municipal Clerk, 355 West Queens Road, North Vancouver, BC, V7N 4N5 or by email to input@dnv.org. Your submission must be received before the close of the Public Hearing as Council may not receive additional submissions following the close of the Public Hearing.

All submissions will be shared with Council and entered into the record of public input available for public inspection.

Meeting documents 

Browse agendas and reports for upcoming meetings, as well as previous meetings.  

Questions?

Please contact the Municipal Clerk:

James Gordon
604.990.2207
gordonja@dnv.org

 

What happens at the hearing

Speakers are called from the speakers list in the order that they signed up. At the end of the speakers list, the Chair may call on speakers from the audience.

You will have 5 minutes to address Council for a first time. After everyone who wishes to speak has spoken once, speakers will then be allowed one additional five minute presentation. Any additional presentations will only be allowed at the discretion of the Chair.    

All members of the audience are asked to refrain from applause or other expressions of emotion. Council wishes to hear everyone’s views in an open and impartial forum. Council will not debate the merits of the proposed bylaw or enter into dialogue with the public at the hearing.

Details of the hearing process

  1. The Chair opens the public hearing, and outlines the public hearing process.
  2. For each application being considered:
    1. The Clerk identifies the subject of the hearing
    2. Staff briefly outline the proposal
    3. The applicant presents their proposal
    4. The public expresses their opinion. Council is here to listen to the public, not to debate the merits of the bylaw. 
    5. Staff answers any questions that Council has
  3. At the conclusion of the public input Council may either adjourn or close the public hearing.
    1. Adjourning the meeting — If staff has been asked to report back on questions which would raise new issues, to accommodate a large group of speakers who have not yet had an opportunity to be heard, or further submissions from the applicant have been requested; Council may adjourn the hearing by a motion which states the date, time and location for the hearing to be reconvened
    2. Closing the meeting — Council may request staff to report back on any outstanding questions raised at the public hearing. By resolution Council may close the hearing and refer the bylaw back to a Regular meeting Council for further consideration. Council must not receive any new submissions or information from interested parties after the close of the public hearing. 
  4. When the Bylaw is returned to Council, Council may then, without further notice or hearing:
    1. Adopt or defeat the bylaw
    2. Alter then adopt the bylaw provided that the alteration does not
      1. Alter the use
      2. Increase the density
      3. Without the owner’s consent, decrease the density of any area from that originally specified in the bylaw. 

Conduct during public hearings

There are certain requirements when participating in a public hearing. If you are speaking, your comments are live-streamed and recorded on the website.

All comments are directed to the presiding member and you must address the Mayor as “Your Worship” or “Mayor Little” and councillors as “Councillor…” followed by their surname.

The public are asked to:

  • Respect the authority of the Chair and stop speaking if called to order
  • Listen quietly and respect each person’s right to voice their opinion

Speakers may not:

  • Speak disrespectfully of any other person
  • Use rude or offensive language
  • Make a statement or allegation that impugns the character of any person
  • Speak or act in an aggressive, bullying or harassing manner
  • Unnecessarily delay the meeting

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