Effective January 14, Oakville is under a stay-at-home order as part of the second provincial emergency due to COVID-19. Other restrictions are in effect and we must all follow public health guidelines. The town is reviewing the provincial declaration and will post any service impacts as soon as possible.
This procedure establishes guidelines for public engagement undertaken on behalf of the Corporation of the Town of Oakville (town).
This procedure applies to all forms of public engagement undertaken on behalf of the town, where public notice is given.
The town shall give public notice in accordance with Appendix A and B attached to this procedure and as required by applicable statute or regulation.
The town is committed to the principles of public notice and engagement, established in the Public Notice and Engagement policy. In every process, regardless of the scope, the principles should guide all public engagement activities.
Public engagement efforts undertaken on behalf of the town should reflect the magnitude and complexity of the issue/initiative and the desired goal or outcome. The five broadly recognized types of public engagement the town undertakes are:
In notifying the public, staff will consider the following factors:
All Members of Council will be informed by email for matters of town-wide interest and the Mayor and Ward Councillors will be informed by email for matters that are area/location specific.
In the case of service disruptions, notice shall be provided in accordance with the town’s Accessible Customer Service procedure and service disruption guidelines.
A notice template is attached as Appendix C to ensure clear and accessible communication.
Exemption: This policy applies except where, the Mayor in consultation with the chief administrative officer (CAO) determines that notice should be waived due to emergency, urgency or time sensitivity situations or situations which could affect the health and well-being of the residents of Oakville.
Council shall be informed by email if an exemption is applied.
Community: represents the most general and inclusive term for participants of public engagement in the municipal context. This term includes but is not limited to residents, individuals, business, not-for-profit organizations, stakeholders, community and corporate organizations.
Information sign: means a sign erected securely by stakes or other means in the vicinity of, or on site, containing a printed message that should be visible to both pedestrian and motor traffic in the area.
Newspaper: means printed publication in sheet form, intended for general circulation, published regularly at intervals of not longer than a week, consisting in great part of news of current events of general interest and sold to the public and to regular subscribers in accordance with the Interpretation Act.
Notice by mail: unless otherwise specified, means notification forwarded through Canada Post first class delivery service and courier to the last known address of the person being notified, which shall be deemed to be effective on the date sent. Email notification may be used where interested parties have requested notice by email.
Public engagement: represents the various methods by which information is exchanged with the Oakville community. Types of public engagement include but are not limited to online channels, public meetings, open houses, focus groups and surveys.
Participants are responsible for:
Departments are responsible for:
Members of Council:
Procedure Number: G-COM-001-001
Parent Policy: G-COM-001
Section: Governance
Sub-Section: Communications
Author: Strategy, Policy and Communications
Authority: CAO
Effective Date: 2010 Aug 30
Review by Date: 2021
Last Modified: 2016 Nov 14
Appendix A – Public Notice Requirements (pdf)
Appendix B – Public Notice Guidelines (pdf)
Appendix C – Notice Template (pdf)
Public Engagement Guide
G-COM-001 Public Notice and Engagement policy
MS-ACC-001 Accessibility policy
MS-ACC-001-002 Planning Accessible Meetings procedure
G-COM-001-002 Communications procedure
G-COM-001-003 Translation and Interpretation procedure
G-COM-001-005 Customer Service Standards procedure
G-GEN-005 Council Remuneration, Resources and Expenses policy
G-GEN-005-001 Council Remuneration, Allowances, Benefits, Expenses, Conferences and Seminars procedure
Corporate Identity Standards
A-GEN-001 Corporate Grants, Sponsorship, Naming Rights and Advertising Sales policy
Ontario Human Rights Code
Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005