How to speak to Vancouver City Council: sign-up deadlines, time limits and written comments

Any member of the public can ask to speak to Vancouver City Council about an item on its agenda. The rules come from the City's Procedure By-law and the Vancouver Charter, and they are different for a regular meeting and for a public hearing on a rezoning. Here is how to sign up, how long you get, how to write in instead, and how to watch.

When the new Council starts meeting

Section 143 of the Vancouver Charter says the first Council meeting after a general local election is on the first Monday after November 1. In 2026 that is Monday, November 2. Under section 160, every committee of the old Council ends just before that day, so the new Council sets up its own.

After that, the Procedure By-law lets Council meetings start at 9:30am on Tuesdays and standing committee meetings at 9:30am on Wednesdays, with none in August. The City's page on meeting types says Council meets every second Tuesday. Public hearings may start at 6pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All of them are held at City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, unless Council decides otherwise.

Which meetings take speakers

Three kinds of meeting matter most to a resident:

• Council meetings. Council passes by-laws, approves budgets and policies, and decides spending. The mayor chairs.
• Standing committee meetings. Council hears staff and the public in a less formal setting. A committee can only recommend. Council votes on the recommendations at a short meeting held right after.
• Public hearings. Council hears the public on rezonings, heritage designations and changes to an Official Development Plan, which is a plan adopted by by-law that sets what can be built in an area.

Section 7.1 of the Procedure By-law lists what you may speak to: a Council member's motion, a staff report that contains recommendations, and a special Council meeting when Council allows it. Section 7.2 lists items with no public speakers, including presentations and staff reports whose only recommendation is to receive them for information. Check each agenda to see which items take speakers.

Signing up for a Council or committee meeting

The City says agendas are usually posted 1 week before each Council meeting. You can sign up from then on:

1. Online. On the City's "Sign up to speak" page, or from the agenda in the meetings schedule, choose "Sign up to speak" and follow the steps.
2. By phone. The City lists 604-829-4323 for Council meetings.

The deadline is 5pm on the day before the meeting. Section 7.3 of the by-law sets the same time. By then you must give your contact details, name the item, and send any slides or other material.

If the item moves to a later day, your request moves with it, the City says.

How long you can speak

At Council and committee meetings, the City gives:

• 3 minutes for each speaker, and
• 5 minutes for a speaker who represents a group of 3 or more other people. Everyone in the group must be present, in person or online, and must not also speak separately.

Section 7.5 of the by-law sets the 3-minute limit for individuals at Council, standing committee and special Council meetings. Its 5-minute limit for a group speaker names only standing committee and special Council meetings. The City's page applies the 5 minutes to regular Council meetings too. If you plan to speak for a group at a regular Council meeting, ask the City Clerk's office which limit applies.

Each person speaks once per item, and each organization gets one speaker. Section 7.11 asks every speaker to give their full name and say whether they live in Vancouver.

Speaking at a public hearing

Public hearings follow Part 13 of the by-law and have their own timetable. The City says hearing agendas are posted 10 days before.

• Online, sign up by 5pm on the day of the hearing.
• By phone, call 604-829-4238 before 6pm that day.
• In person, register between 5:30pm and 6pm with Security in the City Hall lobby, or in the Council Chamber foyer on the third floor.

Missed all three? The chair calls for more speakers 3 times during each item. The City says you may come forward after the registered speakers have finished. When nobody answers the final call, the list closes.

Section 13.18 gives each person 5 minutes, or 10 minutes for a speaker who needs and brings a translator. Section 13.20 gives a group speaker 8 minutes. Council members may then ask you questions for up to 5 minutes in total. Section 13.21 bars them from using questions to debate you or to stretch your time.

Fewer rezonings go to a hearing now

In 2024 the Province changed the Vancouver Charter. Section 559.02 now says Council must not hold a public hearing on a rezoning that fits an Official Development Plan when at least half of the project's floor area is homes. It also bars a hearing on a zoning change made only to meet the Charter's rules for small multi-unit housing. The City says residents can still give feedback on those projects in other ways.

Sending written comments instead

Speaking is optional. The City says you can send a written comment on any agenda item, even one that takes no speakers.

• Council and committee items. Use the City's "Contact Mayor and Council" form. The City says Council receives every comment. Council members may reply, but in most cases staff do. Comments are monitored from 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
• Public hearing items. Use the separate public hearing form. The deadline is 15 minutes after the speakers list closes. Comments that arrive later are not given to Council before it decides.

The City publishes your first and last name with your hearing comment on the agenda, and keeps your email private. Section 13.11 says comments with no name are not given to Council or posted. Under sections 13.22 and 13.23, a written comment sent during the hearing may be at most 1,500 words. A petition needs a contact person's name and an email or mailing address.

On the day

The City's advice for speakers:

• Your confirmation email gives your speaker number, which sets your place in line. A reminder email comes 15 to 30 minutes before your turn.
• By phone, a moderator unmutes your line when it is your turn.
• In person, arrive at least 15 minutes early and tell Security who you are. You go through a metal detector and a bag check.
• Slides are due by 5pm the day before. Late slides are refused.
• If you need support, someone else can read your prepared statement, as section 7.6 allows.

Missed your turn at a Council meeting? You get another chance after the other registered speakers.

Watching live or later

The City streams Council meetings live on YouTube and on its own website. The City Clerk, @VanCityClerk on X and Threads, posts updates as the speakers list moves. The City's meetings schedule holds agendas, minutes and video clips of past meetings. Council voting records are on the City's open data portal.

You can also email or phone any Council member at any time. Our guide to counting and declaring the results explains the steps before the winners take the oath of office, and our FAQ answers common questions about the election.

These rules come from the Procedure By-law as consolidated to June 17, 2025, and the City's pages as they read in 2026. The City of Vancouver and its City Clerk's office have the final word on how to take part.