General Policy for Advisory Committees

Legislative History: Adopted August 22, 2017 (By-law No. CPOL.-59-291); Amended July 24, 2018 (By-law No. CPOL.-59(a)-401); Enacted November 6, 2018 (CPOL.-381-506); Amended June 29, 2020 (CPOL.-381(a)-153); Amended January 21, 2025 (By-law No. CPOL.-381(b)-45)

Last Review Date: January 21, 2025

Service Area Lead: City Clerk

1. Policy Statement

1.1  This policy establishes the expectations and protocols for Municipal Council’s Community Advisory Committees.

2. Definitions

In this General Policy for Community Advisory Committees,

2.1  “Child” means a child born within or outside marriage and includes an adopted child and a person whom a parent has demonstrated a settled intention to treat as a child of their family.

2.2  “Conflict/Conflict of Interest” means a situation in which a Community Advisory Committee member has, or is perceived to have, personal or private interests that may compete with the interests of the City, the Community Advisory Committee, or the public interest. Such personal or private interests may make it difficult, or be perceived to make it difficult, for the member to remain impartial. A conflict exists even if no unethical or improper act results from it. A conflict of interest can either be an apparent (perceived) conflict or an actual conflict.

2.3  “Employee” or “Employees” means an employee or employees of The Corporation of the City of London.

2.4  “Family Member” means a child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, child of siblings, aunt, uncle, or a spouse.

2.5  “Parent” means a person who has demonstrated a settled intention to treat a child as a member of their family.

2.6  “Personal Information” means recorded information about an identifiable individual, including, 

(a) information relating to the race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation or marital or family status of the individual;

(b) information relating to the education of the medical, psychiatric, psychological, criminal or employment history of the individual or information relating to financial transactions in which the individual has been involved;

(c) any identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual;

(d) the address, telephone number, fingerprints or blood type of the individual;

(e) the personal opinions or views of the individual except if they relate to another individual;

(f) correspondence sent to an institution by the individual that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature, and replies to that correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence;

(g) the views or opinions of another individual about the individual; and

(h) the individual's name if it appears with other personal information relating to the individual or where the disclosure of the name would reveal other personal information about the individual. 

2.7       “Spouse” means a person to whom the person is married or with whom the person is living in a conjugal relationship outside marriage.

3. Applicability

3.1  This policy applies to any Community Advisory Committee of the Municipal Council..

4. The Policy

4.1  Role of Advisory Committees

The role of a Community Advisory Committee is to provide recommendations, advice, and information to the Municipal Council on matters which relate to the purpose and mandate of the Community Advisory Committee. Community Advisory Committees are one way to facilitate public input to Municipal Council on programs and ideas and to assist in enhancing the quality of life of the community, in keeping with the Municipal Council’s Strategic Plan. 

4.2  Authority of Community Advisory Committees

Community Advisory Committees shall not give direction to the Civic Administration or to any local board, commission or agency, nor shall Community Advisory Committees request, without the approval of the Municipal Council, the preparation of any administrative reports, research or work assignments. This does not preclude Community Advisory Committees from directly asking the Civic Administration for information and data when, in the opinion of the Civic Administration, such requests can be reasonably accommodated within existing workloads and priorities, and do not place an unreasonable demand on available resources.

4.3  Membership

Individuals who would like to be considered for an appointment to a Community Advisory Committee shall apply using the application form available on the official City of London website. All Community Advisory Committee appointments (beginning of term or mid-term) shall be considered by the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee.

Community Advisory Committee members wishing to resign their appointment mid-term shall submit their resignation in writing, without delay, to the City Clerk and state the date of resignation. The City Clerk shall consider the need to advertise to fill the resulting vacancy, having regard to the remaining composition of the Community Advisory Committee, the current workload of the Community Advisory Committee, and the length of time remaining in the Municipal Council term.

4.4  Eligibility for Appointment

Municipal Council Members, individuals from the Civic Administration, or individuals running for or seeking appointment to any elected office shall not be appointed as voting members to Community Advisory Committees.

4.5  Appointment Term

Appointments to Community Advisory Committees shall be for a four-year term, commencing March 1 of the first year of a Municipal Council term and ending on the last day of February of the first year of the following Municipal Council term..

4.6  Leave of Absence

Community Advisory Committee members may take a leave of absence from their position. Municipal Council may fill the vacancy on a temporary basis depending on the duration of the leave and other relevant requirements or considerations. In order to take a leave of absence, the member shall notify the City Clerk in writing of their intended leave, the duration of the leave, and last day of service on the Community Advisory Committee.

Any Community Advisory Committee member that wishes to run for or seek appointment to any elected office is required to take a leave of absence. The leave of absence must begin on or before the date of application or the date of nomination for the elected office. 

4.7  Maximum Length of Service

Community Advisory Committee members shall serve on the same Community Advisory Committee no longer than two consecutive full four-year terms plus, if applicable, one preceding partial term in those cases where Community Advisory Committee members were initially appointed mid-term to fill a vacancy.

4.8  Remuneration

Community Advisory Committee members shall serve without remuneration.

4.9  Orientation Sessions

Following the Community Advisory Committee appointment process at the beginning of each Municipal Council term, the City Clerk’s Office, in consultation with other Service Area leads as required, shall conduct an orientation session for Community Advisory Committee members. The City Clerk’s Office shall also conduct orientation sessions for new members appointed mid-term.

4.10  Bus Tickets and Parking at City Hall

Community Advisory Committee members may be provided with either free parking in the Civic Square Parking Garage or with two free London Transit Commission tickets when attending Community Advisory Committee meetings in person at City Hall.

4.11 Staff Support

The administrative support of Community Advisory Committees (such as the co-ordination of meeting schedules, the preparation of Community Advisory Committee agendas and reports and the communication of Community Advisory Committee actions) shall be provided by the City Clerk’s Office. The City Clerk’s office does not provide administrative support to sub-committees or working groups that the Community Advisory Committee form or participate in.

Civic Administration from other divisions may attend meetings when there are matters on an agenda applicable to their Service Area. The affected Deputy City Manager shall determine the representative from their Service Area who may attend particular Community Advisory Committee meetings.

4.12  Expenditures by Advisory Committees

(a) Any annual budget allocation to a Community Advisory Committee shall be at the sole discretion of the Municipal Council and subject to the Municipal Council's budget deliberations, taking into consideration the requests of the Community Advisory Committees.

(b) All expenditures by a Community Advisory Committee must relate to matters directly within its mandate.

(c) Each Community Advisory Committee shall provide updates to the Municipal Council, through the appropriate Standing Committee, detailing all expenses incurred against its annual budget allocation and in a format established by the City Clerk,

(d) All Community Advisory Committee expense information is considered to be public information and shall be made available upon request to the City Clerk.

(e) Authorization for expenditures shall be as follows:

1. the City Clerk, or their designate, shall have the authority to process all payments for standard items within the Community Advisory Committee’s mandate, subject to budget availability, such as costs associated with Municipal Council-approved events (e.g. speaker’s gifts, mailing costs, room rentals, refreshments, etc. for open houses and workshops), costs associated with workshops and conferences attended by members of a Community Advisory Committee which are relevant to that Community Advisory Committee’s mandate, plaques issued by the Community Advisory Committee on Planning, communication supports for persons with disabilities, and purchase of publications to assist in carrying out the Community Advisory Committee’s mandate;
2. expenses associated with communication and/or promotional efforts being undertaken by a Community Advisory Committee, within its mandate, are to be approved by Strategic Communications for consistency in messaging and proper branding, via the Committee Clerk, prior to those expenses being incurred. If Strategic Communications approves the content of those items, then the City Clerk, or their designate, shall have the authority to process those expenses, subject to budget availability. Expenses associated with communication and/or promotional efforts that are not to the satisfaction of Strategic Communications, shall require the approval of the Municipal Council, via the appropriate Standing Committee.

4.13 Election of Chair and Vice Chair

Meetings shall be facilitated by a Community Advisory Committee Chair. Community Advisory Committees shall elect, from among their voting members, a Chair and a Vice Chair. A Community Advisory Committee member shall not serve as a Chair or as a Vice Chair for more than two consecutive years unless approved, on an exception basis, by the Municipal Council.

4.14 Sub-Committees/Working Groups

Community Advisory Committees may form sub-committees or working groups as may be necessary. Meetings of working groups that have been formed by the Community Advisory Committee may meet at any time and at any location but shall meet on different dates than the Community Advisory Committee. Staff support, including a Committee Clerk from the City Clerk's Office, shall not be provided to such sub-committees or working groups.

4.15 Schedule and Location of Meetings

Community Advisory Committees shall meet at a frequency determined by the Municipal Council as set out in each Community Advisory Committee’s Terms of Reference. However, if there is a time-sensitive matter that must be attended to in the opinion of the Chair and the Committee Clerk, a special meeting of the Community Advisory Committee may be called to deal with the time-sensitive matter. Community Advisory Committee meetings shall be held at City Hall and shall be open to the public, except during closed sessions which may be held in accordance with the Council Procedure By-law. Community Advisory Committee meetings may, with the approval of the Municipal Council, be held away from City Hall for a specific purpose.

Community Advisory Committee members may attend meetings in person, or virtually via the Zoom platform facilitated by the Committee Clerk.

4.16  Parliamentary Procedures

The parliamentary rules outlined in the Council Procedure By-law, as amended, shall be observed, as far as applicable, by each Community Advisory Committee; however, Community Advisory Committee members should recognize that many individuals feel more comfortable when exchanging views with their peers in an informal atmosphere where they have an opportunity to appreciate the abilities and knowledge of other Community Advisory Committee members.

4.17 Attendance at Meetings

Advisory Committee members, including members-at-large and agency representatives, shall be deemed to have resigned their appointments if they are absent from 25% of their regular Advisory Committee meetings, without the prior consent of the Municipal Council, unless they are absent for health reasons, in which case the continuation of their appointment shall be determined by the City Clerk, in consultation with the Advisory Committee Chair. While alternate members are encouraged to regularly attend meetings so as to remain current with the Advisory Committee’s business, the 25% attendance rule shall only apply to absences from those meetings for which they have been requested to attend as a voting member, but have not done so.

The City Clerk shall be required to give written notice to any member who has exceeded the above absence threshold and shall invite the absentee to provide a written explanation for the absences, on the understanding that such written explanation will be reviewed with the Advisory Committee Chair before a decision is made by the City Clerk.

Advisory Committee members shall inform their committee's recording secretary of any anticipated absences from upcoming meetings and such advance notice shall be recorded in the Advisory Committee's report.

4.17  Attendace at Meetings

Community Advisory Committee members are expected to attend all regularly scheduled meetings and participate in working groups/sub-committees as required. Should a member be unable to attend a regular meeting, the Committee Clerk shall be advised in advance of the meeting. Community Advisory Committees may request the Municipal Council to rescind an appointment due to lack of attendance. 

Community Advisory Committee members shall be deemed to have resigned their appointments if they are absent from 25% of their regular Community Advisory Committee meetings, without the prior consent of the Municipal Council, unless they are on leave, in which case the continuation of their appointment shall be determined by the City Clerk, in consultation with the Community Advisory Committee Chair.

Community Advisory Committee members shall inform their Committee Clerk of any anticipated absences from upcoming meetings and such advance notice shall be recorded in the Community Advisory Committee's report.

4.18  Community Advisory Committee Agendas

Community Advisory Committee agendas shall be prepared by the Committee Clerk. Agendas shall be distributed electronically to Community Advisory Committee members at least five business days in advance of a meeting. Agendas shall be based on the written communications that relate to matters within the mandate of the Community Advisory Committee. 

Agendas should promote transparency and be available to the public, Municipal Council and staff in advance of the meeting. Accordingly, any additional discussion at a meeting that requires a response from staff or results in a recommendation or motion should be noted, in advance, on the Agenda. Community Advisory Committees shall not consider a matter that is not listed on its agenda, unless such a matter is deemed, by the Community Advisory Committee, to be a matter of legitimate urgency. Community Advisory Committee members may provide general information to their colleagues about events or current issues and make a request for information at a future meeting, but any motion requiring action, staff input, or Municipal Council approval should be dealt with at a future meeting with notice to the public via the agenda.

4.19  Community Advisory Committee Reports

Reports of Community Advisory Committee meetings shall be prepared by the Committee Clerk in a format which is consistent with the reports of the Municipal Council's Standing Committees. Community Advisory Committee reports shall be forwarded exclusively to the standing committee to which the Community Advisory Committee reports for its consideration/information.

Where there is a matter that falls within the mandate of a Community Advisory Committee that does not fall within the mandate of the Standing Committee to which it reports, the Community Advisory Committee, through a motion adopted by a majority of its members, may recommend to its Standing Committee that the Community Advisory Committee’s recommendation be referred to the Standing Committee having responsibility for the matter by virtue of its mandate. Similarly, if there is a public meeting being held by another Standing Committee, which is relevant to the mandate of a particular Community Advisory Committee, the Community Advisory Committee may, through a motion adopted by a majority of its members, direct the Chair or his/her designate to make representation, on behalf of the Community Advisory Committee, to the appropriate Standing Committee in order to provide the position of the Community Advisory Committee on matters falling within the Community Advisory Committee’s jurisdiction. In these instances, the City Clerk will determine the appropriate Standing Committee for a matter, based on the jurisdictions outlined in the Council Procedure By-law.

A Community Advisory Committee Chair, or their designate, may be requested by the Standing Committee to which it reports to, to be a delegation at the Standing Committee’s meeting in order to provide further information or clarification with respect to matters coming forward from the Community Advisory Committee.

4.20  Reporting Time Frames for Matters Referred to Community Advisory Committees

(a) Reporting time frames for matters referred to Community Advisory Committees where such matters involve development or business-related applications or initiatives being processed by the City of London for various types of required approvals (hereinafter referred to as “a matter”) shall be as follows:

1. when a matter has been listed on the agenda of a Community Advisory Committee for which advice is being sought, that Community Advisory Committee will provide its written advice no later than 35 days after the matter has been first listed on the agenda of the Community Advisory Committee, unless a different deadline date has been requested in the referral request to the Community Advisory Committee for exceptional situations;
2. when a Community Advisory Committee deems it necessary to refer a matter to one of its sub-committees or working groups for consideration, that particular sub-committee or working group will be expected to complete its review and to report back to its parent Community Advisory Committee in time for the Community Advisory Committee to meet the 35 day deadline or any different specified deadline date;
3. when it appears to a Community Advisory Committee that it will be unable to meet the 35 day deadline or a different specified deadline date for providing advice on a matter referred to it:
   1. The Community Advisory Committee may ask for an extension of the 35 day deadline or of the different specified deadline date, to a date to be suggested by the Community Advisory Committee; however, the decision of Municipal Council with respect to agreeing to such extension will be final; and
   2. the Community Advisory Committee, failing the acceptability of the process outlined in section (i) above, may give its Chair (or designate) the power to act with respect to providing a response on the matter by the 35 day deadline or by a different specified deadline date;
4. when Municipal Council is transmitting matters to Community Advisory Committees for their advice, Municipal Council will be mindful of the established monthly meeting dates or such other regular meeting dates of the particular Community Advisory Committee with a view to maximizing the time available to a Community Advisory Committee to provide its written advice; and
5. if a Community Advisory Committee has not responded by the 35 day deadline or by the different deadline date, Municipal Council may proceed with the processing of the matter in the absence of advice from the Community Advisory Committee.

4.21 Annual Report and Work Plan

Community Advisory Committees shall develop an annual report to be submitted to its parent Standing Committee outlining the previous year’s accomplishments. 

A work plan shall be developed and submitted by the Community Advisory Committee to its parent Standing Committee for the upcoming year, for Municipal Council approval. The work plan shall set out proposed initiatives to be undertaken that are directly linked to the mandate of the Community Advisory Committee and the priorities as set out in the City of London’s Strategic Plan. The work plan should include any work required under their respective mandate and applicable legislation. The work plan status shall be provided to the parent Standing Committee on a quarterly basis.

4.22  Committee Conduct

Community Advisory Committees, when carrying out their committee responsibilities, are expected to:

(a) abide by the provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Respectful Workplace Policy, City of London policies and any other applicable related statutes and, in doing so, shall treat every person, including other committee members, employees, individuals providing services on a contract for service, students on placements, and the public, with dignity, understanding and respect for the right to equality and the right to an environment that is safe and free from harassment and discrimination;

(b) maintain the confidentiality of personal and confidential information and discussions held in a meeting closed to the public pursuant to section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001;

(c) act in the best interest of The Corporation of the City of London;

(d) seek to advance the common good of the community which they serve; and

(e) truly, faithfully and impartially exercise their duties to the best of their knowledge and ability.

4.23  Specific Conduct

(a) Community Advisory Committee members shall, when conducting committee business, preparing written correspondence, interacting with Municipal Council, the media, the public or staff, act in a manner that:

1. fulfills the mandate of the committee;
2. respects due process and consensus building;
3. demonstrates respect for all fellow committee members, Municipal Council, the public and employees;
4. respects and gives fair consideration to diverse and opposing viewpoints;
5. demonstrates due diligence in preparing for meetings, special occasions, or other committee related events;
6. demonstrates professionalism, transparency, accountability and timeliness in completing any tasks or projects undertaken by the committee;
7. conforms to relevant legislation, by-laws, policies and guidelines; 
8. contributes in a meaningful manner, offering constructive comments to Municipal Council, staff and fellow committee members; and
9. respects the confidentiality of matters discussed in closed meetings and not disclosing the subject or substance of these discussions, unless authorized to do so.

(b) In the performance of their duties, a committee member shall not:

1. place themself in a position where a member is under obligation to any person who might benefit from special consideration or favour or who might seek preferential treatment in any way;
2. accord preferential treatment to Family Members or to organizations in which their Family Member has an interest, financial or otherwise;
3. deal with an application to the City for a grant, award, contract, permit or other benefit involving the member or their Family Member; 
4. place themself in a position where the member could derive any direct benefit or interest from any matter about which they can influence decisions; and
5. benefit from the use of information acquired during the course of their official duties which is not generally available to the public.

(c) Where a Community Advisory Committee member believes they have a conflict of interest in a particular matter, they shall:

1. prior to any consideration of the matter, disclose their interest and the general nature thereof;
2. remove themselves from the table for the duration of time that the matter is being considered and during in-closed session, remove themselves from the room;
3. not take part in the discussion or the vote on any question or recommendation in respect of the matter; and
4. not attempt in any way whether before, during or after the meeting to influence the voting on any such question or recommendation.

Civic Administration shall not provide Community Advisory Committee members advice on their interests. Community Advisory Committee members must independently determine if they have an interest for the purposes of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. 

(d) Where the number of members who by reason of conflict are disqualified from participating in a meeting is such that the remaining members are not of sufficient number to constitute a quorum, then the remaining members shall be deemed to constitute a quorum provided such number is not less than two.

(e) A request for an investigation of a complaint that a member of a Community Advisory Committee has contravened this policy shall be:

1. made in writing, setting out reasonable and probable grounds for the allegation that a member has contravened this policy and signed by an identifiable individual (which includes the authorized signing officer of an organization);
2. filed with the City Clerk, who, in the case of a complaint not involving an employee of the Corporation, shall investigate the matter and present the findings to Municipal Council in a closed meeting of Municipal Council or, in the case of a complaint involving an employee of the Corporation, the City Clerk shall forward the information subject to the complaint to the Corporation’s Intake Administrator, who, in the event mediation or other informal attempts to resolve the complaint as provided for in the applicable policy are not appropriate or prove ineffective and where Human Resources determines that further inquiry is warranted, will conduct an investigation in accordance with the applicable policy and the Corporation's Formal Investigation Process. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, any positive findings will be provided to the City Clerk, who shall make a determination on the application of this policy. The findings of the City Clerk shall be reported to Municipal Council as per the normal procedure respecting such matters.

(f) Municipal Council, may determine:

1. that there has been no contravention of this policy;
2. that a contravention occurred although the Community Advisory Committee member took all reasonable measures to prevent it;
3. that a contravention occurred that was trivial or committed through inadvertence or an error of judgment made in good faith; or
4. that the Community Advisory Committee member has contravened this policy and take any corrective actions, including removal from the Community Advisory Committee.

4.24  Recognition

The Municipal Council shall host an annual reception, subject to budget availability, to honour members who have served the Municipal Council, without remuneration by the Municipality, as a voting member of one or more of its Community Advisory Committees and whose attendance has been in keeping with this policy.

4.25  Other Acts, Regulations, By-laws and Policies

Community Advisory Committees shall, at all times, conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of other applicable Acts and Regulations (e.g., Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Ontario Human Rights Code, etc.), as well other by-laws or policies that the Municipal Council may establish from time to time (e.g. City of London Procurement of Goods and Services Policy, etc.).

4.26  Policy Review Process

To ensure this policy remains relevant and current, it shall be reviewed in accordance with the Policy for Establishment and Maintenance of Council Policies.