Get Involved
It all begins with an idea.
What are City Councilors?
According to the Municipal Act (2001), the role of a city councillor includes, representing the public, considering the well-being & interests of the municipality, developing & evaluating the policies & programs of the municipality, determining which services the municipality provides, ensuring that administrative policies, practices, & procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council – including ensuring the accountability & transparency of the operations of the municipality including the activities of the senior management of the municipality. City councillors are to maintain the financial integrity of the municipality & carry out the council duties under this or any other act.
What does this mean? This means city councillors are meant to support the municipality & its operations while ensuring the public's well-being & interests are considered.
City Councilors have wards, or in other words, areas that they are responsible for. They may also sit on committees, & participate in local agencies, boards or commissions. For example, a councillor may be the elected official responsible for Ward 8 & be involved with the Police Services Board.
When should I contact my City Councilor?
You could contact your city councillor for a variety of reasons. Some examples are, to provide more information on an issue, to ask how they will be voting on an upcoming issue &/or to encourage them to vote for or against a particular issue. You could ask to meet with them in person, over the phone or by email. You can also ask them to attend an event.
Let’s say there is a wading pool that your city plans to close, but you enjoy spending time in the park during the summer & it is an important part of your community. You could look up who your city councillor is, contact them to ask their position on the issue, or maybe you want to host a community meeting about the park & would like your council to come.
How should I communicate with my City Councilor?
The Toronto Youth Food Policy Council highlights some tips for communicating with city councillors. They give three tips: having a clear focus, ensuring that the communication is simple & brief, & ensuring you are polite while remaining passionate. Having a clear focus on one issue will help your message get across. If the request or argument is straightforward & clear, it’s more likely to be understood & attended to. If you have a particular request, make sure it is clearly stated. If you want a response, ask them to contact you & state your preferred method of communication. Showing passion for an issue is important. While showcasing your passion for the topic, ensure your language is polite. This shows respect & decency, creating a higher likelihood of positive working relationships.
Methods of communication?
Meeting in person:
When setting up the appointment, advise the staff of the issue you will discuss & what you want to achieve. Before the meeting, stay informed about the issue you want to discuss. It’s beneficial to bring notes with you: create a list of questions or suggestions or a written brief that provides some background information. Depending on the person, it may also be helpful to bring some talking points to keep you on track.
At the meeting, introduce yourself, the issue, & what you would like from the councillor. It helps with clearly presenting your case! Focus on one or two issues & insist on straight answers to your questions. If your councillor agrees with you, get it in writing. After your meeting, it could be beneficial to summarize any commitments made by the councillor & ask for updates on what has been done.
Speaking on the phone:
When speaking on the phone with a councillor, it is important to remember that you may not always get them personally, on the phone unless the meeting has already been set up. If a meeting has not been set up & you cannot get them on the phone, you can leave a message with their assistant or call after hours & leave a voicemail. If you can get them on the phone, an important tip is to remember to identify yourself as a constituent. You can provide your postal code or address, but it’s important to remember that you do not have to provide this information. There are several reasons why one would not want to share this information. You should state the reason for your call & explain your concerns. Ask pointed questions & ask for a commitment to action. You can let them know this issue will matter to you in the next election. It may be beneficial to create a script.
An example of a phone script would be something along the lines of:
Hello, my name is _____________. I am a citizen of [City Name] and a resident of Ward [include ward number]*. I am calling to encourage the City Council to vote [include what you would like them to vote on].
I ask that the city council:
[Include a list of demands, perhaps including further research on a topic, increased funding to a non-profit or grassroots organization, deferring a vote or saying no to a vote].
I ask you to respond to the demands listed and consider the voices of your constituents. Please respond to me [include how you would like to be responded by, ex. Phone call (include phone number).
*do not feel that you have to disclose what ward you live in, this is optional.
Writing a letter to your councillor:
Writing a letter by either email or hand-written can be an effective way to communicate with your ward councillor. Writing a letter to your councillor is different than submitting a written comment to the committee of council; when you write a comment to the committee of council, it is a more formal process. When you send a written comment or register to speak about items on the meeting agenda, this involves participating in an open meeting of the City Council. Writing a letter to your councillor is an accessible way to get your point across. Some tips for writing a letter include making it personal by including your experiences & concisely emphasizing two or three major points. In the letter, it may be beneficial to include your name, contact information, & your interest in the topic you are writing about. If you would like a response, directly ask for one. After sending the letter or email, keep a copy to refer back to. There are sample letters online you can use for inspiration!
Here’s a letter that was written by London community members that you can look at for inspiration:
Click here for a link to the letter!
How to Find Your Ward:
To find out who your City Councilor is, google “[Your City] city councillors”, for example, “London City Councilors”. This should take you to a website page for your local city council. On the webpage, there is usually a list of city councillors & a ward map. If you click on the ward map, the boundaries of each ward should be outlined with a list of councillors. You should be able to click on the ward to see who the city councillor is. If not, go back to the list of city councillors & underneath their name, it will include the ward they are responsible for & any local boards & committees they belong to. Their contact information should also be listed there.
City of London City Council Website & Ward Map:
https://london.ca/government/council-civic-administration/city-council
City of Toronto City Council Website & Ward Map:
https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/council/members-of-council/
City of Windsor City Council Website & Ward Map:
https://www.citywindsor.ca/mayorandcouncil/City-Councillors/Pages/City-Councillors.aspx