Council Meetings

All meetings held by the Town of Cobourg Council are open to the public, except for Closed Meetings which can only be closed for specific reasons.

Residents can attend the following meetings:

• Regular Council;
• Committee of the Whole;
• Special Council;
• Advisory Committees and Local Boards; and
• Public Meetings.

Public Meetings

The Town of Cobourg holds Public Meetings to give residents the chance to voice their opinion to Council on specific topics when they arise. The input from the residents helps Council make its decision.

Public meetings are held when changes to the following are being considered:

• Certain by-laws (ie. Zoning By-law);
• Licensing and Fees;
• Master Plans (Parks, Waterfront, Parking, Transportation);
• Official Plans; and
• Other matters requiring public input.

Public meetings are held on Mondays at 6:00 p.m., usually on the same days as a scheduled Committee of the Whole meeting.

You can read the agenda and minutes.

Please view our Public Meetings calendar for a complete list of all open meetings including Council, Open Houses, Public Launch Events and more!

When can Council go into Closed Session?

SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Section 239(2) of the Municipal Act allows Council to meet behind closed doors to consider issues that deal with:

• the security of the property of the municipality or local board;
• personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees;
• a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board;
• labour relations or employee negotiations;
• litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board;
• advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose; and
• a matter in respect of which a council, local board, committee or other body may hold a closed meeting under another Act.

(3.1) the meeting is for the purpose of education or training of the members and at the meeting, no member discusses or otherwise deals with any matter in a way that materially advances the business or decision making of the council, local board or committee.

Closed Meeting Investigator

Any person can request an investigation to see if Council has met in Closed Session for a valid, legal reason.

The Town of Cobourg has an Integrity Commissioner, Closed Meeting Investigator and Ombudsman. Fill in the Request Form for Closed Meeting Investigation and send it to the Legislative Services Department with the $25 fee.

If you are interested in appearing in person at a Council, Committee or Board meeting to present information or an opinion on a matter, you will need to:

• Fill out the Delegation Request Form directly through eSCRIBE.
  
• Submit the Delegation Request Form to the Municipal Clerk no later than 1:00 p.m. on the Friday preceding the meeting in person or by mail to 55 King Street West, Cobourg, ON K9A 2M2, by e-mail to clerk@cobourg.ca, or by fax to (905) 372-7558
• Ensure your Delegation is no longer than ten (10) minutes

The Town of Cobourg Delegation rules are governed by the Procedural By-law.  Please be advised that Regular Council meetings are recorded and televised on Cogeco TV.

For a list of the Regular Council and Committee of the Whole meetings, please click on our 2020 Municipal Council Meeting Schedule.