Belleville Notice Policy missing how, where and when notice will be given to the public

Municipalities are required to have a public notice policy.

In 2023, the only policies publicly accessible on the City’s website and CivicWeb folder were:

• Budget and Financial Controls Policy
• Proof of ID and Vaccination for Individuals enter city buildings policy

In 2023, Open Council reached out to the City to inquire about policies required by law that they were missing:

1. Public Notice Policy
2. Accountability and Transparency Policy
3. Delegation of Powers Policy

and submitted a Freedom of Information Request in order to access them.

In response to the request, the City claimed that these policies already existed:

• The Procedural By-law is their “Public Notice Policy”
• The Budget and Financial Controls is their “Accountability and Transparency Policy”
• The Delegate Authority of Treasurer, Lame Duck Council/Delegation of Authority to CAO is the “Delegation of Powers Policy” (I was unable to find this available online as was suggested)

On April 13, 2026 Belleville published a barebones Notice Policy.

Belleville’s Notice Policy commits to doing the bare minimum

Section 270 of the Municipal Act requires that all municipalities and their local boards must adopt and maintain a policy regulating the circumstances in which the municipality shall provide notice to the public and, if notice is to be provided, the form, manner and times notice shall be given.

Belleville’s Notice Policy commits to doing the bare minimum required by law and for decisions (projects, programs, policies, spending) that the provincial government hasn’t required them however to notify the public, they’ll provide notice however they see fit in whatever way they’d like.

Where the City of Belleville has determined that it will provide notice that is not set out in legislation, or municipal By-laws or policies, the City may utilize any of the following methods to provide notice prior to the event/matter occurring:

• Posting on a Council agenda
• Posting on the City’s website
• Posting on the City’s Social Media channels
• Advertisement in a newspaper
• Any other manner deemed appropriate

Comparison to other municipalities

Comparing this policy to the Notice Policies of other municipalities, Belleville’s policy is missing:

• Commitment to transparency
• List of subjects and decisions where notice is required
• Minimum notice content requirements
• Who is responsible for issuing notices
• How the policy will be evaluated and updated

For example, Pickering outlines the policy’s objective:

The objective of this policy is to:

1. Ensure transparent government communications which promote public participation.
2. Ensure citizens are aware of what, when and where the business of the municipality is being discussed.
3. Provide accurate and timely Notice to the public in general.
4. Ensure the notification process is consistent.
5. Ensure all Notices Published by the City are issued in an effective and relevant medium.

Pickering