Short of running for office and becoming an elected official, volunteering on a municipal committee of council or local board is one of the best ways to get involved and make the biggest impact on your community.
What committees do
Committees of council working groups made up of volunteer members from the community, experts, councillors and municipal staff appointed by Council to provide recommendations, advice, and information to Council about specific topics that relate to the stated purpose of the committee that are important to the public.
Committee member role description
Serving as a committee member is a volunteer position that:
- Provides relevant skill/knowledge
- Represents the interests of the community
I was the only person on the committee who used city Transit. My knowledge and insight helped keep/change routes, get so many of the new shelters in place at busy stops, get the Mobility transit going, and just generally help the city understand the needs of the Transit system and it’s riders.
Individual who served as a Transit Advisory Committee member
Members are expected to participate and to help fulfill the Committee’s mandate in the Terms of Reference. This includes doing work outside of Committee meetings to advance the business of the work plan for the Committee:
- Familiarize themselves with the mandate and/or Terms of Reference of the Advisory Committee.
- Understand the Committee’s advisory relationship to Council.
- Strive to attend all scheduled meetings.
- Prepare for meetings by reading agendas and any background information supplied.
- Actively participate in the discussion and decision-making process.
- Undertake any work assigned, including special projects and research, in between meetings.
- Operate under the Procedural By-law of Council and Council Code of Conduct.
- Be open-minded and allow for a variety of opinions to be heard.
- Respect the individual worth and dignity of other Advisory Committee members, staff; and maintain a high degree of professionalism.
- Ask questions, and seek clarification through the staff, Council liaison, or Chair.
- Respect the role of and responsibility of the Chair.
- Respect that actions taken and recommendations shall reflect the majority view of the Advisory Committee.
- Respect the decisions and finality of Council.
How to apply to serve on a board or committee
Most committee positions are appointed for the “Term of Council” and are decided shortly after a municipal election ends and a new council is sworn in.
Notice of the appointment process for both the beginning of a committee term or for the filling of vacancies should be published on a municipality’s website/newsletter and social media pages.
To apply to a board or committee position, you can contact the Municipal Clerk and submit your application by email or in-person at City Hall. Many municipalities also accept applications through online forms.
Contact municipal office and find out when the meetings are and to get applications to join the committee
Waterloo lets interested individuals join a contact list to receive updates on future opportunities by emailing [email protected].
In Belleville, applications were accepted through an online form, which asked:
- Why are you interested in serving the City of Belleville and its residents in this capacity?
- What do you believe you can contribute to the particular board or committee you are applying for ? Please include information on any related experience or interests.
- What community activities are you presently (or have been in the past) involved in?
- Please provide any additional information or comments you wish for Council to consider.
- OPTIONAL – In order to ensure the committee and Council are able to consider this, we are asking that those who are comfortable to please self-identify below.
- I, the applicant listed above, certify that the information provided on this form is correct and I understand the collection and use of my personal information for the purpose of this application and the appointment process.
Example appointment process: Belleville
The City of Belleville’s procedure requires that any individual interested in being appointed to a committee or board submit a letter of application or complete the online application for consideration. The city has been required to conduct committee applications in open session since 2014.
The most recent term officially started on November 15, 2022 after the most recent municipal elections. In Belleville, a call for interested parties was issued in the week of November 24th, 2022 with applications being accepted until December 11th.
108 applications for the various board and committee seats were received and the Mayor’s Office made the following recommendations in a report to council:
Council made the appointments official on January 9, 2023 in By-law 2023-09:
Most committees are volunteer, some are paid
Clarington’s Property Standards Committee paid $55.15 per meeting in 2024.
Toronto pays Property Standards Committee members $1,500 annually, plus full-day per diem of $460 and half-day remuneration (3.5 hours or less) of $275 for hearings, business meetings or training sessions. Public members of the Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee receive an honorarium of $125 per meeting attended, to a maximum of 5 meetings.
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