Public Hearings

Written submissions are welcome and are accepted whether or not a person attends the hearing.

After a public hearing date is set by council, any person may submit comments about the matter under consideration. Anonymous submissions are not accepted and an individual's name must be attached to every submission. 

All written submissions, including the names of those making the submissions, are public documents and are published on our website in the Record of Public Submissions for the public hearing. Please limit the personal information provided. The first and last names of all those who provide submissions, verbal or written, are published in the meeting minutes along with the person's general position on the matter - in favour, opposed, or neutral. 

By participating in a public hearing you are consenting to the publication of your name and your opinion about the matter under consideration.

Written submissions received from members of the public before 9 a.m. two business days before the hearing (typically Friday) will be part of a record of public submissions published by 5 p.m. that day and will be distributed to Council. Submissions received after the deadline, but before the close of the hearing, will be added to the record after the hearing adjourns. To make a submission:

• Email municipal.clerk@canmore.ca 
• In person: Canmore Civic Centre, 902-7 Avenue
• Mail: Town of Canmore. Attn: Municipal Clerk, 902-7 Avenue, Canmore AB  T1W 3K1

All emailed responses will be acknowledged by return email. Digital submissions are encouraged, but submissions can also be mailed or dropped of to the Canmore Civic Centre at 902-7 Avenue, Canmore, AB T1W 3K1. Only one copy of a written submission is required.

Any person may make verbal comments at the public hearing. Presentations cannot exceed five minutes, not including time for questions from Council.

If a representative is presenting a written submission on behalf of someone else, they must be able to answer Council's questions on behalf of the other party. Unless otherwise advertised, presentations may be made in person in the council chambers or by using Zoom.

Speakers must register by noon on the business day preceding the hearing by contacting the municipal clerks office at municipal.clerk@canmore.ca. Anyone who has not registered will have an opportunity to speak after registered participants are heard and only if the speaker is present in the council chambers.

Public hearings are held in public and are livestreamed and recorded on YouTube. By participating in a public hearing you are consenting to the publication of your name and your opinion about the matter under consideration.

Pre-Recorded Video or Audio Submissions

A person or group may submit their presentation using a pre-recorded video or audio recording, provided the video or audio is played during the hearing by a person who is present either in the council chambers or on Zoom. The person presenting the video or audio must be able to answer Council's questions on behalf of any other party included in the submission. 

• The public is welcome to attend public hearings in person at the Civic Centre (907 7 Avenue)
• Meetings are also livestreamed and recorded on YouTube. If you would like only to watch the hearing, you can link to a livestream broadcast at Live Webcast

After the public hearing adjourns, the municipal clerk will prepare:

• Minutes of the hearing

The minutes will record:

• The names of administration and the applicant, or representatives of the applicant, who presented at the hearing; and
• The names of the members of the public who provided written and/or verbal submissions, along with a general indication of support, opposition, or neutrality, but not a summary of the presentations and/or a copy of any written materials provided.

The record of public submissions will include:

• Written submissions received from members of the public, and
• An electronic copy of the video recording of the meeting, if one was made.

According to the Municipal Government Act of Alberta, Council must hold a public hearing before the second reading of a bylaw, or before they vote on a resolution concerning:

• Disposal of municipal and school reserve
• Removal of municipal reserve designation
• Change to environmental reserve use or boundaries
• Land use planning bylaws:
  • Land use bylaw and its amendments
  • Municipal development plan
  • Area structure plans
  • Area redevelopment plans
  • Intermunicipal development plans