Public Hearings

October 17, 2023 Public Hearing

Participate at the Public Hearing

• How to participate in writing

  1. Submit comments by mail or place in the drop box outside City Hall to the attention of the Corporate Officer, City of Penticton, 171 Main Street, Penticton, BC V2A 5A9 or
      
  2. Email comments to the attention of the Corporate Officer at publichearings@penticton.ca
     
     Written submissions will be accepted until 9:30 a.m. on the day of the Public Hearing.
     
     No letter, report or representation from the public will be received by Council after the conclusion of the Public Hearing.
     
     Please note that your name and address will form part of the public record.

  
  The bylaw and supporting information will be available for public inspection up to and including the day of the Public Hearing online at www.penticton.ca/publicnotice. 

• How to participate in-person if you wish to speak

  1. A staff person will be there to welcome all participants.
      
  2. Masks are required. Hand sanitizer is available at multiple locations.
      
  3. Please keep your mask on while moving through the room towards the microphone.
      
  4. The Public Hearing will begin at the scheduled time with an introduction. When the Mayor asks the public for the first time if anyone would like to speak to the bylaw, those on the telephone, Zoom and in person will alternate speaking opportunities.
      
  5. Please provide Council with your name and the street you live on. All speakers are asked to restrict their comments to three minutes.
      
  6. After you speak, please return to your seat. You may speak again after others have had an opportunity.
      
  7. The Public Hearing will continue until all in attendance and those participating electronically have had a chance to be heard.
      
  8. Council will listen to the views of the public, no decisions will be made at the Public Hearing.

  
  The bylaw and supporting information will be available for public inspection up to and including the day of the Public Hearing online at www.penticton.ca/publicnotice. 

• How to watch or participate online

  Step One: To view Regular Council Meetings and Public Hearings online, navigate to our website home page and click on the link for that meeting. If you are joining Zoom for the first time, you will need to download a file. This process is slightly different depending on what device or program you are using.

  Step Two: After clicking the link you will be prompted to register for the Zoom webinar. Please use your full name for your screen name and a valid email address. The City is collecting this information under section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (British Columbia) for the purpose of facilitating online meetings. By providing your full name and email address, you acknowledge and consent to the collection and use of your personal information by the City of Penticton for this purpose. Should you have any questions about the collection of this personal information, please contact Corporate Services at corpadmin@penticton.ca.

  Step Three: Select your audio preference. Once you join the webinar, you may be prompted to select your audio preference. If your device is equipped with a microphone and speakers, you should select Computer Audio. If you do not have a microphone and speakers on your device or your sound quality is poor, you can select Phone Call. If you select Phone Call, you will be provided a list of numbers to use to call into to participate in the audio portion of the meeting.

  Step Four: Wait for the host to start the meeting. Once you have entered the information above, you will be placed in a “waiting room” and City moderators will be notified that you are waiting to join the webinar. When the meeting starts, your feed will begin.

  To avoid distractions, feedback, and sound quality issues, the City will maintain control of all audio and video. As a meeting attendee, you will be able to view and hear the meeting but will be muted and blocked from being seen on video.

• How to ask questions

  At the specified time during a Regular Council Meeting or Public Hearing you can add yourself to the queue to speak by “raising your hand”. To do so, click or tap Raise Hand in the webinar controls. Unless you no longer wish to speak, please keep your hand raised until you are called upon.

  The Mayor will ask if there are any attendees that would like to speak, please be patient as an administrator will change your participant status to allow you to speak and display your video. This process will sometimes cause a short disconnect and delay in your video feed. Do not be alarmed or leave the meeting if this happens. Your video feed will resume shortly. The same delay may occur after you are finished speaking, when your status is returned to attendee.

  When you have speaker (panelist) status, some version of the icons shown below should appear, which indicate the status of your audio and video. When they are muted and turned off, you will see a red dash over them. You may need to accept an unmute prompt before your microphone will turn on. Please watch for a prompt and ensure you have turned on your microphone and camera before asking your question or providing your comments.

  

  Note that you do not have to use video, but it is encouraged for all participants asking questions or providing comments.
  When called upon to speak you will be asked to provide your full name and street you live on before asking your question or providing your comments.

  The name provided as your screen name when registering for the webinar is the name called upon to invite you to speak. To avoid confusion, please register using your full name.

• Tips for an optimal experience

  • Start early. Plan some lead-time to get set up on Zoom Webinar. This will allow you to troubleshoot any issues or make software updates if needed. It will also allow you to check that your sound and video are working and familiarize yourself with the platform.
  • Consider your environment. When speaking at a meeting, please share your video but do so from a quiet and uninterrupted environment. Choose a place to sit that is lit from above or in front of you rather than from behind.
     
  • Set your camera. Test your camera and adjust it if necessary to ensure you can sit comfortably with your face centred on the display screen.
     
  • Choose a good connection. Opt to connect from a location with the highest speed internet you have access to. A wired connection is often faster than wireless.
     
  • Use a device with a built-in microphone. If the device you are using does not have a built-in microphone you will still have the option to call-in using a separate device, but the dial-in instructions will only appear.
• If you need help

  If you have any technical issues when logging into a Regular Council Meeting or Public Hearing, please access the ZOOM help centre directly. Questions can be sent to corpadmin@penticton.ca.

Additional Information