Council Meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of each month, except July, August, September and December, when meetings only occur on the second Monday of the month. If a regular meeting falls on a statutory holiday, it is moved to the following Tuesday. Regional Council Meetings begin at 6:30 pm and vary in length depending on the number of items on the agenda. Calendars and additional information on meeting dates are available on the NRRM public information portal site.
What is on the agenda?
Council agenda packages are available on the NRRM public information portal site by the Wednesday before each meeting. You can also view the most recent regular Regional Council meeting minutes (which are available once they have been adopted by Council) by visiting our public information portal.
Where are meetings held?
Meetings take place at the Municipal Office (5319 50 Avenue South) in the Bear Pit Council Chambers and can be attended both in-person (with limited seating) and virtually using the Zoom meeting platform. During regularly-scheduled Regional Council meetings, the public will be provided an opportunity to address Council during the Public Comment Period or ask questions during the Public and News Media Question and Answer Period.
How do I join a meeting using Zoom?
NOTE: Pre-registration is not required, however you may be required to provide your name and email address when attending the webinar.
Visit the Zoom website Visit https://zoom.us and either sign-up for a free Zoom account or continue as a guest.
Download the Zoom desktop or mobile app Download the Zoom software on your personal computer or download the mobile app to your smart phone or tablet.
Install the downloaded app Install the downloaded Zoom software and you are ready to participate in the meeting.
Join the Council meeting Please click the link below to join the Council meeting:
How can I provide public comment or ask a question?
Near the beginning of Regular Regional Council meetings, a Public Comment Period is available to attendees, or toward the end of the meeting, questions may be asked during the Public and News Media Question and Answer Period. Special Regional Council meetings do not allow for open question/comment from the public at the present time. If you wish to speak, once the Mayor has announced the Public Comment Period or the Public and News Media Question & Answer Period, please do the following:
Click on the “Raise Hand” feature in the webinar control panel to notify the moderator that you would like to address Council.
The moderator will unmute your microphone when it is your turn to ask your question.
A prompt will appear to confirm you would like to be unmuted - once you accept the prompt, your microphone will be live.
Please state your name and ask your question.
Once your question has ended, you will be muted again.
Council meeting agendas and packages are available online on the NRRM Public Information Portal site by 3:00 pm on the Wednesday prior to the meeting.
The agenda is also posted on the bulletin board of the Municipal Office, and hard copies of the agenda are provided at the meeting or can be requested at Municipal Hall at no charge. Hard copies of council meeting packages can be requested.
All regular council meetings are open to the public. No one will be excluded from attending except in the case of improper conduct. The rules of conduct for council meetings are outlined in the Regional Council Procedure Bylawand Robert's Rules of Order.
Broadcast: All Regular Regional Council Meetings are broadcast via Zoom video-conferencing. Instructions for participating in a virtual council meeting are available online on the NRRM public information portal site.
Recorded: Recorded Regular/Special Regional Council meetings are usually available a day or two after the meeting. Please note that only meetings held after February 10, 2020 are available since that is when the Northern Rockies began recording meetings. View them in either of two ways:
Regional Council meetings are scheduled for the calendar year in advance, and the schedule is advertised as well as posted to the municipal website. These meetings are often referred to as "regular" Regional Council meetings.
According to the Community Charter, the mayor or two council members can convene a special meeting of council if an important issue arises that council needs to consider.
Closed meetings are usually referred to as in camera meetings and are not open to the public. Council may only hold in camera meetings under the circumstances set out in Section 90 of the Community Charter such as for matters pertaining to personnel, land, labour or employee negotiations, law enforcement, litigation or potential litigation and information prohibited from disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
At a public hearing, members of the public can express comments or concerns in person or in writing to Council about the proposed bylaw. Public Hearings take place after the first and second readings but before third reading of a bylaw.
By making their views known before the adoption of land use bylaws, residents and other interested parties play an important role in deciding how the community develops.
Council exercises its powers through bylaws and resolutions.
For a bylaw to come into force it must be given three readings by Council and then be adopted.
A bylaw may be given up to three readings at one Council meeting, however that is not the case for all bylaws.
There must be at least one day between the third reading and the adoption of a bylaw.
Some bylaws require further approval, for example the approval of a minister, before they are adopted.
A bylaw can only be amended or rescinded by another bylaw.
Some bylaws, about decisions on how land will be used or developed, require public hearings.
From the Bear Pit Council Newsletter
If you want to keep up-to-date with Regional Council decisions, check out our "From the Bear Pit" newsletters that are published after every meeting. "From the Bear Pit " is named after Council's legislative chambers, long-known as the Bear Pit.
