Glossary

A body of residents (sometimes including councillors) appointed to advise council on a subject area such as heritage, climate, or active transportation. It recommends; it does not make binding decisions.

The published list of items a council or committee plans to consider at a meeting, circulated in advance. The agenda package usually includes the staff reports and attachments for each item.

A proposed change to a motion that is voted on before the main motion. A motion can be amended several times before the final vote.

An Ontario law aimed at accelerating housing supply. Among many changes, it required municipalities to review listed-but-undesignated properties on their heritage registers and either formally designate them or remove them by a deadline.

A defined commercial district where member businesses pay a special levy on top of regular property tax to fund shared work such as marketing, beautification, events, and safety.

Example Kitchener has two: the Downtown Kitchener BIA and the Belmont BIA.

A law passed by a municipal council under powers granted by the province. By-laws govern local matters such as zoning, licensing, parking, noise, and animal control.

The stage where a committee of members studies a bill in detail, can hear from the public and experts, and may amend it before sending it back to the chamber.

A vote in which the House of Commons agrees to a bill as reported by committee, with any amendments. It is the step between report stage and third reading.

A financial interest a council member has in a matter before them. Under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, the member must declare it, not participate in the discussion or vote, and (in practice) leave the room for that item.

Postponing a decision to a future meeting without voting on its substance. The item carries forward intact.

A member of the public who registers to address council or a committee on an agenda item, usually for a few minutes. Written submissions can also be filed.

A formal challenge a developer can file under Section 20 of the Development Charges Act if they believe a development charge was wrongly determined, calculated, or applied. The municipality must hold a hearing; either side can appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

One-time fees a municipality collects from new construction to help pay for the infrastructure that growth requires: roads, water, sewers, parks, and recreation facilities. Governed by Ontario’s Development Charges Act.

Example A municipality can borrow against expected future DC collections to build infrastructure now ("DC debt"), and can redirect that borrowing between projects.

A vote in which each member’s choice is counted and recorded, producing a total for and against. At the municipal level this is called a recorded vote.

A package of correspondence and information items circulated to council electronically between meetings. It is not a deliberative meeting; nothing is voted on.

The formal introduction of a bill. There is no debate or vote on the bill itself at first reading; it places the bill before the legislature and makes its text public.

A bill introduced by a cabinet minister on behalf of the government. Most bills that become law are government bills.

A formal status under Ontario’s Heritage Act marking a property as having cultural heritage value. Designated properties cannot be altered or demolished without a heritage permit.

Example Designation begins with a "Notice of Intention to Designate." Anyone can object within 30 days; if no objection, council can finalize the designation by by-law.

The approval required under Section 42 of the Heritage Act to alter or demolish a designated heritage property.

A Waterloo-Region set of green-building design standards for new development, covering energy efficiency, on-site renewables, water conservation, and resilient siting. As of 2026 it is a voluntary opt-in pilot.

A proposed law (a bill) must pass several readings in the legislature and then receive Royal Assent before it becomes law. Provincially there are three readings in one chamber; federally there are three readings in each of the House of Commons and the Senate.

A portion of a meeting closed to the public. Ontario’s Municipal Act allows closed sessions only for narrow, defined reasons such as land acquisition, litigation, personal matters, or labour relations.

The Ontario tribunal that resolves disputes between residential landlords and tenants, including eviction applications. Known for significant case backlogs.

The official written record of what happened at a meeting: who attended, what was decided, and how recorded votes went. Post-meeting minutes are the authoritative source we build each issue from.

A formal proposal put to a vote, introduced by one member ("moved by") and supported by another ("seconded by"). If it passes it is "carried"; if it fails it is "lost."

A legal eviction notice under Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act used when a landlord intends to demolish, substantially repair or renovate, or convert a rental unit. The tenant generally has a right of first refusal to return at the same rent once the work is done.

The published notice that starts the heritage-designation process. It opens a 30-day window for objections before council can pass the designation by-law.

Written notice a council member gives at one meeting that they intend to bring a motion at a later one, so colleagues and the public can prepare.

A municipality’s long-range land-use policy document, setting out where and how the community will grow. Zoning by-laws must conform to it.

The provincial body that hears appeals on land-use planning, development charges, heritage, and related municipal matters.

A sitting day on which an opposition party, rather than the government, chooses the subject of debate and puts forward a motion. Federally it is also called a supply day.

The official daily agenda of a legislature, listing the business and bills to be considered.

A bill introduced by a member who is not a cabinet minister. Federally these are numbered C-201 and up in the House, or S-numbers in the Senate. Most private members’ bills do not become law.

An amendment to a motion for second or third reading that, if passed, declines to proceed with the bill and states the reasons. Reasoned amendments are typically moved by the opposition.

A vote in which each member’s individual position (in favour, opposed, or recused) is written into the minutes. When no recorded vote is requested, the minutes may simply note a motion "carried" without a per-member breakdown.

When an official steps aside from a specific decision because of a conflict of interest. A recusal is item-specific; it does not mean the member was absent from the whole meeting.

A communication that council formally receives and places in the public record without taking any further action on it.

Shorthand for "renovation eviction": ending a tenancy through an N13 notice so the landlord can renovate, demolish, or convert the unit. A "bad-faith" renoviction uses renovation as a pretext to remove lower-paying tenants and re-rent at a higher rate, which is illegal.

In the House of Commons, the stage after committee where the whole House considers the committee report on a bill and votes on any further amendments before third reading.

The Ontario law that governs most residential landlord-tenant relationships, including rent rules, evictions, and tenant rights. Municipal by-laws can add to it but cannot override it.

The final step that makes a bill law, given on behalf of the Crown after the bill has passed all required readings. In Ontario it is given by the Lieutenant Governor or an administrator; federally by the Governor General or a deputy.

Debate and a vote on the principle of a bill, meaning whether the idea is sound, rather than its line-by-line detail. A bill that passes second reading usually goes to a committee for detailed study.

The section of Ontario’s Municipal Act that lists the only permitted reasons a council may meet behind closed doors, and requires the closure to be authorized by a public motion stating the grounds.

A bill that originates in the Senate, numbered with an S (for example, S-247). It must also pass the House of Commons to become law.

A document prepared by city staff analyzing an issue and recommending a course of action. Reports carry a code (for example COR-2026-045) that identifies the department and year.

Land a municipality has formally declared it no longer needs for municipal purposes, which it can then sell. The declaration and sale follow a set public process, and the proceeds go to the municipality.

The final debate and vote on a bill in a chamber, on its final form. Passing third reading means that chamber has approved the bill.

The procedural steps a by-law passes through before it becomes law. The three readings are usually taken at the same meeting; the substance is debated earlier under the related agenda item, so the readings themselves are largely formal.

A motion that limits how much time the legislature will spend debating a bill or question before it goes to a vote. Closure is a related tool that instead ends a debate already under way.

A preliminary step in the House of Commons that authorizes the introduction of a bill to impose or change a tax or charge. The House votes on the motion before the tax bill itself can proceed.