​Colwood staff and Council work hard to keep residents informed and involved in decisions that may affect them, and all that is going on in the City. 

Legislated requirements for public notification

Many initiatives come with legislated requirements for how the public must be notified, according to the BC Community Charter. These requirements are intended to:

  1. ensure that community members who may be directly affected by a change have the opportunity to provide input about it; and
  2. to ensure that applicants wishing to make changes to their property are subject to the same public notification requirements.

Below are some examples of notification processes for common municipal activities.

When a property owner applies to rezone land

  • The applicant must erect a public notice sign on the site that is readily visible to the general public passing by.  
  • The sign means an application has been received and is being reviewed, NOT that the City has endorsed or approved the proposal
  • A staff report is published as part of a Council or Committee agenda.
  • If Council wishes the application to proceed to a public hearing, notices are sent to nearby property owners and a notice is published in two consecutive issues of a local newspaper.
  • A public hearing is held to allow for members of the public to provide input that will inform Council's decision.
  • The bylaw is then published as part of at least two additional Council meetings for consideration by Council, where it may be approved or denied.

When the City intends to close a road 

  • The City must give notice of its intention to close a road by publishing notices in a local newspaper once each week for 2 consecutive weeks, and must provide an opportunity for persons who consider they are affected by the bylaw to make representations to Council.
  • The item also appears on the Council agenda, which is published on the Thursday prior to each meeting.

When a property owner applies for a permit to develop land

  • The applicant must contact nearby property owners to advise them of the proposal and post a notification sign on the property.

When a property owner applies to subdivide land

  • The applicant must contact nearby property owners to advise them of the proposal and post a notification sign on the property.

Meeting Agendas

  • Agendas are published by Thursday evenings at 4:30 pm for meetings scheduled for the following week. 

Above and beyond

The City shares information that may be of interest to citizens through multiple channels, such as:

  • Postings on the website, where citizens can subscribe to receive updates by email
  • Let's Talk Colwood online engagement platform
  • Colwood Connection newsletters which are mailed directly to Colwood addresses
  • News releases that are reported in the local newspapers
  • Advertisements in local newspapers and magazines
  • Open houses, workshops, community meetings and other public participation events
  • Social media posts on facebook, twitter and instagram
  • Announcements at City meetings
  • Signs and posters in various areas around the City