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Some changes may be coming to the way council meetings unfold.

A wide-ranging procedural bylaw update is recommending changes to presentations.

The 10-minute scheduled presentations remain and will still need to be submitted before noon on the Wednesday before a council meeting.

Gone will be the unscheduled presentations, that currently allow people who just want to present to Council, five minutes of time at any given regular meeting.

Mayor Al McDonald says what’s changing is that people will have to submit a written request to the clerk by noon on the day of the meeting.

“If for whatever reason they miss it, or they can’t get in, we’ll automatically put them on the next council meeting.”

The proposed change would see people limited to addressing items on the published agenda.

That has Labour Council President Henri Giroux concerned, “I think they’re really trying to silence the people and control the agenda of the public.”

He goes on to say, “sometimes you go to council at the last minute and you decided you’re going to speak on a subject. I strongly believe, it’s been like this for years and years, and it should stay that way.”

Council would also be given the ability to prohibit anyone from making deputations or presentations for a period of time.

Another proposed change would switch the current Monday meetings to every second Tuesday with the Committee meeting at 6:30 pm, followed immediately or at 7:30 pm, by the regular council meeting.

There’s only one item on tonight’s committee agenda, involving a rezoning request on Airport Road.