Ways to take part
Council makes decisions all year. Most items go first to one of four standing committees. These are smaller groups of councillors who study an item and send advice to full council, which votes (City of London ↗). Here are eight ways to take part, from the easiest to the most involved. None of them promises a result.
01Watch a meeting or read the agendaAgendas, staff reports and minutes are posted online, and meetings are streamed live.
Find the meeting on the City's meeting portal (eScribe ↗). Watch live on the City website or YouTube, or sit in the public gallery at City Hall, 300 Dufferin Avenue (City of London ↗).
02Report a problemA service request asks City staff to fix something, like a pothole, missed garbage, needles or a rental building problem.
Use the Service London Portal ↗, email service@london.ca, or call 519-661-2489 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. For urgent problems after hours, call 519-661-4965 (City of London ↗). A service request or complaint can't change a council decision (City of London ↗).
03Write to your councillor or the mayorA direct message to the people you elected.
Email the mayor's office at mayor@london.ca or call 519-661-4920 (City of London ↗). Councillor emails and phone numbers are on the City Council page ↗. The new council's term starts November 15, 2026, and its first meeting is November 17 (City calendar ↗). Say which ward you live in. To put your view on the public record as well, send it to the committee too (see the next step).
04Send a letter to a committeeA written comment added to the public agenda before councillors vote. Petitions follow the same rules.
Email the committee that has the item, at cpsc@london.ca, icsc@london.ca, pec@london.ca or sppc@london.ca. Or mail or drop it off at the City Clerk's Office, 300 Dufferin Avenue (City of London ↗). Your letter must be about an item on that meeting's agenda and include your name and address. Send it by 9 a.m. on the Monday of the week before the meeting to make the main agenda. The last chance is 9 a.m. one business day before. If a public notice gives a different date, follow the notice (Procedure By-law ↗; Public Notices ↗). Your letter is posted on the City website with your name (Public Notices ↗).
05Comment on a planning application or a city planBefore a rezoning or new city-wide rules go to committee, planners take comments from anyone.
Find the file at london.ca/planapps ↗ or in the weekly Public Notices ↗. Contact the planner named on the file, or plandev@london.ca or 519-930-3500. Early comments can be considered in the staff report (Public Notices ↗). Comments on ReThink Zoning, the draft city-wide zoning rules, are open until November 27, 2026. Send them to jadema@london.ca or jshaughn@london.ca (Get Involved London ↗). If you own land a new zoning by-law covers, you can appeal it only if you spoke at the public meeting or wrote to council before the vote (Planning Act s. 34(19) ↗). To be safe, also write to the committee at pec@london.ca before the vote.
06Speak at a public participation meetingA hearing where anyone can speak for up to five minutes without asking first. Most are on planning applications. The next one on the City budget is Monday, February 8, 2027 at 4 p.m. (City calendar ↗).
The agenda says which items have one. Come to City Hall, or join by Zoom or by phone. To join remotely, register by 9 a.m. on the day of the meeting at PPMClerks@london.ca or 519-661-2489 ext. 7100 (City of London ↗). For a minor variance at the Committee of Adjustment, register by 4:30 p.m. at least one day before at CoAregister@london.ca or 519-930-3500 (Public Notices ↗).
07Ask to speak at a committeeA delegation is a request to speak for up to five minutes on a standing committee agenda item. The committee votes on whether to hear you. Full council does not hear delegations (City of London ↗).
Email the committee (see the letter step) with your name and the agenda item. Send it by 9 a.m. one business day before the meeting. Delegations speak from the public gallery at City Hall (Procedure By-law ↗). Your request is posted with your name. The police, transit, library and health unit boards set their own rules (Police board ↗, Transit ↗, Library ↗, Health Unit ↗).
08Apply for a seat on a board or advisory committeeVolunteer seats where residents serve on City boards or advise council.
Applications for 2026 to 2030 seats on boards such as the Library Board, Transit Commission and Committee of Adjustment close Wednesday, November 4, 2026. You must be 18 or older, and applications are made public (City of London ↗). London's three Community Advisory Committees, for Accessibility, Planning, and Environmental Stewardship and Action, start a new four-year term on April 1, 2027. Members are unpaid, and each committee has a seat for someone aged 15 to 24 (City of London ↗; Policy ↗). Watch for the call for members before then, or ask at advisorycommittee@london.ca.
For records requests, the Ombudsman and the Integrity Commissioner, see How can you check it?. For a different format or support to take part, email accessibility@london.ca or call 519-661-2489 ext. 2425 (City of London ↗).
See how London Decides has taken part on the home page.