Request A Proclamation
Interested in having the City proclaim your day or event? Please read the policy below and fill out the application available at right.
POLICY STATEMENT
Proclamations are seen as an excellent way of providing valuable education and information to the citizens of the City of Kingston. Proclamations may be issued for special events and/or activities to recognize the effort and commitment of organizations within the City of Kingston who enhance our community.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to provide a vehicle that will encourage public awareness and provide recognition for events and activities that are significant to the City of Kingston. This policy also provides directives that will address how to process requests for proclamations, while defining those types of events and activities that are not to be considered for proclamation.
DEFINITION
A proclamation is an official public announcement or declaration given by the Mayor and/or Council to formally recognize a special event which is deemed to be of interest and/or benefit to a significant number of citizens of Kingston.
RECEIPT OF PROCLAMATION REQUEST
All requests for proclamations are directed to, and processed by, the Clerk's Department, who will confirm if a proclamation has been previously submitted and approved and to commence the process.
CRITERIA
When a request is received, the Clerk's Department will verify whether a request has been made within the past five years, and confirm whether it meets all of the identified criteria listed below for consideration by Council:
- Shall be submitted by a representative of a non-profit group based in Kingston;
- Will be issued only in respect of activities that support residents of the City of Kingston or related events taking place in Kingston (public awareness campaign);
- Must demonstrate respect and tolerance for all Kingston residents; and
- Should foster a sense of community.
Proclamations will not be issued for:
- matters of political controversy, ideological or religious beliefs, or individual conviction;
- events or organizations with no direct relationship to the City of Kingston;
- campaigns or events contrary to City policies or bylaws;
- campaigns intended for profit-making purposes; and
- attempting to influence government policy.
PROCLAMATIONS APPROVED BY COUNCIL WITHIN THE PAST 5 YEARS
- The written request is placed on the next Council Agenda as a Communication. It is marked as Referred to the City Clerk and copies are circulated to the Mayor and Council, the CAO, the City Clerk, and the Deputy Clerk.
- If the date of the event is before the next Council meeting, the Certificate can be processed with the current date and be signed by the Mayor immediately. Once signed by the Mayor, the Certificate is mailed to the applicant free of charge.
- If the date of the event is after the next Council meeting, the Certificate is prepared, dated for the day after the Council meeting and sent to the Mayor to be signed on that date. Once signed by the Mayor, the Certificate is mailed to the applicant free of charge.
IF NO PREVIOUS PROCLAMATION WAS APPROVED AND CRITERIA ARE MET:
- The written request is placed on the next Council Agenda as a Communication and under Miscellaneous Business, where a motion will be voted on by Council. The Communication is marked as Referred to Council and copies are circulated to the Mayor and Council, the CAO, the City Clerk, and the Deputy City Clerk.
- The Certificate of Proclamation is prepared, dated for the day after the Council meeting and sent to the Mayor to be signed on that date, provided that it is passed at the meeting. Once signed by the Mayor, the Certificate is mailed to the applicant free of charge.
FOR ALL PROCLAMATIONS:
- A letter or email response is sent to the individual or group requesting the Proclamation to advise them of the process and to determine whether or not the group wishes to also have an advertisement placed in the local newspaper.
- An organization does not have exclusive rights to the day, week or month of their proclamation.
- If an advertisement has been requested, the wording for the ad will be the same as in the Proclamation; however any draft language provided may be edited or rewritten at the discretion of the City Clerk, in consultation with the Mayor's Office.
- Once the wording of the Proclamation has been established, the Clerk's Department sends an email to the individual or group confirming that the request for Proclamation has been placed on the Council Agenda as a Communication.
- If an advertisement has been requested, the email will specify the date that it will appear in the newspaper under the City's Banner and advise that an invoice will be mailed directly to them in due course. Ads appear every Tuesday in the newspaper.
- A copy of the ad is sent to the Communications Group to be forwarded to the newspaper. Following placement of the advertisement, payment is collected through Accounts Payable.
- The City of Kingston will not incur any expenses relating to the advertising and promotion of a proclamation.
- Once the Proclamation has been confirmed at Council, a copy of the Certificate is forwarded by email to Communications and they will ensure that the title of the Proclamation and the date passed are posted on the City of Kingston web site at www.cityofkingston.ca/cityhall/council/proclamations/.
MONITORING
The City Clerk is responsible for implementing and monitoring proclamation activities.
EXCEPTIONS
Exceptions to this Policy may only be made by Council resolution.
