Standing Rules and Orders of Council
Rule 58: Lack of quorum during a meeting
Rule 58(1) lets a councillor draw the Speaker's attention to a lack of quorum during a meeting. The Speaker must then count the councillors present, and if there is no quorum, ring the call bell for at least three minutes. If there is still no quorum after five minutes, the Speaker must adjourn the meeting immediately.
Plain-English summary written with AI from how the City's minutes quote and use the rule. The official text is not published by the City.
The rule's own words
If during any meeting, the attention of the Speaker is called to no quorum during the meeting, Councillors present must be counted and if it is found that there is no quorum, the Speaker must cause the call bell to be rung for at least three (3) minutes. If after an interval of five minutes there is still no quorum, the Speaker must forthwith adjourn the meeting.
As quoted in the City's signed minutes.
How the minutes record it
He invoked Rule 58(1) of the Standing Rules and Orders of Council, which stipulates that: “If during any meeting, the attention of the Speaker is called to no quorum during the meeting, Councillors present must be counted and if it is found that there is no quorum, the Speaker must cause the call bell to be rung for at least three (3) minutes. If after an interval of five minutes there is still no quorum, the Speaker must forthwith adjourn the meeting.”
Signed minutes, Monday, 29 September 2025
Every meeting whose minutes cite it (1)
Heard in the chamber
- 27 August 2026, 03:11:04
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, for the record, can I please read the rule 58.1? Because the procedure followed was completely The procedure followed right now was completely incorrect.