Much of the Town Council’s work happens in committees. The main committee is the Committee of the Whole, made up only of councillors. Council also appoints residents and experts to Citizen Advisory Committees and to Municipal Corporations and Boards. These groups advise council and help it make informed decisions.

Citizen committees and boards

Citizen committees give advice and feedback to Town Council on topics such as heritage and culture, emergency management, downtown planning, and the environment. Boards make decisions on behalf of their organizations. Every advisory committee and board includes at least one Town Council representative.

Meeting records and reports

Search past reports, agendas, and meeting minutes on the Agendas, Minutes & Livestream page.

Get involved

You can help shape Yarmouth’s future by joining a citizen committee or board. We offer communication supports for committee and board members (and guests) on request.

If you need help to take part in a meeting or event, call (902) 742‑8565 or email admin@townofyarmouth.ca.

How to apply

For instructions on applying to be a committee member, see the Citizen Appointments page.

Directory of committees

“There are two rewarding parts to being on an advisory committee. You learn more about how the town works, and you have a voice that can help improve our community.” — Sonia Ryan, Police Advisory Board member

Who can be appointed 

Town Council appoints citizens to advisory committees, municipal corporations, and boards. Serving is a chance to use your skills and help your neighbours.

How to apply

1. Complete the pdf application form(815 KB) . Say which committee or board you want and give background about your skills and experience.
2. Council usually prefers residents or taxpayers of the Town of Yarmouth.
3. To give more people a chance to serve, Council normally appoints a citizen to only one committee or board at a time.
4. Open positions are posted in "News & Notices" on the home page of this website, and advertised on the Town's Facebook page..

How applicants are chosen

A nominating committee reviews applications. They look for:

• broad representation of the community,
• relevant expertise or interest, and
• fit with each advisory committee’s terms of reference.

The nominating committee sends a list of qualified candidates to Council for final appointment.

Our Policies

Please find below our Citizen Appointment Process Policy and Citizen Advisory Process Policy

• pdf Citizen Appointment Process Policy(119 KB)
• pdf Citizen Advisory Process Policy(193 KB)

Apply for a committee

You can download the application PDF below. Application forms are available at the Town Office, 400 Main Street, Yarmouth, N. S. B5A 1G2. Completed applications can be mailed to the address above or emailed to admin@townofyarmouth.ca

pdf Application Form for Citizen Appointments to Committees(815 KB)

We want to hear from you. Anyone may address Council or a committee during a public hearing, a public participation meeting, or the second reading of a by‑law.

Before you speak

• Register early. Contact the committee recording secretary or the Municipal Clerk to ask to be added to an agenda. Please register at least two weeks before the meeting.
• Tell us what you want to talk about. Include the issue in your registration.
• The chair decides if and when your presentation will be scheduled.

At the meeting

• Presentations normally last up to 10 minutes.
• Meetings are public and may be livestreamed and recorded, broadcast on Eastlink TV, and posted on our website.
• Written copies of your presentation are not required but are appreciated.
• You may be asked questions after your presentation.
• If you speak for a group, have one designated spokesperson.
• If you need audio‑visual equipment, arrange this in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

We run an open and transparent council. You can find meeting agendas, reports, correspondence and other documents on our calendar page. For Council and Committee of the Whole meetings, we normally post agendas and documents on the Tuesday before the Thursday meeting. To view documents, select a meeting from the calendar below.

To access the calendar for meetings of the Recreation Advisory Committee and the Yarmouth International Airport Corporation, please click here.

Livestreaming and past meeting videos

To watch a live meeting, select the meeting in the calendar below. At meeting time, a link to the livestream will appear just below the Agenda and Minutes links for that meeting. If no link appears, the stream has not started yet — refresh the page until it is available. To watch past meetings, open the meeting in the calendar and use the Video link below the posted agenda and minutes.

Closed captioning

If you need closed captioning while watching the livestream, we recommend using the Chrome web browser because it supports real‑time live captions. For instructions, see Use Live Caption in Chrome. We also post council meeting videos on our YouTube channel, where Closed Captioning is available.

To access meeting agendas/minutes prior to February 11, 2021, please visit our meeting minutes archive.