City of Powell River council is taking steps to continue with the opportunity to conduct meetings by electronic means.
At a December 16 meeting, council gave first three readings to a procedure bylaw to allow meetings to continue to be held using videoconferencing. Public notice of changes to the procedure bylaw also has to be given before final adoption comes to council in the new year.
At the December 14 committee of the whole meeting, corporate office Chris Jackson said during the time of COVID-19, the provincial government’s ministerial order 192 allowed councils and regional boards throughout the province to meet through electronic means and it was decided to extend that until the end of 2021, provided councils have the opportunity to consider changes to procedure bylaws to make it a permanent change.
“You may recall for special meetings, there are electronic means for council’s participation, but for the regular meetings, it’s a little bit different,” said Jackson. “One of the things to note is, for example, the chair cannot be joining remotely. That’s in your current bylaw.
“What I am suggesting in the amendment is it mimics what is in the legislation, which has a number of requirements. It would be useful to have this completed and electronic meetings going on into the future.”
Jackson said there has to be an opportunity to watch and hear other members of council during deliberations. The public has to also be able to watch and hear, he added.
Jackson said there also has to be a physical location for the meeting. Even if all seven members of city council join remotely, council chambers still have to be set up for members of the public to come in and observe. Part of that would require a municipal officer – a delegate such as the corporate officer – to be in attendance.
There needs to be the opportunity for the public to participate in question period, or with delegations if they sign up in advance, using the same technology and means that everyone else on council has, according to Jackson. The exceptions are closed meetings such as in camera meetings.
According to a staff report from Jackson, it appears that communication equipment and systems in place are working. Members of council and committees have successfully participated in meetings, including the chair, where some members are joining electronically and others in person, the report stated. Delegations, applicants and others have participated in meetings remotely and in person.
“Provided microphones are used properly and people are located in camera view areas," the report stated, “everyone can hear and watch proceedings adequately.”
