Meeting times were a topic of discussion at qathet Regional District’s February 11 committee of the whole meeting.
Regional board members were given a motion to consider recommending the regional board amend the Powell River Regional Hospital District committee of the whole meetings for 2021 to be held at 3:15 pm going forward. Typically, regional hospital board meetings are held quarterly at 3:45 pm, with the regional board committee of the whole following at 4 pm.
City director CaroleAnn Leishman, who chairs the Powell River Regional Hospital Board, said she did not think it appropriate for the motion to have come before the committee of the whole.
“I was going to suggest that staff reach out to Tla’amin Nation about the time change and that we refer it to the regional hospital district,” said Leishman. “This isn’t really the place for it.”
She added that she did not want the motion to go forward. She suggested voting it down.
Electoral Area D director and committee chair Sandy McCormick said she had a concern about moving the meeting time because so many times, hospital board meetings take only a few minutes. She said she would also have a problem with the revised scheduling in trying to get to Powell River from Texada Island for a 3:15 pm meeting when meetings are again held in the regional district board room.
Currently, regional district board business is conducted over Zoom. McCormick said to make the earlier time, she would have to leave her house at 10 am. She said she is not in favour of the motion.
Electoral Area A director Patrick Brabazon said he thought directors were evading the principal question. He said he recognized Leishman’s concern that it was probably the jurisdiction of the regional hospital board. However, current meeting scheduling is intolerable, he believes, to the public.
“We allow a meeting to overrun a second meeting,” said Brabazon. “The solution has to be some way to ensure one meeting does not run over a second meeting. The public expects the second meeting to start at 4 pm.
Equally important, delegations are set aside their time to be there at the appropriate time. To schedule a meeting that is almost certain to overrun a second meeting is unacceptable from my point of view and should be unacceptable from the public.”
Leishman said she thought the motion was out of order because she didn’t think the committee of the whole should be speaking about regional hospital district business.
Corporate officer Michelle Jones said the matter could be forwarded to the regional hospital district committee of the whole meeting scheduled for March. She said the regional district’s procedures bylaw allows for the meeting times to be rescheduled by the chair, so that could be done as well.
Leishman moved that the matter be referred to the regional hospital board committee of the whole.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said the regional district could also consider adjusting its committee of the whole meetings, which follow the quarterly regional hospital board meetings, to a half an hour later. He said one of the concerns he’s heard from residents, when committee of the whole meetings start at 4 pm, is a lot of people are still at work. He said in the past, the regional district used to meet during the daytime and it was moved to evenings so people working during the day could show up and attend.
“4 pm is a little bit early,” said Gisborne. “Maybe we could consider moving it to 4:30 pm.”
Electoral Area E director Andrew Fall said there is a problem with overlap but he did not know what the prevalence of that was.
“How often does this happen?” asked Fall.
McCormick said the matter on the floor was to refer to the regional hospital board committee of the whole and she called the vote. The referral motion carried unanimously.
