As colder winds blow and the colour of leaves change, the issue of virtual attendance was back for discussion in Tiny Township during the recent committee of the whole meeting.
The matter was defeated in spring as it related to a request by the accessibility advisory committee, with Coun. Kelly Helowka raising the viability of snowbirds – Canadians who reside south for the winter – as able participants for mandatory committees and meetings.
This time around the discussion centered around closed meetings, those times when a council meeting will ask the attending public to leave the chambers so sensitive municipal matters can be discussed privately.
Since reopening Tiny chambers at 130 Balm Beach Rd. W. for public attendance to meetings, residents and deputants have been asked to vacate the building to the outdoors during closed sessions; once during an unseasonably cold day. Staff was asked to bring back a report shortly after that looked at amendments to the related procedural bylaw, intended to prioritize attendees over more comfortable closed-session affairs in-person or with virtual partners.
However, Coun. Steffen Walma took the opportunity to “renegotiate” the allocation of virtual attendance for council members.
“When we can be here, we all want to be here,” said Walma. “We make every effort to do so, and I would suggest that our committee members are in the same boat.”
He offered that special meetings of both council and committee of the whole, one of which was to be held the next day, should allow for leniency on virtual participation.
Deputy Mayor Sean Miskimins shared his opinion that the matter was deserving of another look, while Helowka restated his take that committees were better served by in-person residents than those who occupy months outside the country.
As snowbirds were brought up by Walma as an example, and with Mayor Dave Evans doing some on-the-fly calculations for what a possible number would be for council and committees, Coun. Dave Brunelle stated concern that to address the issue of virtual attendance so suddenly would require more input from staff opposed to a decision then and there.
Evans advised Brunelle that even with a committee of the whole decision of approval, it would take three more weeks for formal council to further discuss the matter and possibly pass or fail a motion; however, the original discussion to keep residents out of the cold should be dealt with in the immediate sense.
With a grin, Walma addressed Brunelle’s concern about delays further in his usual humourous manner.
“If we don’t pass or not-pass an amendment tonight, that means the public doesn’t have any input for the next three weeks,” Walma reasoned. “I’m happy to have the debate about the numbers and whether or not special committee meetings or special meetings of council are included – and lose – and then in three weeks time I can bring it up again and maybe the public’s had the opportunity to talk to everyone on council.
“I’m also happy to have the discussion and win, and in three weeks time have the public crucify me because I’m lazy,” Walma said. “Let’s do it now.”
Following laughter from council and staff members and a revised amendment brought to read, the committee of the whole near unanimously approved receiving the staff report for information, along with the amendment to remove special committees of council or special committee of the whole meetings from the three-meeting virtual participation limit listed in the participation section of the proceedings bylaw.
Council is anticipated to have the item on the Oct. 11 meeting agenda for possible discussion and approval.
The procedure bylaw amendments report can be viewed within the agenda page located on the Tiny Township website. -
Archives of council meetings are available to view on Tiny Township’s YouTube channel.
