BANFF – A cap on the number of times each year that councillors are allowed to virtually attend a council meeting may be scrapped.
The current council procedural bylaw sets a limit of three times per year that a councillor can attend council meetings by means of electronic communications, but administration recommended a more flexible option of encouraging councillors to attend in the proposed new bylaw currently under review.
Council, on the other hand, was OK with getting rid of the limit in a bid to allow some flexibility, but wanted to see tougher language than mere encouragement, instead stipulating councillors will attend a council meeting in-person unless circumstances dictate otherwise.
“I don’t think it should be something that should just become a habit,” said Coun. Grant Canning during the Oct. 11 governance and finance committee meeting.
“I still believe that it should be the intent of councillors to attend in-person and that the only time you should be attending virtually is if some sort of circumstance precludes you from being here.”
The procedures bylaw was first adopted by council in October 2018. Since that time, many changes to how a council may meet have occurred, including through enhancements to the Municipal Government Act.
Libbey McDougall, municipal clerk for the Town of Banff, said council has successfully conducted many of its meetings virtually over the course of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is reasonable to ensure that moving forward, council and its committees have the opportunity to continue to offer virtual participation to both its members and the public,” she said.
McDougall said facilitating the ongoing ability for councillors and the public to participate remotely in council or committee meetings also reduces barriers to participation that may have been imposed prior to the pandemic by the language in the procedural bylaw.
“The amendments would allow for innovative and accessible solutions for remote participation to be put in place, notably in relation to public participation at meetings and the public hearing processes,” she said.
Canning said there was a strong debate three or four years ago on whether or not council even wanted to record meetings and offer them online.
“In my mind, the pendulum has kind of swung too far the other way now, and we do a lot of stuff virtually, when I think this chamber, this room, is where business of council should be conducted as much as possible,” he said.
“Only under unique circumstances should we not be conducting business in this room and that’s why, quite frankly, I am trying to bring that pendulum back to where it was before, but still allow the opportunity to do it remotely if someone has a legitimate reason not to be here in-person.”
Mayor Corrie DiManno agreed, noting the goal is to strive to be in-person as representatives of Banff.
She said, however, there is newer technology that works amazingly well through the pandemic, which can help accommodate certain situations for councillors.
“We need to be here in front of the public, to meet with the public, and for the public to watch us work,” she said.
“If someone is sick or someone is away for a family emergency, then we’re certainly open to folks attending virtually, but if you’re on vacation, then just be on vacation, and if you’re super sick, don’t come to work," she added.
"What I would not like to see is folks just planning vacations after a vacation and knowing they can attend meetings remotely, because that goes against the spirit of what you are elected to do.”
Coun. Hugh Pettigrew had wanted to see a limit imposed, but in the end, he thought the stronger wording in the bylaw stipulating councillors will attend in-person unless circumstances dictate they can’t was a compromise he could accept for now.
“If we were to restrict it to once or twice, we would probably feel a little stifled,” he said.
“I think we have to be responsible, and certainly I haven’t seen any abuse of that so far, but those things tend to be continuous, and if we don’t have some form of restrictions, we may end up that way.”
In addition, council is proposing another amendment to the procedural bylaw that stipulates the council member chairing a meeting must attend in-person, unless otherwise approved by council or committee.
DiManno said experience has shown her that this is a must.
“I kind of feel strongly that if you’re the chair you need to be in-person and I’d say the same goes to key administration,” she said.
“I can remember the one day everyone else was in chambers and I wasn’t yet, and it was just a bit stressful not being able to manage the room.”
Mayor and council will resume discussions on the proposed new procedural bylaw at the Oct. 24 governance and finance committee meeting.
