By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Northumberland County council is looking ahead to resuming in-person meetings.
And Warden Bob Crate – fresh from his first in-person meeting of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus – can’t wait.
“I can hardly wait to have everybody in this room,” Crate declared, comparing the Zoom set-up to being on an episode of Hollywood Squares.
“I look forward to having all of you in the chamber as soon as possible.”
No date is set, but Manager of Legislative Services Nancy MacDonald reported at county council’s March meeting on the recommended revisions to applicable bylaws incorporating what has been learned from the virtual meetings of the pandemic.
Virtual participation in meetings has been codified to mean that a councillor must be using secure internet access and a private location, and must always have his or her camera on (except when accessing through audio-only means like through a telephone).
The big question became under what conditions to allow appropriate virtual participation – for any reason, or only under a strict set of criteria that included a declared emergency, illness or injury, a severe weather event or quarantine and capacity restrictions occasioned by public health concerns.
The recommendation MacDonald conveyed is to keep that list of restrictions in place for regular council meetings. For special meetings, which might be called with little to no notice, and for the monthly standing committee meetings, members retain the right to attend remotely at their own discretion.
The new standing committees – introduced in January 2021 – have only ever been held remotely, and there was consensus that it should continue this way.
There are six committees. Early in the month, three days are set aside on which one committee meets at 9 a.m. and one at 1 p.m. Each councillor chairs one and sits on one – except for the warden, who sits in on all.
Crate noted that meetings can last 20 minutes or perhaps a matter of hours. If he had to travel from Trent Hills to attend a 9 a.m. meeting that lasted 20 minutes, he would be stuck in town for several hours awaiting the second meeting of the day.
And there was general consensus that regular council meetings should resume the requirement for in-person attendance.
“I think there’s a certain expectation from the public that council members be at council meetings,” Alnwick-Haldimand Township Mayor Gail Latchford said.
“They will forgive us if we can’t get to one or two, maybe, but I think their expectation is that we are here.”
These discussions will be referred to the Corporate Support Standing Committee, with their recommendations brought back to council.
Meanwhile, Crate said, “as soon as possible we will be having in-person meetings. I look forward to them, so we can get to see people and ask questions and answer questions.
“I will be pushing, pushing, pushing to get us back to what I am hoping is the new normal.”
