Winnipeg council Speaker pumps brakes on virtual attendance after colleague drives during meeting

Winnipeg city councillors will vote on rules dictating how they should remotely participate in meetings after Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) drove his children home during January's council meeting.

During the Jan. 27 meeting, Speaker Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) stopped a conversation about the sale of the John Blumberg Golf Course to remind councillors that "proper decorum is to be at their seat, either in the office or remotely." She asked Allard to disconnect while he made his way back to his seat.

"Madame speaker, I am in my seat," Allard responded. The councillor is also the chair of the public works committee, which is in charge of road safety.

"I picked up my child from daycare. I don't see why I should be precluded from participation. I am wearing a suit."

Sharma responded that she was worried about his safety, and that they could continue the conversation offline.

"What kind of seat are we talking about Madame Speaker?" Allard responded.

"We will talk later. Please drive safely," said Sharma.

Council meetings are not 'just any other Zoom meeting'

In an interview with CBC in January, Allard said he had instructed his oldest child to unmute his phone when he needed, so he wouldn't have touch it while driving. He also said the phone was fastened to a mount so he was hands-free, which is allowed under Manitoba's Highway Traffic Act.

But Sharma says legality isn't the issue in this case.

"This isn't just any other Zoom meeting, an informal meeting," said Sharma during Thursday's governance committee meeting. "This is official city business that we conduct and we're dealing with very heavy, important issues. Rules of decorum and professionalism should be observed."

As a result, Sharma introduced a motion that details how councillors can remotely join meetings.

According to the proposed rules, councillors who virtually join meetings must have their camera on at all times and be in an appropriate office setting with either a blurred or neutral background. 

If they need to join from another place, they have to get it cleared by the committee chair. If the chair needs to virtually join from another location other than an office, they must have that cleared by the majority of committee members.

A councillor can join with audio only if they're having technical difficulties or if they get the majority of committee members on board.

Councillor will follow the rules of the road and city hall

In an interview after Thursday's meeting, Allard told CBC he will be supporting the motion and the rules.

"It's good to see them established so that there's rules of order and that people can be on the same page," he said.

 Allard said he does believe he was in the right to join the meeting while driving.

When asked if he'd drive during a council meeting again, Allard said "I'm going to follow the rules of the road and the rules of council." 

"Pre-mobile work, the only option would have been to to leave the meeting as councillors periodically do," said Allard. 

"That certainly would have been an option for me in this case, but I chose to participate because I believe that it was in order, and I still believe that I was in order."

Allard said he was trying to balance work and parent life.

"These are  considerations in how much flexibility you can have in your work," he said. "I'll be comfortable with this new this new set of rules. The authorities are clear, and the rules are now clear."

Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) addressed the balance of work and life during Thursday's meeting.

"We all have very busy lives, and we all have competing priorities, but when we are in the council chamber, our focus should be the city business that we are elected to serve and perform," said Chambers.

"I'm quite surprised we're here with a motion to address this, but I recognize that we need to have some decorum in this  place to make sure we're laser focused on the work."

The city's executive policy committee, which includes Allard, will debate the rules in its meeting next Month.