Municipal councils in northeastern Ontario consider meeting options

With many COVID-19 restrictions eased, municipalities are considering how to proceed with council meetings in the months ahead. 

More than five months into the pandemic, platforms like Zoom, Skype and Google Meet have become the norm, replacing in-person meetings. But technical glitches and communications challenges are also common. 

"The sound has suffered from time to time," said Eric Labelle, Sudbury's city clerk.

While most Sudbury city councillors have been joining meetings from their homes, the meetings are actually "hybrid" models, Labelle said, with councillors given the option to go to the council chambers if they wish to — with the chambers reconfigured to ensure physical distancing. 

"The attendance in the room consists mainly of city staff, and sometimes we'll get perhaps one council member attend in person."

Labelle says the transition to virtual participation has been "relatively smooth" for the most part. He said that is despite some technical challenges, including internet connectivity, use of the mute button, and functionality of the live stream.

He said the meetings will likely continue in the same format for some time. 

"What we've heard from our council and from other councils is that there continues to be a need for electronic participation because the pandemic is not over, regardless of the fact that emergencies may be terminated at some point in time, we are still in a pandemic," Labelle said.

Conflict in West Nipissing 

It's a different picture in the municipality of West Nipissing, where remote meetings have gone less smoothly, according to Mayor Joanne Savage. Conflict over how to proceed has even caused a standoff among councillors. 

Since the pandemic was declared, the council has been meeting by phone — a format Savage said has become "chaotic." 

"It does bring on a challenge with the sound. It does bring on a challenge of recognizing voices. It brings on challenges as well in coordinating the flow of who has the floor to speak when," Savage said. 

An Aug. 11 council meeting was cancelled, due to lack of quorum, when councillors couldn't agree whether to continue to meet by phone, or switch to in-person or video conference meetings. 

Savage said the council chambers are large enough to ensure physical distancing. She said municipal staff will explore various options to present to council,  and she hopes council will come to an agreement in time for its next meeting September 1. 

'It's working' 

A spokesperson for the City of Timmins says a decision has not yet been made regarding a return to in-person meetings. Meanwhile North Bay city council voted last week to continue with virtual meetings until the end of the year.

"Our business is still being take care of, everything is going through as if it was in person, so it's working," said city clerk Karen McIsaac. 

McIsaac says the size of the council chambers would make it difficult to reconfigure the space to accommodate all 10 city councillors. McIsaac says she will present another report to council in November, at which point they will vote on how to proceed going forward.