“Sometimes”: Calgary councilors are being offered changes to the remote participation rule

Calgary city councilors are considering possible changes to two bylaws that clarify rules for remote participation in city meetings.

At the February 13 Executive Committee meeting, councilors will discuss amendments to the Rules of Procedure (which govern how meetings are conducted) and the Code of Conduct for Elected Officials to limit remote participation in Committee, Council or closed session meetings. situation”.

13 districts last December. Dan McLean was asked to apologize to Calgarians for his participation in the golf tournament during a public hearing on July 26, 2023. A report by Calgary's integrity commissioner at the time suggested Kuhn. McLean did not follow proper remote meeting protocol.

Number. McLean later apologized for the incident, but the Integrity Commissioner believed the complaint was politically motivated.

This issue prompted additional conversation about having all advisors attend meetings remotely. Remote presence rules have been eased to allow city businesses to operate while public health measures are in place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

When contacted for this story, McLean said he was confident that all council members would have among the best individual attendance records.

“I have been pushing for a ban on remote participation for the past two years,” he said.

“I've seen councilors call when they're on holiday in Italy, they're walking their dog, or even at home watching Netflix. Council members must attend council meetings in person at City Hall, unless they are sick or conducting business on behalf of the city.

In the report of the city administration, the regulation on the procedure deals with the logistical aspects and the rules of remote participation. The code of ethics provides broad ethical frameworks for a consultant's conduct, it says.

“There is currently a lack of regulations detailing the ethical criteria for remote and in-person meetings,” the report said.

As such, they recommend adding “just in case” to the Rules of Procedure and having their camera on and in an appropriate, safe location with no background and distraction. Further efforts should be made to attend closed meetings in person.

The Code of Conduct stipulates that only being out of town on urgent medical or personal matters, or on city business, qualifies for remote participation. In addition, records of remote participation must be kept and disclosed to the Integrity Commissioner upon request.

Some flexibility is required

3rd district. Jasmine Mian, a young mother, said the council's remote participation policy needed a course correction. However, this should not be an overcorrection, he said.

“I have a four-month-old child, and we have a 12-hour day at the council. So some level of flexibility is required because if I can't sit remotely, even for part of the day, that means I have to take him to the wards,” Kuhn said. Mian said.

“It's very disruptive to everybody.”

It is considering additional questions from the administration on possible amendments to the proposed changes that would address parents with children under one year old.

“I think as the leaders of this city, you can ask the city workers to come back in person and not do it yourself,” Mian said.

“That being said, I think we recognize that people can do well and have some type of intervention that keeps them from being physically present when they're far away, out of town, or at an appropriate time.”

8th district. Courtney Walcott welcomes the proposed changes and the responsibility of remote writing. He believes the proposed rules for “urgent personal or medical issues” are broad enough to allow flexibility among council members, including those with young families.

She was recently kept at home on a date to take care of her lover who had been in a car accident. No one would know unless they asked. That's why he advocates recording the time spent away to explain to the citizens.

“I think it's probably a good practice, I don't know if everyone is, to actually track that information so you can report it to the public on demand,” Kuhn said. Walcott said.

According to Walcott, in the past councilors didn't always follow the rules and it was done on the honor system. He referred to the country. McLean's situation and how it was resolved.

“It's really a cleanup,” he said.

“One of the realities of being on the council is that we believe people respect the chamber enough to represent it as much as possible. But if that doesn't happen, then we have to start making rules about it.”