Hamilton council to consider motion to record closed meetings
Published December 10, 2019 at 4:22 pm
Ward 9 councillor, Brad Clark, has put forth a notice of motion to have council’s in-camera meetings recorded and archived.
Ward 9 councillor, Brad Clark, has put forth a notice of motion to have council’s in-camera meetings recorded and archived.
The notice of motion (NOM) is before City Council at the Wednesday (Dec. 11) meeting.
The motion asks that city staff report back on the feasibility and costs associated with recording — either audio or audiovisual — meetings of council members and staff that are closed to the public and the process of archiving them for future reference, should the need arise.
“There are now 23 Ontario municipalities that have implemented either audio or audiovisual recordings of their closed meetings,” the NOM points out. “An audio or audiovisual recording of in-camera meetings provides a clear and accessible record for closed meeting investigators to review.”
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The NOM comes in the wake of recent controversies that have rocked the current City Council.
Most recently, Council has come under fire for their handling of the leak of billions of litres of sewage into Chedoke Creek. Decisions to keep the spill and its extent quiet were made in closed meetings.
The city’s handling of a report from years ago about the slippery surface of the Red Hill Valley Parkway has also put the process of in-camera meetings, and decisions made in them, under the microscope.
Since the contamination came to light, months after the Red Hill report surfaced, the mayor and council have faced outrage from constituents, with many calling for their resignation.
The controversies have put a lot of councillors on the defence, with many offering somewhat conflicting reports of what exactly happened in some of these meetings.
Clark’s motion would address this apparent blind spot in the governance process.
“Such recordings of closed meetings will assist the municipality in quickly demonstrating that Council and staff did not stray from the legislated requirements during closed meetings,” the NOM before council says.
“Such recordings of closed meetings will provide a complete record to be used by the municipality and/or Councillors for future references as needed.”
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