Saugeen Shores town Council will not be going back to in-person meetings anytime soon.
According to Town Clerk, Linda White, there are meeting options available to Council.
- to move back into in-person meetings
- use a wide-angle camera
- continue to use zoom for close-ups of Council members and to allow the public remote access for things such as the Public Forum.
Staff suggested a return not sooner than September 13th but the date would rely on coming out of Step 3 that was established by Public Health.
Councillor Cheryl Grace asked if the meetings were held in Rotary Hall to preserve social distancing that may be required would more staff and material resources be needed and also would the quality of technology that is currently being used be able to be maintained.
White confirmed that only one staff would be required, as is currently the case, to monitor the zoom meeting. If public protocols remain in place for contact tracing and social distancing however, a third staff may be required for Rotary Hall meetings, particularly if members of the public do a delegation from the podium. She also said that improvements have been made at the Rotary Hall regarding technology.
Grace said, that after considering the pros and cons of meeting in person, she had a concern given that the Delta variant is the dominant strain in Ontario and, according to reports, that even fully vaccinated people can spread this to others and the jury is still out on asymptomatic Delta carriers. “Even if all participants in an in-person meeting are fully vaccinated, it would not be a good thing for the public if everyone was required to wear a mask in terms of visibility and audio. Town staff has been consistently cautious in developing policy that is consistent when it comes to Federal and Provincial standards and I am confident that whatever the decision it will be done very carefully.”
Councillor Matt Carr supports getting back to in-person meetings as soon as possible. He also supports individual cameras if required but he asked how many people watched the Council meetings and if it was that much of a concern.
White said that approximately 15 viewers on average were watching the Council meetings dependent on the topics to be discussed. [August 9th saw 34 viewers tune in].
Deputy Mayor Don Matheson said that he is in favour of the ‘hybrid’ model where those Councillors who are uncomfortable with the in-person format can remain at home. “It is important to monitor the situation and numbers are fluctuating and September is going to be a difficult month. I open to coming back to in-person but we should follow Public Health direction.”
Mayor Luke Charbonneau pointed out that there are currently no restrictions on holding in-person meetings. “I think the key is that, we are heading toward the September 13th date and, if there are no Public Health changes regarding protocols or restrictions, then we could return to in-person meetings then.”
Councillor Dave Myette confirmed that he was comfortable with moving to in-person meetings as soon as possible. “I do think however, that it should be mandatory that everyone who comes to a meeting should be double-vaccinated … it should be the stipulation.”
Town Clerk White said that the question of a whether a person is vaccinated or double-vaccinated cannot be asked of the individual.
Mayor Charbonneau pointed out that protocols would then have to be maintained as there could be people present who are not vaccinated and that it would be one of the risks of meeting in person. “There would also be restrictions on how many people could attend from the public and that’s the reality we are dealing with.”
Vice-Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt said, “We need to get back but, if we move back to in-person meetings then we would need the very strictest of protocols to keep ourselves and the public 100 per cent safe. Is it really worth it if someone becomes infected at a meeting that we have called and there is a fourth wave on the way.”
Councillor Grace pointed out that, “If we cannot ask who is vaccinated then consideration has to be given to Councillors who are parents of young children and those children are too young to be vaccinated. There are stories out of the U.S. where children are being put on ventilators due to the Delta variant . We need to be really careful about about going back to in-person and mandating that Councillors attend. I would not approve of that at all. We need to respect those Councillors who have family members who may not be able to be vaccinated whether due to age or other health issues. I have a real concern about that.”
Councillor Jamie Smith said that according to the report submitted by staff that councillors could attend virtually based on 24-hour notice and that she would “exercise that right”. “I personally am in no hurry. I have found this method [zoom] to be effective for communication and it is something that I thought members with young families, prior to COVID, would be a good thing. It has been very beneficial to my life to be able to have in-home child care and still participate in these meetings and would be excited to see this virtual method used outside of COVID,”
Mayor Charbonneau said that he sensed a “lot of trepidation”. “I think overall that we don’t want to do anything that would make a member of this council uncomfortable. We would have this group where some are together and some are apart and I don’t think that’s the best way to proceed so maybe it’s best to shelve the idea for the time being and discuss it again in perhaps two months. I think there are going to be meetings where it will be important to do them in-person to make decision. With our meeting with the public in-person, there is a certain sense of democracy and this format doesn’t deliver that for the public. It is important to have the public there and makes you think about what you are doing. Let’s delay this and discuss it again in October.”
Originally, it was thought that Council would go back to in-person meetings in September but, at Council’s meeting last night (Aug. 9), it was decided to postpone in-person meetings and to continue with virtual meetings until at least October.
