Victoria鈥檚 city council seemed to take two steps forward and one step back Thursday. It launched live streaming of its meetings, then moved to discuss Coun. Ben Isitt鈥檚 analysis of a Maximus sa国际传媒 report behind closed doors.
Live streaming means anyone with a computer can watch council and committee meetings without having to be at city hall. The practice is becoming more commonplace among municipalities.
Mayor Dean Fortin, who was unsuccessful in his attempt to bring in a code of conduct for councillors, also hopes the presence of cameras will calm some of the debate around the council table.
Whether being in the spotlight will temper bad behaviour or encourage it remains to be seen, but broadcasting meetings will enable interested citizens to become better informed about the business of running the city.
Council will have to resist the temptation to trade 鈥渂efore the cameras鈥� for 鈥渋n camera,鈥� meaning in private. Discussions that involve personnel, land deals or legal matters are properly conducted in camera, but when public discussion is refused for topics that don鈥檛 clearly fall into these categories, it engenders suspicion.
It鈥檚 strange that Isitt, an elected steward of the municipality, had to resort to a freedom-of-information request to see the draft report of the Maximus review, which analyzed city staffing and operations. Isitt found that the draft differed substantially from the final report presented to council, and wanted to know why.
It鈥檚 a legitimate question, and the public deserves to know the answer.
Let鈥檚 hope more cameras in council chambers encourage less 鈥渋n camera.鈥�
