Richmond city council meetings and all committees have been broadcast live on YouTube since the beginning of the pandemic - thanks to emergency permission from the province – and councillors will continue to have the ability to participate virtually into the future.
At Monday’s general purposes meeting, city council decided to allow electronic participation going forward so councillors can attend meetings virtually.
Council also allowed the public to continue to participate in meetings and public hearings online as well.
The permanent change is possible because of changes in the Local Government Act and Community Charter, provincial legislations that set how municipal governments function.
Before that, only council meetings and “special meetings” were streamed online. Other committee meetings were recorded and the audio was accessible by going to city hall and asking to listen to them.
Since the pandemic, general purposes committee – a committee of the whole that largely decides what the agenda for council meetings is – community safety meetings with bylaws, police and fire reports, as well as planning, parks and recreation, finance, and public works and transportation committees have been streamed via YouTube.
The item will come back for a final vote at next Monday's council meeting.
