Editor:
The Town of Gibsons’s Notice of Intent to adopt a Bylaw to Amend Council Procedure proposes to “omit the section that prescribes the standard order of the business meeting agenda.” This is section 11, Order of Proceedings and Business, which outlines the matters that the agendas for all council and committee of the whole meetings contain and their order. Mayor White has said he proposed these changes because he favours a flexible agenda.
Most worrying is the fact that the currently mandated public inquiries as given in section 11 have been omitted from the agendas of regular council meetings. In contrast, the agendas for these meetings throughout the last term include two separate occasions for public engagement. The public was not informed of the removal of public inquiries from the agendas in the Town of Gibsons postings to amend the bylaw. And, although this bylaw has not yet been adopted, the posted agendas for the council meetings of Nov. 15 and Dec. 6 already follow a new order of procedure.
Mayor White speaks about public participation in the interview with the Coast Reporter (“Gibsons to have just one council meeting a month”). He says he is all for public engagement and that he will have us engage in such other meetings as the Committee of the Whole and public dialogue sessions. Yet there is no opportunity for inquires at committee of the whole meetings (compare last council’s agendas with present council’s agendas at https://gibsons.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation), nor has he scheduled any public dialogue sessions (https://gibsons.ca/government/mayor-and-council/dialogs/).
Council meetings are recorded situations wherein a citizen can ask our elected representatives a well-pondered and well-considered single question concerning a community issue. No other meeting held by the Town provides this opportunity. Please continue to have a place for public inquiries at council meetings until you have set up an equivalent replacement for community engagement.
Sincerely,
Dr. Harriet Hunter, Gibsons
