Council meeting blackouts won’t be in effect leading up to the municipal election.
Nanaimo city council, at its meeting Monday at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, voted to reverse past practice and continue to broadcast and live-stream meetings in the month before election day Oct. 20.
The topic came up when staff reminded councillors and members of the public about the planned blackout. Meetings were to be recorded but withheld until after the election, as was the practice in 2011 and 2014.
Instead, Coun. Gord Fuller motioned that the live streams continue.
Councillors discussed the reason for the past practice, acknowledging the perceived advantage for candidates getting air time participating in council and committee of the whole meetings.
“I get the intent, but also, the city business does not come to a stop,” said Coun. Bill Yoachim. “We’re on council until Nov. 5 and we’re going to be doing business on serious issues that we discuss.”
He and Coun. Bill Bestwick said blacking out the meetings was a form of censorship and Coun. Jim Kipp said the broadcasts provide “openness, transparency and the ability for people to stay at home and watch this and flip between us and The Simpsons. For me, it gives people the ability to watch. If somebody running for council comes forward to the mike, people get to see them.”
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Coun. Diane Brennan said the past practice of recording but withholding meetings during the election campaign made sense to her.
“I’ve seen some of the shenanigans that have gone on on both sides of that podium,” she said, adding that voters can “make up their mind without having to watch the carryings on.”
“I think we’ll get shenanigans whether we record or not,” replied Fuller. “Whether you get to see the shenanigans happen live on TV or a month after, shenanigans are shenanigans.”
He said he believes council will be able to get though its agendas even if there’s an increase in city council candidates stepping up to the podium at meetings.
The motion to continue to broadcast meetings passed by a 5-4 margin, with councillors Brennan, Jerry Hong, Ian Thorpe and Mayor Bill McKay opposed.
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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