Council all-in on improving engagement at town hall meetings

Councillors Sara Inch and Jamie Lowery teamed up once again during North Bay City Council's Oct. 15 regular meeting — this time to lead the charge for a review of the procedural by-laws for town hall meetings to allow more public participation at the events.

After spending much of the term as political lone wolves, it seems as though the duo have finally found a file the council is unanimously eager to work on. Coun. Mark King was absent from the meeting.

Led by Inch, the motion made its way to the council chambers after frustrated members of the public expressed their displeasure about the lack of engagement on display at a Sept. 24 town hall meeting hosted by the municipality and its council.

See related: Frustration, as no questions allowed at City Town Hall meeting

"The town hall experience was disappointing and the public has asked for the procedural by-laws around town hall meetings to be amended. I agree," Coun. Sara Inch told BayToday following the Oct. 1 meeting in which she officially gave notice of her intent to bring the motion forward.

Thanks to the successful passing of the motion on Tuesday evening, the council has now directed the city solicitor and city clerk to review the town hall meeting procedures and to bring forward suggested changes to those procedures. 

"Council will have the opportunity to provide input on changes to the town hall by-law," stated Inch on Tuesday, "as it is council's by-law. The process will begin with a report, which will be referred to committee for review, followed by input from council members. To ensure best practices, we are also reviewing by-laws from other municipalities. 

"The initial report is expected to be ready around the Nov. 26 meeting, with committee discussions set for December. After council's feedback is incorporated, a public meeting will be held, as required by the process. Given the necessary steps, it is anticipated the by-law amendment will be finalized by February or March 2025."

Mayor Peter Chirico was pressed during the Sept. 24 town hall meeting by members of the audience to open the floor for a question and answer session. Chirico declined citing restrictions under the procedural by-law. 

"Unfortunately, due to our procedural by-laws, which dictate public meetings, those are very clear as to what we can do, what we can't do. If there is that wish to do that by members of council, then the by-law will have to be changed," Chirico said.

See also: City responds to citizens' frustration over Town Hall meeting

The City of North Bay responded the following day with a statement about the town hall meeting and the restrictive language contained in the by-law.

"Whenever a quorum of council members meets, it's considered a public meeting under the Municipal Act. To ensure these meetings run properly, they're guided by a procedural bylaw, which every municipality and local board is required to have. 

"These bylaws outline the steps and rules for how meetings should be conducted, and town hall meetings are no exception — they also follow a formal structure as defined by the bylaw.

"At [that] night’s meeting, there was an opportunity for question-and-answers, but it was only for those who had registered in advance, as required by the procedural bylaw. The meeting details, including the need to register to speak, were well-publicized ahead of time. Those who didn’t register still had the chance to ask council members questions afterward."

"This has been driven by some of the feedback from the town hall meeting," offered the seconder, Lowery. "There were a number of people looking for the opportunity to speak to council ... it's important there is some kind of mechanism to bring people into the discussion with council ... Typically there is an opportunity for community members to speak to council and ask questions. Obviously, we might not have the answers right then but we can help direct some of the inquiries and that's the work of council."

Coun. Justine Mallah mentioned citizens can still apply to present during regular meetings and encouraged them to use the avenues available to them.

Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield, who was a presenter in a town hall forum in the years leading up to her election acknowledged, "It was interesting to be on the other side of the table to receive that presentation. It did spark some conversation among the Mayor, myself and other councillors that night about what changes and improvements could be made to those mechanisms.

"I think it's also important to remind the public that council can be contacted at any point. Many of us have an open-door policy when it comes to reaching out to have conversations, to get information, and to help share and disseminate that information."