In a bid to make its committee and council meetings more accessible to its residents, the Town of Mattawa will live stream and make previously recorded meetings available on its Facebook page.
Anyone around the world with an internet connection strong enough to support the stream can view Mattawa Council discuss and debate town issues tonight, beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.
"It's the way of the future," observes Mattawa Mayor Dean Backer. "A lot of people just don't have the time to come to council meetings but more and more are engaged through technology."
Municipal staff used the budget deliberations in late June as a trial run for the stream. Although there are some internet connectivity issues in the rural town, the staff is satisfied enough residents were able to watch from home to continue with the practice.
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In fact, each stream from June 29 was viewed 500 times (at least in part) in a town of 2,000. Perhaps the high participation rate can be chalked up to curiosity — or the novelty of a live event during the pandemic — but initial numbers suggest there is a demand for this sort of access from the public.
Town council has been meeting virtually since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic by videoconference — while the public has been invited to participate via teleconference. The live stream will provide a video and audio copy of town affairs. Previously, no record other than the town clerk's minutes was available to the public.
Backer acknowledges a learning curve as the use of technology can disrupt the usual flow of meetings. But, he notes this council was left with little choice in 2020. He feels the process will get smoother once the live stream can focus on council members meeting all in one place. Under current provincial directives, the council of seven and staff of eight cannot meet in the same room.
The plan is to continue to stream the meetings. Councillor Dexture Sarrazin has been a vocal proponent in meetings of improved internet service in Mattawa and advancing the town's use of technology as a way of reaching residents. Backer says he supports exploring measures to advance technology.
"I think people will be more engaged and know what is going on in our municipality," by making the live stream available, says Backer. "I'm a huge proponent, I think we all are on council."
Backer adds, "We're so close to bigger centres. In this day and age, there is no reason for poor internet. They should be making that investment so we're all linked."
