The council door closes and you hear the sound of the deadbolt. Sorry, nobody is allowed in because this is a private discussion.

Get used to it; it’s a fact of municipal politics.

You may not agree with in-camera meetings held by municipal councils, but some of these secret conversations are mandated by the province.

Really?

What does Oliver council talk about when it goes in-camera, a Latin term meaning “in chambers?” Normally, it’s related to three issues – legal, land and labour.

But Dan Robertson, a candidate in Oliver’s recent by-election, believed in camera meetings by council are not in the best interest of the taxpayer.

“If council is making decisions and deals regarding land or legal, these meetings should be accessible to the public.”

Robertson said he actually finds it very offensive that the public doesn’t know what’s being discussed that could affect them directly.

“How do we know that any particular councillor may be in a conflict of interest if we’re not even told the nature or content of the meetings? This is not transparency.”

Robertson said a transcript of all meetings should be kept and made available to the public on request.

Newly elected councillor Larry Schwartzenberger believes that council meetings should be open to the public as much as possible.

However, he noted there are certain matters that need to be discussed in a closed meeting. He cited personnel, land transactions and legal advice as examples.

“In Oliver, we are fortunate to have all open council meetings televised on our local cable channel. I would encourage people who are interested in this process to attend council meetings in person and participate in the question period at the end of every meeting.”

Mayor Ron Hovanes said it’s obvious why legal matters need to be discussed in camera. The same goes for personal issues and wage negotiations, he pointed out.

“You want to make sure that what you say during deliberations always have the best interest of the community in mind.”

The mayor said some decisions, such as contract issues, can be made public when appropriate. He noted that land sales and lease negotiations also require a pre-decision in private. Again, these can be made public after negotiations.

Hovanes said the Town reviews all closed meetings quarterly, and when possible, the minutes and decisions are made public.

Cathy Cowan, corporate officer for the Town of Oliver, said the Community Charter allows council to close meetings to the public in two different ways.

First, they may close a meeting under section 90 (1) (a) if the subject matter relates to the following:

Personal information about an identifiable individual who holds or is being considered for a position as an officer, employee or agent of the municipality

Labour relations

The security of municipal property

The acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements

Law enforcement

Litigation or potential litigation affecting the municipality

An administrative tribunal hearing affecting the municipality

The receipt of advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege

Information that is prohibited from disclosure under section 21 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

Negotiations respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service

Discussions respecting municipal objectives for the purposes of preparing an annual report.

A request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

Confidential information relating to negotiations between the municipality and a provincial or federal government

A matter that is being investigated under the Ombudsperson Act.

A review of a proposed final performance audit for the purpose of providing comments to the auditor general

Rachel Nesbitt, spokesperson for the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, said it is regarded as appropriate to close a meeting when the matter being discussed raises a reasonable and identifiable possibility of damage to the interest of the local government, the public or a third party.

In accordance with the Ombudsperson’s Open Meetings Best Practices Guide, once a closed meeting concludes, as much information as possible should be released to achieve the goal of openness, transparency and accountability.

 

Lyonel Doherty

Oliver Chronicle