Mic drop Wasaga Beach stops audio recording of behind-closed-door council meetings
The change, mentioned in the explanatory note included with the Jan. 26 council agenda, passed without comment as councillors approved a new procedural bylaw on how to conduct council meetings.
The week prior, council’s committee of the whole had recommended a new bylaw that included a clause that in camera meetings “shall be” recorded.
The council of 2014-18 introduced the practice with the proviso that recordings would only be made available to an appointed closed-door meeting investigator, the integrity commissioner, or the Ontario ombudsman, if a complaint was made that a matter discussed behind closed doors should have been discussed in public.
In the explanatory note on the Jan. 26 agenda, it was noted that since the Jan. 19 co-ordinated committee meeting, “staff have reviewed further practices among other municipalities and noted advice from legal counsel.
“All closed session meetings continue to have minutes taken as legislatively required.”
Mayor Brian Smith noted he supported the idea of recording in camera meetings in his previous term as mayor (2014-18), adding the advice council received at the time was not to do it.
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