A member of the media listens to council proceedings from behind the glass wall separating the City Hall foyer from the council chamber. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

meeting on common ground

Council to gather in one place in bid to improve communication

May 23, 2020 | 8:00 AM

Monday will be a reunion of sorts for Prince Albert city council who have not been able to engage collectively in the same room in nearly three months.

Since March, around half the city’s politicians have been phoning in to council meetings, while the rest meet in the chambers. The arrangement was created to comply with a public health order that limits gatherings to ten people or less. However, city administration now believes the set-up is inhibiting communication and obstructing council proceedings.

Occasionally during recent meetings, the people on the phones were unable to hear the people in the room and vice versa, leading to at times tense exchanges.

Starting Monday, City Manager Jim Toye told paNOW all of council will be attending proceedings in-person.

“As the third largest city in the province, we want to make sure that our council meetings are managed and seen as very professionally run,” he said. “Unfortunately, just by the way the system was working, or not working, that wasn’t the case.”

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On Monday, the council chamber will be configured to maintain two meters of distance between the eight councillors, the mayor and necessary city staff at all times, said Toye.

Like in previous meetings, media and additional staff will watch proceedings from the lobby.

Toye explained the new format should help facilitate better communication than what we’ve been seeing during the past few weeks.

“Some of the conversations, weren’t being had,” he said. “Like sometimes when you’ve got someone there in person, you can hear them and you can see them, and then you can act appropriately.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom