Paradise may ban cell phones in the chamber

By Mark Squibb

Paradise councillors looking to adopt new rules governing how their public meetings are conducted have sent a draft set of guidelines back to the drawing board.

The Town currently follows Robert’s Rules of Order, a common policy manual, when conducting meetings of council, but the new Towns and Local Service District Act requires the town to adopt a new rules and procedures by-law.

The by-law, explained councillor Larry Vaters during the February 11 committee of the whole meeting, will outline how public meetings are to be conducted, and regulate, amongst other things, the conduct of those in attendance, including members of the public, as well as how members of council debate issues.

Vaters said that, generally, the new by-law, drafted by the Town’s Department of Administration and Corporate Services, is consistent with how council has conducted meetings in the past, but does have some differences.

For one, the new by-law will prohibit the use of cell phones in council chambers.

Councillor Glen Carew applauded limiting cell phone usage in chambers, saying cell phones and other electronic devices are distracting.

“I feel that contact of any kind, on any device, should be prohibited, once the meeting is brought to order,” said Carew. “In addition to cell phones, any other electronic medium for contact should be eliminated, just so that we’re focusing on the matter at hand and doing the people’s business with zero distractions.”

Councillor Patrick Martin, however, felt cell phones should still have a place in the chamber, so long as they are left on vibrate.

“I’ve been on council for almost 12 years, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a situation were we’ve had anybody being on their cellphones,” said Martin. “A scattered time someone has forgotten to turn their phone off and you, your Worship, have reminded them that they need to turn their phones off. I just think that if we totally ban having our mobile devices in chambers there could be a situation where a member of council could have a sick family member… you don’t know what could happen, so I wouldn’t want to see cell phones totally abolished from the council meetings.”

Vaters said that he believed that “cell phones should not be operational within a public meeting of council in any way, shape, or form.”

The by-law also states that no member, without consent of council, can speak more than once or for more than two minutes on any single motion, which Vaters deemed as being quite short.

Previously, under Robert’s Rules, councillors were allowed for to speak for up to 10 minutes on any one motion.

Carew agreed with Vaters that a two-minute time limit is too brief.

The Town’s chief administrative officer, Lisa Niblock, however, pointed out the new by-law applies only to public council meetings, and the time limit would not apply to committee of the whole meetings, which are now also held publicly. Niblock said the intention is that most of any discussion would happen during the committee of the whole meeting, not the council meeting.

To that end, Carew countered that more information might come up, or questions arise, between the committee of the whole meeting and the public meeting that would warrant a longer discussion.

It was decided that staff will review the new policy, make necessary adjustments, and bring the matter back to a committee of the whole meeting before the matter is brought to a public council meeting for a vote.