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City of Nanaimo to go public, RDN to remain private when deciding strategic priorities

Jan 8, 2019 | 6:38 PM

NANAIMO — The status quo is changing about how City of Nanaimo councillors decide what they should tackle as an administration.

The strategic planning meetings, where councillors discuss what crucial items need to be addressed in the four years they’re in power, will now have a public element.

Residents will be able to observe the process from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18.

The meetings can chart a drastic course for the City and are often shrouded in secrecy.

The strategic priority session for the previous council was the first time an event centre was highlighted as a prominent project. It was determined to be a priority, despite only being briefly referenced by one councillor before the session.

The idea was put to bed after the community voted 80 per cent against the project in the 2017 referendum.

The similar process for the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) will remain in private, even after a motion for transparency by coun. Tyler Brown, who is one of many city councillors on the regional district board.

Brown made the motion to change the RDN process at the tail-end of their meeting Tuesday night, asking for it to change from a private workshop to an official public meeting.

“I believe the government should be open, transparent and accountable in its decision-making and the public deserves the opportunity to observe how and why we make all of our decisions.”

RDN chair Ian Thorpe said he agreed with the desire for more transparency, but it would be difficult given the amount of sensitive and private information discussed during strategic priority sessions.

“As soon as you start to have a discussion or brainstorm which goes into an area which could potentially involve land or labour, you have to stop,” he said. “I think there’s a real danger of stifling good, open discussion about a lot of wide-ranging topics when you have those restraints.”

CAO Phyllis Carlyle suggested an option where certain topics arrived at during the public workshop would be set aside for a later in-camera meeting.

“But that’ll mean you’ll be a little jumbled,” she cautioned.

The discussion was brought to a close by Thorpe, citing the late hour and the need to break before a public hearing also that night.

The motion failed, with only Brown and fellow Nanaimo coun. Don Bonner in support.

 

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit