New Council, More Closed Doors: The Numbers Tell The Story
The city's own rules say that any item not dealt with in a closed session must go to the next closed session unless they hold a vote in open council to defer it to another date. However, items are being deferred with no return date. They are falling off the radar.
Fairness, Transparency, and the Media Policy Medicine Hat Still Doesn't Have
The city does jurisdictional scans for almost everything. They consult stakeholders on a regular basis, yet they propose to build a media policy without consulting the stakeholders who would be most affected: the media. Yes, they told the Owl to forward suggestions to administration but that is not sufficient…A policy that only reflects the input of one outlet is not a policy that serves all outlets.
A New Council, Same Closed Doors
Former Councillor Shila Sharps put it this way in a social media comment in response to a comment made by Councillor Hellman: "The requirement isn't to go into Camera when it's minutia, and detailed and boring. The only reason you should be in camera is third-party reputational harm, etc. The exceptions are few."
Summer Break, Closed Doors, and a Big Middle Finger to Transparency
Remember how well that worked August 19 2024 when the open meeting was cancelled, ostensibly for a lack of agenda items? That time it was after the summer break. The September 3 2024 meeting went into overtime - it was a marathon session at just over 5 hours that went until 11:32pm. Nobody makes good decisions that close to midnight.
