Pembina Hills trustees passed a motion during their Sept. 9 meeting to continue livestreaming board meetings for the remainder of the calendar year.
The board has been livestreaming meetings through its website since the COVID-19 pandemic entered full swing in March 2020.
Secretary-treasurer Tracy Leigh said the livestream was done to adhere to Section 64 (1) of the Education Act, which requires all board meetings to be held in public, as well as the provincial restrictions on indoor gatherings of more than 50 people (which are only allowed if physical distancing of two metres can be achieved).
“With the uncertainty of whether we can physical distance and allow public members in this room, administration is recommending that we livestream meetings for the rest of the calendar year,” said Leigh.
Trustee Judy Lefebvre asked if delegations appearing before the board would be exempt from having to make their delegations over the livestream, as opposed to appearing at the regional office in person.
Leigh indicated that would be the case, as any delegation appearing before the board must reach out to the division beforehand to make an appointment.
She said the delegation would have to inform the division how many people would be appearing, so they could make accommodations for that.
Trustee Wendy Scinski asked if Leigh had heard any feedback about the livestream or any technical issues.
Leigh said nobody’s provided any feedback to the division, but pointed out that there were 18 people watching the livestream of the Sept. 9 meeting.
When asked how many residents typically tune in, Leigh indicated the average viewership is around 20.
