By Chad Klassen

Rookie Kamloops councillor wants to start discussion of evening meetings

Mar 4, 2019 | 3:45 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops mayor and council have been meeting in the afternoons for more than three decades, but if councillor Dale Bass has her way, the meetings would move to the evenings.

“We’ve all talked about engagement in the election campaign, so I think this is just another step,” said Bass. “Many people have told me they’d like to come to a council meeting to watch, maybe to speak on an issue, but they can’t because they’re at work. So I’d just like us to work at it.”

The rookie councillor, who put forward a Notice of Motion at last week’s meeting she hopes will be discussed on Tuesday, feels a change to the evenings could also encourage more young people to get involved.

“One of the first things I heard after the Notice of Motion was tabled, and out on social media, was from a young teacher. She’s in her early 30s who’s very politically-engaged, but she can’t be engaged during the day because she’s a teacher. The very first thing she said is ‘I’m so happy because I’d love to come and learn more.’” 

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Most councillors are on the fence about the idea, wanting more information on the impacts, including the cost to keep city staff on for the evenings.

Councillor Sadie Hunter, who works full-time at the TRU Foundation, would like to see the meetings somewhere in between the current 1:30 p.m. time and what Bass is proposing between 4 and 7 p.m. 

Mayor Ken Christian is against the idea, feeling the city gives the public opportunities to engage in municipal issues and voice their opinions, both online and in person. 

“There’s a difference between an engagement with council and a council meeting,” noted Christian. “Council meetings are actually not the spot where you have a great opportunity to talk to council. But things like townhalls and open houses, which we always hold in the venings, are a very good time to get the ear of council.”

Christian adds that if an issue at council is popular enough, people will show up, day or night. 

“My experience has told me that if there’s an issue that the public really wants to fill the chambers for, such as the performing arts centre where we had 100 people here, they come out,” he said. 

Mayor and council will vote on the Notice of Motion on the potential for evening meetings at the regular council meeting on Tuesday. If successful, staff will then study the issue, look at the pros and cons of evening meetings, and then come back to council. 

They’ll have more information and vote on the issue at a later date. Bass simply wants to get the conversation going and is willing to experiment with evening meetings for a year to see how they go.