City committee endorses remote attendance rules for Calgary councillors
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The ability for elected officials to remotely attend council and committee meetings will be limited if new rule changes are adopted in the coming months.
The ability for elected officials to remotely attend council and committee meetings will be limited if new rule changes are adopted in the coming months.
A Calgary committee voted in favour of the new guidelines Tuesday afternoon and the motion will now be discussed by council as a whole.
"We're having the same argument that a lot of workplaces are having right now," said Coun. Jasmine Mian, the Ward 3 representative.
"I think it's very important to consider it in the context of, we are meant to represent the public, and so we have to have a reasonable debate as to what the right measures are."
If the bylaw changes pass, it would mean councillors need to make their "best efforts" to attend any and all council meetings in person.
The bylaw, however, also says a member may attend remotely if they provide the city's ethics advisor with a reason that's deemed valid under the Alberta Human Rights Act.
The new bylaw rule changes were recommended by Calgary's Integrity and Ethics Office, but Coun. Mian added amendments to the motion.
