"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Friday 13 February 2009

BITS AND PIECES

The City of Oakville had a headline in the Star for putting Council Meetings online. I understood it was included in our budget last year. Eventually it got as far as being shown
as a pilot but never seen again. We have the cameras and audio in the Council Chamber. The only additional cost is staff time. Being open and transparent may not be as much of a priority as has been trumpeted so many time

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A Vaughan Councillor declared a Conflict of Interest two months after participating in a closed door discussion of a law suit between the municipality and a close friend . It may cost the municipality insurance coverage if they lose the law suit.

Aurora may be in a similar situation. Councillor MacEachern sent an inter-department memo to the lawyer for litigants against the Town and attached a hand-written note that she " thought it might be of interest" to him.

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

What other details can you provide about Councillor MacEachern's alleged conflict of interest? Something for the integrity commissioner?

Anonymous said...

the blue grass fencing issue was defeated by council. i found it on the town website. So why are there lawyers involved? who is sueing who? or is this just to spend more taxpayers money? if macheachern is so big on calling in the lawyers then whatever she sent to them must be an effort to defend the town side of the case.

Anonymous said...

“The City of Oakville had a headline in the Star for putting Council Meetings online. I understood it was included in our budget last year. Eventually it got as far as being shown
as a pilot but never seen again. We have the cameras and audio in the Council Chamber. The only additional cost is staff time. Being open and transparent may not be as much of a priority as has been trumpeted so many time”

When are the council meetings shown on TV now that Rogers moved in? I can never find them.

I would watch online if they were available.

Heather said...

Anonymous at 12:20 asked "When are the council meetings shown on TV now that Rogers moved in? I can never find them."

The Rogers TV website says that Aurora Council airs Wednesday at 12 noon, but I'm not confident that's 100% correct. Their listing only goes as far as 6/24/07, and it refers to the show as the "Aurora City Council Meetings".

I've emailed them for the time/day and will post it here once they respond.

I learned something interesting though through this link:

http://www.rogerstv.com/option.asp?lid=12&rid=17&sid=2960

If you click on 2009 Council meetings in the right sidebar, it looks like the opportunity for streaming the council meetings MIGHT be underway. I can't get the file to work - but still... maybe someone is working on it?

Neat!

Anonymous said...

Thank you Heather, I am able to view the Jan 20/09 meeting via your link.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Heather, I also was able to view the council meeting from this link. People here is an avenue that is invaluable enjoy!

Heather said...

Aurora Council airs on
Rogers TV Wednesdays at 12pm and Saturdays at 2pm. It is also available
online at http://www.rogerstv.com/option.asp?lid=12&rid=17&sid=2960