Off-Island towns test webcasting of council meetings
This week, for the first time, citizens of Vaudreuil-Dorion could tune in to watch city council proceedings from the comfort of their couch. Monday marked the first of many Vaudreuil-Dorion council meetings to be broadcast live online and on community television in partnership with Csur La Télé. Until the end of 2018 — and beyond, should the broadcasts prove popular — Vaudreuil-Dorion council meetings will be streamed live through a link on the city’s website (ville.vaudreuil-dorion.qc.ca) and on the community television channel on the first and third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Webcast meetings will be archived within the broadcasts section of the Csur La Télé website, at csur.tv/emissions/seance-duconseil-de-la-ville-de-vaudreuildorion, available to view the day after each meeting. Mayor Guy Pilon, not available for comment Monday, stated in a news release he hoped this new tool would improve transparency and access to information, as well as to allow more residents to become more active in civic life. Several other Off-Island communities are exploring the idea of webcasting council meetings as well. In Hudson, since the Nov. 5 election, citizens have been able to tune in on Facebook to watch town council meetings. It has been a politically popular move, judging from the reaction online, despite poor sound quality and an often-shaky video. During the Hudson council meeting on Monday, some webcast viewers commented to say they were tuning in from as far away as Vancouver and Utah. Several complained about the echo-y sound, prompting apologies from town communications staff and a promise to improve the quality of the next broadcast. So far, the video has been recorded by volunteers using their personal smartphones, but Hudson Mayor Jamie Nicholls said the communications department has been challenged to come up with a better solution — ideally one that’s low-cost. “I think it’s the way of the future,” he said. “My concern is to do it in a way that is not too costly, but for other communities that have the means to fund that kind of transparency, it’s a good initiative.” In St-Lazare, Mayor Robert Grimaudo has expressed some reluctance about broadcasting council meetings, but noted that some new councillors have already indicated they want to look at webcasting meetings. He said he has “no problem with it” if council votes to proceed. One of Grimaudo’s concerns is that the webcast could encourage citizens to stay home instead of coming in person to council meetings. “I hope it does not diminish the presence of residents at council meetings. I think it’s a good sign of democracy when the council chambers are full of residents,” he said. Coun. Geneviève Lachance, who campaigned on a platform of improving transparency and communication, confirmed she intends to raise the issue after the budget has been tabled. She said allowing more people to see for themselves what happens at city hall might improve people’s understanding of council decisions. “I think it’s a win-win for everyone,” she said. “We have the same regular people coming to the meetings, but this is opening up the possibility for so many other people to participate and be involved.”