Council locks out local media from personally attending April 13 meeting
City council has locked out the local media from personally attending its April 13 meeting even though the provincial government has said media is an essential service during the pandemic.
The announcement was contained in a news release that city hall issued on April 8. Also in the email was information about the April 9 news conference update on the coronavirus situation in the community.
The news release said, “The next regular meeting of Moose Jaw City Council will take place Monday, April 13. Several members of council will join via Microsoft Teams, though some will attend in-person. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, city hall will be closed to media and the public.”
During the April 9 news teleconference, the Moose Jaw
Express attempted to learn more about the decision to shut out the media from the meeting.
The first question the Express asked was which coronavirus restriction the provincial government had created that was being used for this decision.
“Well, I think it’s the 10-person requirement that’s been placed upon us. And, I mean, you have to know that the strategic leadership, our EMO team, meets in the council chambers on a regular basis. We have to ensure a safe work zone for everybody,” replied city manager Jim Puffalt. “So provincial requirements and safe workzones.”
The provincial government has said media are an essential service and allows at least one reporter to attend in-person to the daily briefings, the Express said. Regina also allows the media to attend in-person to the daily news briefs and council meetings. Why wouldn’t Moose Jaw city council and city hall follow those examples? “We are an independent organization and we make our own decisions,” said Puffalt. “Again, I believe we are limited by the 10 people in an area and maintain the sixfoot distancing. And we ensure our council meetings and briefings are broadcast and (provide) easy opportunity for interaction with reporters, as we are doing right now.”
If Moose Jaw is supposedly an independent organization, it should have to follow the instructions of the provincial government, the Express countered. Therefore, why isn’t the municipality following the province’s example?
“We’re talking about the City of Regina. We are independent from the City of Regina,” Puffalt said, before the Express jumped in and pointed back to the provincial government.
“We are doing what the City of Moose Jaw is doing,” replied Puffalt.
If that’s the case, then why couldn’t a pool reporter — someone who gathers information for a wider group of media — be allowed in-person access to the weekly briefings and council meetings, if city council and city hall is concerned about the number of people in the room? the Express wondered.
“Again, safe work zone. I think the questioning, we’re not carrying on with that questioning. I think we’ve answered it,” said Puffalt. Communications manager Craig Hemingway then jumped in and said if the Express had any further questions, they could be discussed offline.
When the Express contacted Hemingway afterward, the
Express asked that Mayor Fraser Tolmie be on the call so he could be questioned directly. Hemingway asked for a list of questions — but only if they were related to COVID-19 — to be submitted.
The Express said the questions were related to the coronavirus, particularly since the pandemic was being used as an excuse to lockout media from the council meeting. “As far as that goes, you’ve kind of asked and answered that line already. There’s really not much more to say there,” said Hemingway.
The Express said it had more questions and later emailed them to city hall.