HOW COUNCIL IS COPING
Politicians work from home
The background sounds of city council are normally limited to papers shuffling, residents conversing quietly and the shifting of bodies as a room full of people rise to greet the mayor entering council chambers, signalling the beginning of a meeting.
In a COVID -19 world the sounds and the view are very different.
With City Hall closed to the public, the room itself at a recent emergency meeting was quiet and mostly empty, save for Mayor Michael Fougere, city manager Chris Holden, and a select few staples from city administration.
Ward. 10 Coun. Jerry Flegel still appeared in person, while the other nine councillors joined from the comfort of home, where everyone has been asked to stay if possible.
The sounds have shifted from quiet conversations as councillors lean in to comment to their neighbouring colleague to a digital hum as they attend via video or conference call. Normally silenced, Ward 1 Coun. Barbara Young ’s phone can be heard ringing. She answers and explains she’s in a meeting.
From Coun. Andrew Stevens’ home, kids can be heard in the background as he gives his two cents on the emergency measures consuming city council agendas these days. Instead of his usual chair at City Hall, he sits in his dimly lit home office, a far cry from his usual active presence at meetings and community events. In a time of government-imposed social distancing and isolation, he’s trying to get creative.
“We’re going to have to adjust,” said Stevens in a phone interview Monday afternoon.
“If you’re out in the community and you’re at events and they see you, there’s going to be an expectation that that continues, especially in a time of crisis.”
That’s why on Wednesday, Stevens plans to host a Facebook live from 7 to 8 p.m. — his way for residents to see his face, ask questions, comment, criticize and discuss thoughts and concerns amid the COVID -19 pandemic.
“I think I need to hear more from residents, and they still need to hear from me on a more frequent basis,” he said.
For Ward 3 Coun. Lori Bresciani, who had a senior-focused community meeting scheduled for April 21, she said a Facebook live won’t be the most effective way to stay connected with residents now that all public gatherings have been cancelled.
Instead, she’s sent out a mass email, reminding residents in her ward that she is always available by phone or email and passing along links to the federal, provincial and municipal websites for the latest COVID -19 information.
“I just want my residents to know that I’m there,” said Bresciani in an interview Tuesday. “It’s really important that we are there for our community ... The message I want to get out is, ‘stay home.’ It’s so, so important.”
Councillors now more than ever are relying on phone calls and emails to address the concerns of their residents.
The usual comments and complaints that ordinarily fill councillors’ inboxes have been replaced with a flood of COVID -19-related queries.
“I’m receiving a large number of phone calls and emails which I’m answering,” said Ward 2 Coun. Bob Hawkins.
The majority have written in support of the more restrictive measures the City of Regina tried to implement last week and in opposition to the provincial government’s decision to rescind them. Others write to him to say the city is overreacting.
“The people who think that are wrong,” said Hawkins. “People are going to die from this. How can you overreact in a situation like that?”
As the practical side of being a city councillor has changed and had to adapt to the increasingly stringent measures put in place, so has the role of councillors, said Bresciani.
“It’s always better I think to meet in person if you can and have that public conversation, but this is a time of seriousness and this is a time where we as community leaders have to lead by example,” she said. “Is it tougher? Absolutely.”
But in a world so consumed by COVID-19 and all its effects, there is still a city to run and other things to talk about, said Stevens, and thankfully some people are. Among the flood of pandemic-related emails, Stevens has also had residents inquire about Wascana Pool public consultation and ask questions about the Brandt/cnib building.
“It’s refreshing, to be honest with you,” he said.
“We’re not preparing to bunker in for the end of the world. We have to imagine coping with this in the short term and then having a city that’s worth living in afterwards.”
When things get back to normal, he said the city will get back to some of the more pressing agenda items that were delayed due to COVID-19, including things like the Plan to End Homelessness, the community safety and well-being report expected from administration and plans for the acceleration of the lead service line replacement program.
“The economic implications are going to set in very quickly and we’re already seeing them, but one day we will recover and people will still want to live lives and ... go to pools,” he said. “Some of our priorities might change, but people still want to know that things are happening and that their city is still here.”