Brampton turns to technology to keep gears of government moving during coronavirus shutdown

Yorkregion.com
April 20, 2020
Graeme Firsque

As Bramptonians hunker down in self-isolation weathering and waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic and more and more businesses close their doors to prevent the spread, the business of municipal government carries on.

Brampton council announced the closure of most city facilities in mid-March from recreation centres to city hall itself and has since had to adjust to conducting council meetings, town halls, press conferences and essential functions remotely.

While forced to lay off many city employees, those able to perform their duties remotely from home have been doing so once city hall was shut down.

However, council and committee meetings and other typically everyday, in-person interactions with staff, residents and the media presented a bit more of challenge in a situation that evolved rapidly.

The city was already set up to livestream council meetings.

But having most members of council and city staff working remotely has added a new layer of complexity and forced the city’s IT staff to come up with solutions on short notice.

All council and committee meetings have been conducted almost entirely remotely through audio and video conferencing since city hall was shut down.

At council’s most-recent meeting on April 15, Mayor Patrick Brown was the only member of council present in chambers, accompanied by a handful of city staffers spread out across the room while the city’s 10 councillors and senior staff took part remotely.

Brown himself needed to be set up at his Brampton home to perform his mayoral duties and stay in touch with local, provincial and federal officials after having to self-isolate for 14 days upon returning from a family trip to the Caribbean cut short by the widening health crisis.

The mayor said his days in isolation were full of conference calls but that he was mostly able to function as normal in his role and was even able to sign a state-of-emergency declaration while in quarantine.

The city has also changed the way it interacts with the media since the pandemic broke, partnering with Global Television to set a livestreamed media conference format that allows journalists from all outlets to call in and ask the mayor and other city officials questions remotely.

Jason Tamming, of Brampton's strategic communications office, assured residents and other media outlets that the city isn't paying Global for the service and that it's open to all journalists wishing to take part.

When it comes to keeping the lines of communication with the public open, the city has turned to technology it has been employing since last year -- telephone town halls.

These allow thousands of residents to call and listen in at the same time for city updates. More than 15,000 residents tuned in to the city's first COVID-19 town hall.

In addition, the city has also placed a greater emphasis on delivering information on its website and 311 call centre and app, all of which are open to residents 24 hours per day, seven days a week.