King council meetings to remain virtual for foreseeable future

Council presented with options for future meetings

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 7, 2022
Laura Broadley

King council voted to keep its meetings virtual for the time being.

Council meetings have been virtual since May 4, 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to help curb the spread of the virus.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, council did not livestream its meetings and there was no way for residents to view or speak at a meeting besides attending in person. Since launching virtual meetings on YouTube, there have been 3,661 views, 2,504 hours watched and 62 subscribers on the township’s page, according to a staff report.

Township staff presented council with short-term and long-term options for meetings. Council chose to remain virtual through Phase 1 of staff recommendations. The province is expected to lift workplace health and safety measures by March 22.

Phase 2 of the plan is expected to take place in April and beyond, and will be detailed in a staff report in early 2022.

A vendor has been engaged to start evaluations on outfitting council chambers in anticipation of a future hybrid model.

Phase 2 options include hybrid meetings with partial camera coverage for councillors, which would cost about $80,000 to $90,000. Another option for the hybrid model is with full camera coverage for councillors, the chief administrative officer, the clerk and staff, and that would cost between $100,000 and $115,000.

Another option for Phase 2, a streaming-only model of meetings, would cost between $25,000 and $30,000.