COVID-19 - Provincial Options For Modifying Meeting Rules

Pandemics and the need for “social distancing” were not at top of mind when the meeting rules in the Local Government Act and Community Charter were drafted. As a result we’ve been scrambling with you over the last few days to find the best mechanisms for relaxing the rules so that councils and boards can continue important business free of some of the usual meeting restrictions and notice requirements and without the usual gatherings of the public that the open meeting rule and electronic meeting rules require.

This bulletin discusses two options for temporarily modifying statutory or bylaw meeting rules. The first option is for the Province to temporarily modify any problematic meeting rules by way of order under the Emergency Program Act. The second option is for the Province to modify municipal meeting requirements and conditions by regulations under section 281 of the Community Charter (municipalities) and section 296 of the Local Government Act (regional districts).

FULL BULLETIN DETAILS CAN BE DOWNLOADED BELOW

Gregg Cockrill

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