Citizens on advisory committees: Can we finally meet in-person?

A community advisory committee meeting at city hall prior to the pandemic in London, Ont. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)

Almost three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, an important voice for Londoners is asking that they be permitted to once again meet inside city hall.

“Advisory committee meetings have been occurring virtually (videoconferencing) since the start of the pandemic,” explained chair of the Environmental Stewardship and Action Committee Brendon Samuels at a meeting with councillors on Tuesday.

“We’re a new advisory committee, a lot of us have never even had the opportunity to meet face-to-face before, and this, I believe is a hindrance to the productivity of our committee,” Samuels added.

Councillor Sam Trosow warned against further delay, “Every month that the advisory committees do not have the opportunity to engage with each other and come down to city hall is a lost opportunity.”

Samuels’ push came on the heels of a similar request by the chair of the Ecological Community Advisory Committee Sandy Levin.

“We would like to be in-person for the first time — after all this time,” Levin told councillors at the Planning and Environment Committee on Monday.

The role of community advisory committees is to provide recommendations, advice, and information to council on matters pertaining to their area of expertise or interest.

London’s community advisory committees include: 

• Accessibility Community Advisory Committee
• Animal Welfare Community Advisory Committee
• Community Advisory Committee on Planning
• Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Oppression Community Advisory Committee
• Ecological Community Advisory Committee
• Environmental Stewardship and Action Community Advisory Committee
• Integrated Transportation Community Advisory Committee

Deputy clerk Barb Westlake-Power told council that there may be challenges, but civic staff will follow council direction.

“We anticipate that there could be some resourcing conflicts related to the resumption of those meetings at this time, but if directed by council, that is the avenue we will undertake,” Westlake-Power said.

Samuels recommended ‘hybrid meetings’ that would permit his committee members to attend either in-person or by videoconference.

“That would really promote accessibility. It would ensure that if people are continuing to get sick during the pandemic that we’re still able to meet quorum,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis committed to bringing a motion to the rest of council suggesting that hybrid or in-person meetings resume for advisory committees.

“That is a much more valid interaction than a video screen,” explained Lewis. “You cannot really see the other person and you can't really have that informal conversation walking in or out of a meeting. I think it is key to properly functioning committee work.”