Minutes

Governance & Council Operations Committee

The Corporation of the City of Brampton

Monday, October 04, 2021

9:30 A.m. - 11:30 A.m.

Council Chambers - 4th Floor, City Hall - Webex Electronic Meeting

Members Present:

• Regional Councillor P. Fortini (Chair)
• Regional Councillor M. Medeiros
• Regional Councillor P. Vicente
• Regional Councillor G. Dhillon
• City Councillor C. Williams

Staff Present:

• Chief Administrative Officer, David Barrick
• Peter Fay, City Clerk
• Charlotte Gravlev, Deputy City Clerk
• Terri Brenton, Legislative Coordinator
• Diana Soos, Deputy City Solicitor
• Mark Medeiros, Treasurer, Corporate Services
• Jason Tamming, Director, Strategic Communications, Corporate Support Services
• Yes

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1.

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 9:33 a.m. and adjourned at 10:30 a.m.

As this meeting of Governance and Council Operations Committee was conducted with electronic participation by Members, the meeting started with the City Clerk calling the roll for attendance at the meeting, as follows.

Members present during roll call: Regional Councillor Vicente, Regional Councillor Medeiros, City Councillor Williams, and Chair Fortini

Members absent during roll call: Nil

2.

Approval of Agenda

The following motion was considered.

• GC015-2021
  Moved by Regional Councillor Medeiros

  That the agenda for the Governance and Council Operations Committee Meeting of October 4, 2021 be approved as published and circulated.

  Carried

3.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Nil

4.

Consent

In keeping with Council Resolution C019-2021, agenda items will no longer be pre-marked for Consent Motion approval. The Meeting Chair will review the relevant agenda items during this section of the meeting to allow Members to identify agenda items for debate and consideration, with the balance to be approved as part of the Consent Motion given the items are generally deemed to be routine and non-controversial.

There were no relevant items for consideration under Consent.

5.

Announcements (2 minutes maximum)

Nil

6.

Delegations (5 minutes maximum)

Nil

7.

Staff Presentations

Nil

8.

Reports

Nil

9.

Other Business/New Business

9.1

Discussion Item - Virtual and In-Person (Hybrid) Meetings for Council and Committees

Peter Fay, City Clerk, provided a verbal update on virtual and in-person (hybrid) meetings for Council and Committees, which included information on the following:

• number of virtual meetings held during the Province’s shut down period compared the number of number of in-person meetings in 2019
• suspension of standing and advisory committee meetings during the shut-down period and re-starting of these committee meetings in a virtual format
• staff resources required to support virtual meetings versus in-person meetings
• provisions of the Ontario Municipal Act and subsequent amendments to the Procedure By-law to provide for virtual and in-person (hybrid) meetings of Council and Committees both during and after emergency declaration periods
• public participation in virtual meetings versus in-person meetings

Mr. Fay outlined a three point approach for future meetings, as follows:

1. continue virtual meetings until the end of 2021 with as few staff as possible
2. in the Fall 2021, determine if some Members would like to participate in-person in hybrid meetings, i.e. combination of virtual and in-person participation 
3. in early 2022, allow public participation in-person during hybrid meetings

Mr. Fay requested Committee’s input on this matter.

Committee consideration included:

• concerns about potential risks for family members who have not been vaccinated, should Members return to in person meetings
• comments on the increase in public participation at Planning and Development Committee and Committee of Adjustment meetings, which provided an equalized method for participation by all members of the public 
• need to ensure that the City’s return to work policy is developed and administered based on guidance from Peel Public Health
• need for Council to lead by example and any strategy needed for Council Members returning to in-person meetings be done in advance of requesting that staff return in-person; suggestion that the Mayor and/or Committee Chairs determine which Members should be present in-person at meetings in the Chambers
• acknowledgement of staff’s efforts toward successful virtual meetings

In response to questions from Committee, Mr. Fay provided information on the following:

• potential for both in-person and virtual participation by members of the public, including video delegations, through amendments to the Procedure By-law
• City’s corporate directive relating to the return of staff to administrative offices, based on Public Health advice, including the impact on the capacity in Chambers if Members, staff and the public wish to meetings in-person
• potential for staff to continue remote participation in meetings from their offices or, as a contingency, from another space such as the Council Committee Room

The following motion was considered.

• GC016-2021
  Moved by Regional Councillor Dhillon

  That the verbal update from staff re. Virtual and In-Person (Hybrid) Meetings for Council and Committees, to the Governance and Council Operations Committee Meeting of October 4, 2021, be received.

  Carried

9.2

Discussion Item - Council Office Support Model

Peter Fay, City Clerk, noted that role of the Governance and Council Operations Committee as it relates to review of the Council Office Support Model, and requested input from Members on whether the current model is working or if any changes need to be considered.

Committee Members did not provide any comments on this matter, and Chair Fortini surmised that Members must be happy with the current model and expressed his support the model as it currently stands.

9.3

Discussion Item at the Request of Chair Fortini re. Member Roles at Civic Events

Peter Fay, City Clerk, and Gregory Peddie, Supervisor, Events, Strategic Communications, Culture and Events, outlined components of the Civic Events Protocol that was adopted by Council in 2019, and noted the Protocol does not relate to Member town hall meetings.

Mr. Fay indicated that staff would provide information on Member town hall meetings and corporate support at the Governance and Council Operations Committee meeting of November 22, 2021.  

Chair Fortini expressed agreed with this approach.

9.4

Discussion Item - Procedure By-law Review - Update

Peter Fay, City Clerk, referenced the draft minutes from the Procedure By-law Review Sub-committee meetings to date that were included with the agenda for this meeting, and provided a verbal update on the review process for the Procedure By-law, which included information on the following:

• four stage review process 
• online public survey and outreach to previous meeting delegates
• review and identification of housekeeping amendments and substantive changes to the By-law, based on feedback from Members, to be considered at a future Sub-committee meeting, including potential changes for adding new business items, streamlining the process for delegations at Council and Committee meetings, and potential changes to the publication timelines for original and revised agendas
• development of a redline draft of the proposed amendments, currently targeting completion by the end of 2021 
• scheduling of additional Sub-committee meetings in consultation with the Chair

Committee consideration included concerns about:

• the addition of matters that are not within the City’s jurisdiction and the amount of time and staff resources required for consideration of these matters
• length of Council and Committee meetings, given the number of items on the published agendas and those added at the meeting, 
• changes to the order of business items, particularly delegations (there should be a strong rationale for varying the order of business)

At the request of Committee, Mr. Fay agreed that staff would give consideration to potential amendments to the By-law to address these concerns.

The following motion was considered.

• GC017-2021
  Moved by Regional Councillor Medeiros

  That the verbal update from staff re. Procedure By-law Review Project, to the Governance and Council Operations Review Project, be received.

  Carried

10.

Deferred/Referred Matters

Nil

11.

Notices of Motion

Nil

12.

Correspondence

Nil

13.

Councillor Question Period

Regional Councillor Medeiros referenced discussions about the in-person return of staff to administrative offices, and asked if consideration of any return to work protocol would include guidance from the Peel Medical Officer of Health.

Peter Fay, City Clerk, confirmed that a return to work protocol would be undertaken with guidance from the Medical Officer of Health.

14.

Public Question Period

Members of the public were given the opportunity to submit questions via e-mail to the City Clerk’s Office regarding any decisions made at this meeting.

Peter Fay, City Clerk, confirmed that no questions were submitted regarding decisions made at this meeting. 

15.

Closed Session

Nil

16.

Adjournment

The following motion was considered.

• GC018-2021
  Moved by City Councillor Williams

  That the Governance and Council Operations Committee do now adjourn to meet again on Monday, November 22, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. or at the call of the Chair.

  Carried