Municipal governments can once again meet in person across Nova Scotia.
Since March 22, an order within the provincial state of emergency limited municipal government to meet virtually through phone or video chat, or risk a fine of up to $10,000.
However, an amendment to that order now allows them to choose how they will meet starting today.
For some though, those changes didn’t come soon enough.
“The logic was there for this order in March,” said Bridgewater mayor David Mitchell.
“In June, or even May when we began opening up again, it started to not make a whole lot of sense. I could have my council over for a barbecue, but if I called that meeting to order, I could be fined up to $10,000. But, what is the difference at that point?”
While the town had adapted well to virtual meetings, Mitchell said it left a lot to be desired for those taking part in council meetings.
“Don’t get me wrong, we’ve done well using our virtual platform, but there are just some things you can only do and get from in-person meetings,” he said.
“Body language discussion and debate, I found, is certainly more robust when it is in person.”
Meeting in person also becomes a necessity when faced with a potentially dangerous situation within the community, such as the recent manhunt in Bridgewater or following the Portapique Mass Shooting.
“If it had changed course and become worse, the need to be able to meet with my council, meet with the police board to figure out what the next steps are would have been vital,” he said.
“You can’t do that over Teams, Zoom or those other virtual platforms.”
With the current changes now in place, Mitchell hopes if the province shuts down again due to the pandemic, municipal governments will retain the option to choose how they will meet.
