County of Simcoe councillors will need to make sure they have good snow tires this winter after voting against a staff recommendation to move meetings online in January and February of next year.
The staff report outlining council’s regular meeting schedule for 2024 made the recommendation “in anticipation of any potential winter weather events that might impact travel to the county administration centre" in Midhurst, north of Barrie.
However, the majority of council vetoed that plan at Tuesday's committee of the whole meeting.
Tiny Township Mayor David Evans was first to express his concerns with the idea of moving the four winter meetings online.
“Yes, we do live in a winter climate. We have been living in a winter climate all our lives, and so do our constituents. Our constituents have to drive to work, regardless of if it’s snowing or not. I think this smacks of exclusivity and privilege and I have a real problem with this,” said Evans.
He said he can understand doing so on a rare occasion, such as if there was a storm that would make travelling safely an issue.
“We provide the service that clears the roads. We are here to represent our constituents and (to) understand the services and make them better and more efficient. How do we do that sitting at home in front of a laptop? Being part of daily life just like everyone else in this community is something that should be sacrosanct and something we should take pride in,” Evans added.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor James Leduc agreed, noting unless there's a snowstorm, council should be in chambers.
“I buy snow tires for a reason, so I can drive in the winter,” he said.
Leduc said the option to hold the meeting virtually in those instances is always available.
However, Coun. Richard Norcross, from New Tecumseth, said he felt like allowing the winter meetings to be held virtually would help the county follow through with its commitment to reduce greenhouse gases.
“If we are going to do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint, and I understand where the members of the house are coming from, but seriously? If we can take maybe 50 cars off the road twice a month, that’s probably not a bad thing,” Norcross said.
Although Collingwood Mayor Yvonne Hamlin said she has both good-quality snow tires and a reliable vehicle, she was on the side of conducting meetings virtually.
“I have found councils are just as effective virtually. People always get their point across," she said. "None of us are shrinking violets. I wouldn’t want to go permanently, but I think January and February is a bit of a common-sense approach. A lot of our staff are working virtually a lot of the time (and) I think it’s a sensible solution. "
Members receive mileage reimbursement for travel, noted Ramara Township Deputy Mayor Keith Bell, adding online meetings could help the bottom line.
“When you’re talking about saving money and how we cut (down) on the budget, here’s four meetings we are not paying 32 people to drive here for," he said. "We’ve got to be mindful of that — and cold and flu season. It might make it easier for people to attend."
Currently, the county is not able to offer the option of hybrid meetings given the size of the council chamber and the audio and acoustics being used. That said, council previously approved plans to renovate and improve the chambers. A request for proposals has been issued for that work. is currently out. Those improvements will help facilitate hybrid meetings, according to county staff.
The warden and clerk are responsible for making the call should a meeting need to move online due to weather.
