Votes from closed meetings at Richmond city council could be made public, along with more details about in-camera discussions.
But caveats were placed on a policy about what would be captured in these meeting minutes after the city's lawyer cautioned council they could open themselves up in the event of litigation.
Richmond city council voted almost unanimously to disclose how councillors voted in closed meetings going back to January 2024, and the “essence” of discussions to be disclosed going back to the beginning of this year, in the event the minutes are made public.
But the city’s lawyer, Anthony Capuccinello Iraci, warned city council there could be legal implications if certain quotes are reflected in the minutes, even if the minutes aren’t made public.
At Monday’s committee meeting, he cited an example from Surrey where a city councillor was sued, and the courts decided closed-meeting minutes would be part of the evidence in the case.
He said council should think of the consequences of recording closed-meeting proceedings.
“There can be a free flow of ideas, not just between council members but other individuals, whether it be staff or an invitee to closed, they are now captured by that as well,” Capuccinello Iraci said.
This prompted Mayor Malcolm Brodie to suggest the policy include a phrase saying the dialogue of individuals in the meeting wouldn’t be recorded.
The motion originated from Coun. Kash Heed in March, who said at the time he wanted more “openness and transparency” about decisions made in closed meetings.
He also called for the closed-meeting minutes to have more details on what was discussed.
He added this is the “transparency the public is looking for.”
Closed meetings, referred to as “in-camera meetings,” are usually held when matters pertaining to legal issues, legal opinions, land transactions and labour/personnel issues are discussed.
Normally, when decisions are released to the public, it is done just with an announcement, for example, when the decision to rebuild the City Works Yard at its current site was made, or when appointments to city advisory boards are made.
In the end, only Coun. Alexa Loo voted against the motion.
📣 Got an opinion on this story or any others in Richmond? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected].
📲 To stay updated on Richmond news, sign up for our daily headline newsletter.
💬 Words missing in article? Your adblocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.
