North Saanich council is considering bringing back an old way of reaching the community.
At the Dec. 2 council meeting, Couns. Phil DiBattista and Kristine Marshall presented a notice of motion requesting that four mayor and council town hall events be scheduled in 2025. The events, as described in the notice, are meant to be held without agendas.
“They are intended to be opportunities for the public to informally engage with the council on matters they wish to discuss,” the notice states.
The notice of motion was brought to the council following a similar event held on Nov. 24 at St. John’s United Church in Deep Cove. The event invited community members to enjoy coffee and engage with the mayor and council in a casual setting.
“The public feedback seemed pretty overwhelming and pretty supportive,” said DiBattista.
“They liked the informality and not having the microphones, speaker, [and] councillor at a head table.”
It's not an entirely new idea, as the council has hosted informal town hall events in the past. But such events have not been held for several years. “It’s really informative for more people because you get to hear the question posed and the question answered,” said Coun. Celia Stock.
“I think it's a great idea and actually as one of the council members, I have been advocating for these meetings for the past two years.”
The proposal calls for the four events to be held at different venues throughout North Saanich at a variety of times to ensure that everyone can be included.
Council voted unanimously to bring the matter back to a future meeting to iron out the details of the town halls.
