The Local Weekly The heart and soul of our communities with news and information about the Sunshine Coast
Coast local governments have adjusted to operations and public meeting procedures to support social distancing to fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
All public spaces, including local government buildings and offices, libraries, community centres, aquatic centres and sports fields are closed to the public. Playgrounds located in the District of Sechelt, the Sechelt Indian Government District and rural areas of the SCRD are closed, as well as all play spaces and structures on school district property.
Essential services of the Coast’s local government entities continue to be provided. Staff are either working from their homes, or in limited numbers, at the local government offices. The public can reach them via telephone or email.
An update related to the virus in our area is on the agenda of the March 26 SCRD board meeting, which is to be live streamed on YouTube starting at 1:30pm.
That meeting is being planned as a virtual rather than an in-person gathering. The SCRD has announced that all board and committee meetings are to be conducted in this manner until further notice. With the Field Road office closed, the public will not have the opportunity to attend the board meeting.
The March 19 infrastructure services committee meeting marked the SCRD’s first foray into remote participation in and YouTube video streaming of meeting proceedings. It was hosted using an online meeting solution called Zoom. All linked into the session through computers in their home or SCRD offices. The meeting’s video appearance is reminiscent of the tic-tac-toe board set up of the “Hollywood Squares” television game
show.
Sechelt Mayor Darnelda Siegers said that Sechelt would be using the same solution to allow remote participation in meetings by council members and staff, as an alternative to assembling in the close quarters of a district meeting room. Sechelt will continue to live stream its committee and council meeting proceedings on YouTube.
In Gibsons, meeting audio recordings and updates related the COVID-19 situation from Mayor Bill Beamish are being posted on gibsons.ca. Audio recording are to be posted on town’s website the day after the meetings
occur.
Connie Jordison
