LETTER TO THE EDITOR: RM of La Broquerie council should livestream meetings

This is an open letter. I am sending it to the RM of La Broquerie council and also sharing it publicly, because the question it raises, (whether residents can watch their own council meetings) belongs to every ratepayer in this municipality, not just to me.

First, congratulations to each member of council on your re-election. It was a hard-fought campaign, (in the reeve’s case, about as close as they come), and I appreciate the time and effort every one of you put into this election cycle.

With a new term starting, I’d like to bring forward a request that council stream all council meetings live, with recordings posted to the RM’s YouTube channel.

But before I get to that, thank you. Council has begun including links to supporting documents in the meeting agendas. That is a real improvement, and I want to acknowledge it publicly.

On streaming, the CAO’s response was that council is not currently prepared to broadcast or record meetings due to logistical and administrative challenges. I’d ask council to take another look at that.

We’ve already done it. During COVID, this RM set up its own YouTube channel and put meetings online. The channel still exists. So, the logistics question has, in a sense, already been answered by this municipality.

The legislation already supports it. The Municipal Act provides that “a council may conduct a meeting partially or entirely by means of an electronic or other communication facility if the facility enables the members to hear and speak to each other and the public to hear the members.” And our meetings are already open to the public. Streaming doesn’t change that; it simply widens the gallery.

Our residents need it. Approximately three-quarters of our residents live outside the town itself, meaning many individuals must travel considerable distances in order to attend meetings in person. Council meetings also alternate between evening and morning schedules. It can also make attendance difficult for many residents due to work schedules, farming responsibilities, and family commitments.

And as far as I can tell, we agree. At the all-candidates forum, no one on council spoke against streaming; in fact, all are on record of being in favour of it. That was encouraging to hear, and I took it to mean we’re all on the same page about accessibility and about livestreaming and recording council’s meetings. Awesome. So, it’s really just a matter of getting it done.

In fact, one exchange at the forum made the case for streaming better than I could.

A few concerns did come up at the forum, so let me address them directly.

The first was that residents appearing before council might be intimidated by a camera. Honestly? The intimidating part is standing up in front of council. A camera adds very little to that. And if it remains a concern, there’s a simple fix: frame the camera on the council table only and allow delegations to ask not to be shown.

The second was that staff would need to be present to run the equipment. But the CAO is already present at every council meeting. A properly set up system is largely set-and-forget fixed cameras and microphones, with the stream started when the meeting is called to order and stopped when it adjourns (or paused for an in-camera session). That is not a new position or a new expense. It’s a couple of clicks from someone who is already in the room.

The third was cost. By my very rough estimate, a professional A/V system, (camera, eight microphones, mixer, and a streaming setup, rather than relying on the Owl Labs unit already in chambers) would run around $10,000. YouTube itself costs nothing.

For perspective, council through the LUD, approved about $6,000 for the base and a paved pathway to make the big red chair in town accessible. At the time, the reeve said about the chair installation, “It won’t be that expensive.” Speaking about the chair itself, he also said, “There’s no logic to it. It’s the matter that they’re all over Canada and we’re just keeping up with the trend.” (The Carillon, “La Broquerie chooses Big Red Chair’s seat,” July 4, 2023).

I don’t raise that to knock the chair. Kids climb on it, people stop for pictures, and one could argue that making it accessible was the right call. But think about what that says. By the reeve’s own measure, making a photo-op accessible wasn’t that expensive, and that’s for something he says has no logic to it. So surely, as council has no issue spending $6,000 on an illogical chair, I think we can all agree that council can find the money to make its own meetings accessible. That’s something with every bit of logic behind it: every resident in the RM able to see and hear their council at work, from wherever they live and whatever their schedule.

And the cost to ratepayers could be far less than $10,000. Council clearly knows how to put a project together and find outside dollars to pay for it. Streaming is no different. For example, the Manitoba Accessibility Fund offers one-time grants to municipalities of up to $50,000, covering up to 100 percent of eligible costs, for projects that remove barriers to information and communications, including electronically. Making council meetings available to every resident from home is about as direct a fit as I can think of. So, the real question isn’t whether we can afford it. We clearly can.

There’s also the matter of communication. The reeve ran for re-election on respect and communication, saying staying connected with residents is one of the most important parts of the job. He described encouraging open discussion around the council table, and said, “You don’t always agree around the table, but as long as you do it respectfully, I think that’s the main thing in life.” He also said, “I’m a very open gentleman. I’m open to whatever opinion you’ve got,” (SteinbachOnline, “RM of La Broquerie’s Normandeau seeks re-election on respect, communication,” July 15, 2026). And on election night he told residents that council hears them and is open to any discussions.

I take him at his word. So, if open, respectful discussion around the council table is something to be proud of, why not let residents see it? Streaming is the most practical way I can think of to put that commitment into action.

So where does that leave us? The logistics have been proven by this RM itself. The legislation allows it. The cost is modest, and grant funding could cover much or all of it. The staff to run it are already in the room. The concern about delegations has a simple fix. Council’s own words support it, and every member of council is on record in favour of it. Quite frankly, there is no reason left not to do this, and no reason to wait. It should be implemented early in this term.

Therefore I respectfully but firmly ask that council direct administration to obtain quotes for an A/V system, pursue accessibility grant funding to offset the cost, and bring forward a resolution, along with any needed amendment to the procedural bylaw, to stream and record all regular council meetings early in this term.

To my fellow residents: if you’d like to be able to watch council meetings from home, live or after the fact, I’d encourage you to let council know.

Let’s make open communication through accessibility happen.