Ward 10 councillor Andre Chabot has forwarded a motion to restrict the use of social media in council chambers at certain times to ensure Calgarians know their concerns are being heard while addressing city council in person.
Chabot, who has announced his plans to run for mayor, says people deserve to feel like they are being listened to while making public submissions to city hall.
“Some people who have actually come and presented before council said they felt they were disrespected, that they weren’t listened to” explained Chabot. “People weren't actually taking their submissions into consideration and making their final decision.”
“(I’ve) also heard from people who actually watch city council (who) said ‘You know, it didn’t look like the mayor was paying attention’."
Mayor Nenshi was not available to respond to Chabot’s comment on Friday as he was attending a funeral outside of Calgary.
Chabot’s vision would see councillors put their phones down during public hearings. The Ward 10 councillor admits social media plays a crucial role in public engagement but he says a digital conversation with constituents should not take priority over a face-to-face submission.
Richard Pootmans, Ward 6 councillor, agrees that are times when it’s disrespectful for councillors to focus on their phones instead of the person speaking but says the devices provide access to reference maps and other information that can prove valuable during hearings.
“There are a lot of reasons to be looking at a computer,” suggested Pootmans. “Social media is only one of them.”
Pootmans believes it will be difficult to define what is, and what is not, appropriate behaviour for councillors when it comes to the use of cellphones during hearings and he plans to ask Chabot to address the issue.
At present, there are no rules governing a councillor’s use of cellphones or social media during council meetings.
Chabot’s notice of motion will be discussed in council on Monday.
With files from CTV Calgary’s Jaclyn Brown
