{"id":6599,"date":"2025-12-01T10:08:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T15:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northhatley.info\/2025\/12\/01\/transparence-municipale-audio-disparu-proces-verbaux-tardifs\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T10:18:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T15:18:49","slug":"municipal-transparency-missing-audio-recordings-late-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northhatley.info\/en\/2025\/12\/01\/municipal-transparency-missing-audio-recordings-late-minutes\/","title":{"rendered":"Municipal transparency: missing audio recordings, late minutes\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As you know, I regret that audio recordings and minutes are no longer posted on the North Hatley municipal website <\/a>within days of council meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Why are there no more audio recordings?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the response I received this morning from Ms. Davis-Gerrish, the lack of audio recordings since June is due to the retirement of the person responsible for them. The operation was considered cumbersome: installing and dismantling the audio system at each session, then cleaning up background noise before posting online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After analysis, the council therefore decided to stop broadcasting the audio recordings, considering that the minutes constitute \u201cthe official record.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is a simple solution.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Several municipalities use a fixed microphone or a very simple digital recorder\u2014without any editing. The raw audio is posted online as is, accompanied by a short warning. This works very well and avoids using technical complexity as an excuse for lack of transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Minutes: a problematic delay, partially offset by the Entre Nous newsletter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Regarding the November minutes, Ms. Davis-Gerrish indicated that they must first be adopted at the next meeting before being made public. They were therefore adopted 30 days later and subsequently published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To compensate for this lack of information, Ms. Davis-Gerrish informs me that the Entre Nous newsletter <\/a>will now present a summary of the resolutions adopted, accompanied by a brief explanation. This is an excellent initiative. The first summary was published about ten days after the meeting<\/a>. Please note that this is not a transcript per se.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I welcome this effort toward transparency. That said, ten days before publication is a long time\u2014and, more importantly, the newsletter is not accessible to everyone.<\/a> For the information to be truly public, I recommend that this summary also be published on the official website within two to three days of the meeting, rather than simply being emailed to a limited list ten days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concernant le proc\u00e8s-verbal de novembre, Mme Davis-Gerrish indique qu\u2019il doit d\u2019abord \u00eatre adopt\u00e9 \u00e0 la s\u00e9ance suivante avant d\u2019\u00eatre rendu public. Le tout est donc adopt\u00e9 30 jours plus tard et publi\u00e9 par la suite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. A quick response from the mayor\u2026 but silence from senior management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I would like to commend Ms. Davis-Gerrish for her promptness and courtesy in taking the time to respond to me.
In contrast, senior management never responded to my request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the municipal structure, the mayor is usually contacted as a second resort if the administration does not respond. However, if the highest administrative authority cannot respond to an email within five business days, it raises questions. Is it a lack of resources? Too many files? An excessive workload?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This silence remains a concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. The minutes may be approved at the end of the current meeting.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the Municipal Code of Quebec (C-27.1), section 201:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The minutes must be approved immediately (during the meeting) or at the next meeting. However, failure to approve the minutes does not prevent them from being used as evidence.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what that means, in simple terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n