It was a lengthy debate, apparently something to do with money, but it was not open for the public.
At the start of the Delta Police Board’s monthly public meeting on June 19 at the North Delta Centre for the Arts, board member Lara Victoria brought forward a motion to pull several items from the agenda of the board’s in-camera meeting that was to follow the public meeting, asking that they be put on the board’s public meeting agenda for discussion.
Saying she wanted to pull the “governance item” from the private meeting to the public because “it involves the use of public funds,” Victoria did get a seconder on her motion to have the matter discussed.
However, board chair Ian Tate then moved that the matter first be discussed in-camera, which was also approved on a vote.
Victoria said she disagreed because when it comes to the use of public funds, “the whole idea is transparency.”
The viewing gallery was then cleared, and the online feed of the meeting shut off and remained dark for over an hour while the board debated the matter in-camera.
The board eventually resumed the public portion of meeting and voted on Victoria’s motion to move the items to the public meeting agenda, but it was defeated with only Victoria voting in favour.
The board’s agendas clearly state that, in accordance with the Police Act, a portion of a meeting may be held in private if certain issues are expected to arise including a matter concerning public security, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to seriously impair effective policing or law enforcement, or a matter concerning a person’s financial or personal affairs, if that person’s interest in the matter outweighs the public’s interest in the matter.
Meetings can also turn private if the issue involves a matter concerning labour contract discussions, labour management relations, layoffs or another personnel matters, or a matter concerning information that a person has requested he or she be allowed to give in private to the board or committee.
After a break for the summer, the board’s next public meeting is Sept. 18.
