A Brief Comment by Doug Draper

Well, it is about time!

 After years of complaints from members of the press and public, Niagara, Ontario’s regional government has decided that all regional council meetings will now begin at 6:30 p.m. sharp without the possibility that a mere half hour later, the council will go into closed session for whatever period of time.

From here on in, according to a January 17 note the regional government circulated to the media, open sessions of council will continue through to their conclusion and in camera matters will be dealt with in closed sessions at the end of the night.

 This new way of doing things will hopefully put an end to the many times that citizens who have come the regional council for presentations on issues and reporters there to cover them have been made to wait in the lobby – sometimes for up to an hour or more – while regional councilors are behind closed doors, dealing with an in camera matter. It was a practice that was frustrating for members of the public who cared enough to drive to the regional headquarters in Thorold to attend a council meeting and more than a few times, members of the public simply got fed up with the waiting and went home.

 In recent years, the regional government has openly expressed its desire to get the public more engaged in the issues it is addressing for the larger community. Putting an end to leaving people standing out in the lobby for indefinite periods of time on council nights  should help in this effort.

 The Region deserves some applause for finally putting an end to that discouraging practice.

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