North Vancouver school board is finishing its term with an F in transparency.
In the last two meetings, residents have come hoping to record the board's debate. Not seeing a policy to rigidly tell them what to do, the board told the residents to turn their cameras off or be kicked out.
This was the wrong decision. The board and its administrator seem to be forgetting another policy called the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which is the supreme law of the land. The Supreme Court of Canada has deliberately interpreted our fundamental right to expression in a very broad, far-reaching way, including for the use of cameras in public places.
Of course there are justifiable limits when safety or personal information is concerned, but elected officials have zero expectation of privacy while they're engaged in official debate.
As a society, we actively encourage citizens to be engaged with their governments, to scrutinize their debates and question their decisions.
Whether the school board intended it or not, this has the effect of reducing transparency and possibly running afoul of the charter.
All of this, however, is losing sight of the forest for the trees. Of course anyone should be able to record board meetings but it should be something actively done by the school district. The technology required to record and livestream a meeting exists in most anyone's pocket. Most municipalities have been doing this for years. It's the single biggest step our school districts could take to reach out to citizens who have a right to know.
