The COVID pandemic has been hard on many aspects of life. Technology has helped – a lot. But it’s not a panacea, as evidenced by the growth of the phenomenon known as “Zoom fatigue.”
We’re doing our best to stay virtually connected, but as anyone who’s waxed eloquent while muted in an online meeting knows, it’s not the same as being there and reading the room.
Our public life is no exception. While most civic governments have had ways to connect with the public and allow them to tune in to meetings virtually even before the pandemic, the other part of the dialogue – allowing the public to have meaningful participation in civic affairs – has been less straightforward under COVID-19.
Early on, local governments contemplated options of forgoing public hearings, then modified that to allow online and phone-in participation. More recently, the province has encouraged local governments to consider some in-person attendance if feasible.
All local governments are now grappling with these issues. But if the virtual public hearing held Monday night at the City of North Vancouver is any indication – where a total of one participant phoned in to comment on a significant development project – there’s still a way to go.
Granted, it’s early days, and municipalities have recently started having more conversations about how to best involve the public.
Nor should all the responsibility be borne by government. Local residents need to make an effort as well. Decisions, after all, are made by those who show up, and government has not stopped functioning entirely in the face of COVID-19. We look forward to citizens taking themselves off mute and rejoining the civic discourse.
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