Councillor wants Halifax Water Board meetings open to public

A Halifax councillor says he and the public should be allowed to attend meetings of the board that oversees the municipality’s water utility, and he’s working on bringing the matter to the attention of provincial politicians.

“Halifax Water’s default is to meet in camera, in private, not open to the public, and there are decisions being made there that I think the public needs to be in on,” District 13 Councillor Matt Whitman said on Tuesday.

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The Halifax Water Board of Commissioners meets several times a year. The board includes four councillors, the municipality’s CAO, and three citizens. The meetings’ minutes are posted online.

Aside from the organization’s annual general meeting, which Halifax Water spokesperson James Campbell said was attended by one member of the public this year, all meetings are not open to the public.

“This is very common in many boards,” he said when asked about the closed-door approach.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is very common in many boards," he said when asked about the closed-door approach.

District 1 Councillor Steve Streatch said Halifax Water Board meetings are the only meetings of this nature he’s aware of that don’t allow the public to attend.

A report with the November meeting’s minutes includes information on a lead service line replacement application and a water service extension update.

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The meetings of the municipality’s Board of Police Commissioners are open to the public, minus the standard private portions. Those meetings include discussions on why black people in Halifax are three-times more likely to be stopped for a street check by police, and the potential release of monthly suicide statistics.

The organization’s annual business plan is vetted through the municipality, he added.

District 1 Councillor Steve Streatch, who sits on the board, said he doesn’t agree with Whitman.

“I don’t think that there’s a lack of transparency, and I guess you have to ask yourself: ‘What is really motivating this conversation?'” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I don't think that there's a lack of transparency, and I guess you have to ask yourself: 'What is really motivating this conversation?'" he said.

“During our debate a couple of weeks ago, several of us that do sit on the water commission made the offer to bring up any of the issues that our colleagues have, if that is really what is going on, but if it is just about the fact that you can’t attend a meeting, that’s a different story.”

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Streatch said the majority of the members on the board are not interested changing how the board operates in regards to this matter.

“We’re working with one MLA who will hopefully bring an amendment to the [Halifax Regional Water Commission Act] to make them more transparent, open to the public, and I think we’ll be able to achieve a lot of things that I’m concerned about today,” said Whitman.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're working with one MLA who will hopefully bring an amendment to the [Halifax Regional Water Commission Act] to make them more transparent, open to the public, and I think we'll be able to achieve a lot of things that I'm concerned about today," said Whitman.

He said the hope is to see that amendment appear in the provincial government’s spring sitting.