Andrew S. Haydon Hall public gallery to re-open April 27

The public gallery at Andrew S. Haydon Hall at Ottawa city hall will re-open on April 27. 

A memo released on April 26 from Rick O'Connor, city clerk, provides members of council on a phased return of in-person participation at council and committee meetings. 

“As members are aware, city council meetings moved to a hybrid model on March 23, 2022, with “in person” participation by members of council, senior staff, and media,” the memo states. “Further to my memo of March 14, 2022, I can advise that it is the intent to re-open the public gallery in Andrew S. Haydon Hall on April 27, 2022, as planned, for those residents who may choose to observe the council meeting in person.”

The virtual option of watching council meetings live on the Ottawa city council YouTube Channel and RogersTV Ottawa will continue to be promoted as the primary means for most residents to observe council meetings, the memo says.  In order to assist in managing the capacity of the gallery, city staff are also encouraged to continue to join the council meeting virtually using Zoom, other than those that their general managers have determined should be attending in person. 

For those residents attending in parson, security screening will be done by corporate security services. The council meetings will also continue to be streamed into Jean Pigott Place outside the council chambers for those who may be unable to enter and address any “spillover” when the chambers is at capacity.

All attendees, including members, staff and the public, should continue to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms, stay home if sick, and follow the Ottawa Public Health guidance for high-risk contacts. Wearing a mask is also encouraged when distancing cannot be maintained. 

It is recommended that performances of the National Anthem, by community groups, which were a feature of in-person council meetings prior to the pandemic, continue to be suspended, and that consideration be given to re-establishing this practice in the new term of council this fall.  

“In my memo of March 14, 2022, I advised that committees (standing committees, transit Commission, sub-Committees and advisory committees), which include public delegations, would continue to be conducted virtually until further notice, with the intention to move to hybrid format at a later date,” the memo said. “At this time, we are recommending virtual committee meetings continue. 

As Ottawa Public Health has advised, Ottawa continues to be in the midst of a resurgence with high levels of transmission as evidenced by very high levels of wastewater signal and proportion of tests that are positive. The BA.2 variant, which is even more transmissible than the original Omicron variant from January, is becoming dominant in Ontario. 

May and June are also expected to have a very busy legislative agenda, with three to four standing committee/commission/sub-committee meetings a week until the end of June, and a number of lengthy meetings expected before the summer break. It is then expected that the volume and length of meetings will diminish significantly, with a reduced council and committee schedule moving towards the municipal elections in October.  

Continuing with a virtual approach for committee meetings through the spring legislative session will reduce the volume of meetings requiring close, in-person interactions, and better allow the office of the city clerk to deliver the meetings required for committees to accomplish their remaining work for this term.

As previously communicated to council, hybrid meetings are labour-intensive and complex to administer. These meetings also require a critical mass of clerks' staff to be able to support the meeting in person when members, staff and the public are present. The ability to maintain these staffing levels is a challenge when there remain high levels of COVID-19 transmission. 

City staff continue to assess and implement the technology and resources necessary to move to a full schedule of hybrid committee meetings, including creating the capacity to do so in meeting rooms other than the council chambers. 

At this time, electronic participation is permitted in all council and committee meetings, and is permitted under council's procedure by-law. As part of the 2022-2026 council term governance review, the city clerk will be reviewing the procedure by-law provisions related to electronic meetings, with a view to providing recommendations for council to consider moving forward, including post-pandemic. Over the coming months, the city clerk's office will be conducting consultations with all members of council as part of this review and would welcome members' feedback on this subject.