Starting in the new year, Port Alberni city council meetings will take place in the afternoon, instead of the evening.
One of the first orders of business for Port Alberni’s new city council on Monday, Nov. 5 was to approve the 2019 regular meeting schedule. Council meetings will take place at 2 p.m. instead of 7 p.m., starting on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019.
Mayor Sharie Minions said on Facebook after the meeting that the meeting times will be changed on a “trial” basis.
“We get very few community members at our evening meetings and those who come tend to leave as it get[s] later in the evening,” she said. “We’ve heard from young parents and elderly people that they can’t make it out in the evening for a variety of reasons so we will see how engagement goes for afternoon meetings.”
She acknowledged that some people will not be able to attend the meetings due to work, and added that this new council is “committed to providing new ways for those people to participate.”
Council meetings will still be streamed online and on Shaw TV. Committee of the Whole meetings are still scheduled for 4 p.m.