That Council direct Staff to prepare a report outlining options for an amendment to "Council Procedure Bylaw 2018 No. 7272" to include a certification process to provide accreditation to media representatives and independent journalists to permit the usage of electronic devices at the City of Nanaimo Council and Committee meetings for jou rnalistic purposes.
to it seconded. Councilor Eastmeer. Go ahead, please. Thank you. I think this is just requesting that staff look at options. For accreditation for media representatives. I've looked at a few different sites. The government of Canada. Global Affairs, Canada. Has steps that they take that include. Traditional media. But independent media that also. Publish on things like substac or by other means. We're seeing a lot of changes to the media landscape. But there is a way to tell whether somebody actually does research and provides commentary that's reasonable. And I think. It's important to have a process in place. For accrediting. Media. It's not that I don't trust. Your worship's judgment. In providing that guidance, but I think that it's better that it's independent than that. There are guidelines that are independent of individual. Decision making powers within.
If I may ask a couple of questions of staff, Ms. Gurry. Discouraged me. I may be discussing things that might constitute in camera matters, so I'm rather. In a difficult spot here. But what is the practice in other communities? Perhaps you can advise with respect to this. Is it left to the mayor to make the decision about who's a journalist or can you comment? On that one what it's worth, I'm not going to support this. Let's get the bylaw in place that has raised this concern. We'll deal with it. If people are unhappy with the way things are happening or someone feels aggrieved, then. Let's not be at this present time a solution in search of a problem that may not, in fact, occur or