As a community newspaper, The Gazette has an obligation to our readers to get timely information to the residents of St. Albert. St. Albert City Council also has an obligation to keep taxpayers informed, but in recent weeks that has been more difficult.
First our staff were told all inquiries to councillors and staff would need to go through city staff. While we have regained access to councillors, our access to staff has been restricted. This hinders our ability to get information in a timely fashion.
In some instances when contacting city communications staff, Gazette reporters have been asked what prompted the story or how we planned to cover a certain topic. The focus from the city should always be on getting the information in a timely fashion, not what it will be used for. Whether it's council or staff, someone is attempting to control the message and that's a concerning trend.
It's not just reporters. In previous years, the city listed the cellphone numbers of city councillors on its website under “contact city council," but this has been replaced recently with a contact form. Instead of having cell numbers in the councillor profiles (with the exception of Sheena Hughes who has protested the change), there simply is a number for city hall. Councillors we spoke to were not even aware of the change. Who made this decision? It creates a barrier for the public and makes it difficult to engage with a council member in confidence.
"That definitely gives the public and myself the impression that all the emails are being monitored by administration prior to being forwarded to council," Hughes said this week.
We've also seen instances of conflicting information. Originally we were told that city strategic planning sessions were closed meetings, only to be told after they had occurred that they were public. As a result, the public lost an opportunity to gain insight into the way important decisions are made at council.
Whether this behaviour comes from city administration or staff or city council, it's a worrying trend. Ultimately, the mayor and councillors are in charge, and they have the ability to take the layer of bureaucracy out of the way and make themselves directly available – both to the public and through reporters who relay the information. They can't hide behind decisions made by city staff; city councillors are elected and accountable.
Restricting access to elected officials is common at other levels of government, however, we've enjoyed open access to council until the recent past. Open and timely access to councillors and administrators aids in transparency and accountability. It appears the city is heading toward the slippery slope of controlling access to council. It’s time for council to stop the slide.
