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Making MeeTings MeaningFul <br />150 years after Mackenzie, how are <br />we doing? City Council does allow <br />for public deputations at all Com- <br />mittee meetings, but there’s still <br />much room for improvement: <br />last-Minute tricks <br />When it comes to making informa- <br />tion accessible, the City is doing <br />quite well. In fact, the City Clerk’s <br />Office recently won three awards <br />for their new City Council website. <br />However, there are always loopholes <br />and the system depends on the integ- <br />rity and goodwill of City Councillors. <br />For example, we’ve recently seen <br />Councillors introduce controversial <br />items at the last minute, depriving <br />both citizens and Councillors of the <br />relevant information in advance. <br />This is done intentionally to avoid <br />scrutiny, debate and public feedback. <br />➊ the public is entitled to <br />full information concerning <br />the issues and conduct of <br />public business. <br />➌ interested members of the <br />public will have opportunities <br />to present their opinions to <br />those elected to office. <br />➋ there must be appropri- <br />ate opportunities for public <br />discussion of public issues <br />and the conduct of public <br />business, and those elected <br />to office have an obligation <br />to ensure that these oppor- <br />tunities exist. <br />Hey, I know it’s last minute, <br />but I propose we rip out a <br />major bike lane. <br />a wonderful biography of William lyon mackenzie <br />(the first mayor of toronto) was published by <br />John sewell (our 58th mayor) in 2002. in the <br />last chapter, sewell attempts to summarise <br />mackenzie’s political philosophy which was <br />focused primarily on the mechanics of process <br />and participation. his ‘principles of democracy’ <br />include the following: <br />“Mackenzie believed that once <br />people had information and the <br />opportunity to discuss issues with <br />friends and neighbours, they would <br />have reasonable opinions worth <br />expressing to those charged with <br />making a decision. The governing <br />process included setting aside time <br />for people to be heard by those who <br />had been elected to make public <br />decisions. <br />The job of an elected representative <br />in a democracy is often said to be <br />to represent, and there’s no more <br />effective way of doing this task than <br />listening.” <br />John sewell