Rural township sets limits on virtual council meetings, but not remote work

A township council in eastern Ontario has rolled back its own remote work privileges, but held off on doing the same for staff.

Councillors in Elizabethtown-Kitley, a largely rural township about 80 kilometres south of Ottawa, voted Monday to cap their virtual meetings at four per year, and prohibited virtual closed sessions over confidentiality concerns. The original motion would have scrapped virtual meetings entirely.

Not all council members agreed with the move, however.

"Quite frankly, I felt I was being treated like a child," Coun. Eleanor Renaud told CBC, the sole member to vote against the compromise. "That I didn't know enough — or that councillors didn't know enough — to be in a private room or have their headphones on."

Renaud said she doesn't expect to reach the four-meeting limit, but would prefer to have the option when she's unavailable in person.

"What difference does it make if I'm in the room or virtual? The world has changed, and this is the norm," she said.

Elizabethtown-Kitley Mayor Brant Burrow had suggested a cap of eight virtual meetings per year. He also disagreed with the need to limit closed sessions to in-person, noting he has chaired meetings while travelling for township business.

However, he said the matter might not be a done deal.

"We've got a very divided council on the issue," said Burrow. "So I think if anything is going to get revisited during the year, this would probably be one of the top three topics that may come back."

Decision on staff deferred

Meanwhile, council narrowly voted to defer a decision mandating township employees to work exclusively from the office.

That's pending a staff report on whether the change would even be legal, and if other jurisdictions have made similar moves. Burrow cautioned councillors against making a final decision on Monday.

I know when people are in the office and when they're not in the office. I know that they are working and I know that they're getting their work done.- Robert Nolan, Elizabethtown-Kitley CAO

"I didn't feel that we had anything more than personal opinions," said Burrow. "I think we need to have a better discussion than what we had [Monday] night before we actually call the vote."

Some municipalities, such as the City of Ottawa, require hybrid workers to come into the office at least two days per week. The Government of Canada requires its employees to attend in person three days a week, while the U.S. government has ordered federal workers back to the office five days a week.

Robert Nolan, the township's chief administrative officer, told council two staffers have remote work specifically written into their contracts. Everyone else needs permission from a supervisor on a case-by-case basis, he said.

Nolan noted all employees have a township-provided or subsidized cell phone to be reached while out of the office. Asked directly if employees working from home was "detrimental" to providing services to residents, his answer was equally direct.

"No," Nolan told council. "I know when people are in the office and when they're not in the office. I know that they are working and I know that they're getting their work done."

'Get with the modern times'

Burrow said he hasn't been directly approached by staff, but suspects the issue is already causing apprehension. "Even the threat of this probably is affecting morale to a certain extent," he said.

He added he worries about how it could affect the township's ability to attract and retain staff.

Neither Renaud nor Burrow said they'd received any complaints from residents about staff working from home. In fact, the only complaints on the matter have been about how much time council has spent discussing it.

"I've had residents reaching out and basically asking me, 'What are you guys doing?'" said Burrow. "Are there not more important things to be dealing with? Get with the modern times.'" 

The staff item is expected to come back to council in March.