Berry apologizes for closed-door meetings

Incumbent Ward 7 councillor Shawn Berry publicly apologized for his role in city council’s closed-door meetings and pledged to be a “loud voice” against holding such meetings if he is re-elected on Oct. 28.

During the final of four councillor candidate debates at Brandon University’s Lorne Watson Recital Hall on Wednesday, Berry said there have been too many closed-door committee of the whole meetings over the last four years.

“I’ve been a longtime councillor, and I’m going to apologize to the public right now for all these meetings that we’ve had in camera (and) meetings behind closed doors,” said Berry, who is the longest-serving councillor and did not have a challenger in the previous three elections.

“Some of these things we’re discussing do not need to be in camera or committee of the whole,” Berry said. “So, I apologize.”

The Sun reported in August that council had held about 78 committee of the whole meetings since October 2022, most of which were closed to the public.

Berry also referenced last Friday’s mayoral debate when incumbent Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the city clerk is responsible for scheduling meetings.

“I can’t speak on behalf of the mayor and why he responded the way he did. I felt very bad for him after watching that debate, for the way he answered that, because I knew it was going to come back and bite him in the old derriere,” Berry said.

Wednesday’s debate, the second of the night, featured candidates for wards 6, 7 and 10.

Quentin Robinson, who is running against Berry in Ward 7, said he believed the public should be welcomed into any meeting “no matter how thrilling or boring.”

Incumbent Ward 10 Coun. Tyson Tame, who was first elected to council in 2022, said the current council is adhering to the Municipal Act and defended the mayor’s statements from last Friday’s debate.

“I think maybe Jeff was saying the other day is we have a clerk, and that clerk’s responsibility is to keep us compliant with the Municipal Act,” Tame said.

Mitesh Patel, who is running against Tame in Ward 10, criticized the current council for its lack of transparency.

“We tried to get information through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and there were declines after declines to get the information (from) those meetings,” Patel said. “I personally have reached out (on) almost five occasions to try and know about those meetings and every time I was shut down.”

The only acclaimed council candidate, Coun. Bruce Luebke (Ward 6), said he thinks the current council takes “very liberal duties with the way the Municipal Act is written when it comes to preliminary discussions.”

Luebke referenced a specific committee of the whole meeting on Aug. 17 in regard to free transit.

“There was no need for that discussion to happen behind closed doors,” Luebke said.

Luebke also said he thinks the current council was “slow to act” when payroll concerns emerged among city employees.

“One thing that kind of disappoints me a little bit about this topic is that I had a discussion with one of the union heads in March and made our administration aware of this issue … and I don’t feel we were quick enough to react,” Luebke said.

Berry also brought up a pending motion to reinstate council education sessions.

“Ever since I’ve been on council since 2010, up until last term, we’ve had education sessions. They’re very valuable to us … They want to have them go back to have them behind closed doors again,” Berry said.

“I’m absolutely against that.”

Tame said he isn’t opposed to what Berry said and that “a lot of things could be in the public,” but added: “I don’t think you’ll want to watch it.”

“For example, we have new candidates coming right now and they’re going to teach (them) how to use Teams, so that would be sort of odd, to me, to invite the community,” Tame said.

» rgerrard@brandonsun.com