Thompson council backtracks on cutting public comments at meetings after pushback from residents

Sanuda Ranawake · CBC News

· Posted: May 13, 2025 10:32 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Dozens of radical showed up Monday astatine Thompson metropolis assembly gathering to support what they telephone a captious portion of democracy.

They were determination to enactment a motion aimed astatine saving a bylaw that allows an open public remark play earlier the commencement of meetings. 

Council successful the bluish Manitoba metropolis had voted to region the bylaw successful April but on Monday, aft pushback from the public, they reversed course. Not everyone agreed, though, successful a 4-2 vote.

Mayor Colleen Smook cast 1 of those dissenting votes and said she stands by her decision.

"I whitethorn beryllium successful the number but I decidedly judge that trying caller things is simply a bully happening for council," she said, noting radical were still capable to code assembly if they emailed the metropolis for support nary aboriginal than the anterior Wednesday.

Smook said the unfastened remark period, which allowed radical to speak without an appointment, was underutilized — assembly meetings had just two or 3 observers connected a bully night. And the unfastened mic was often abused by those who did instrumentality advantage, she said, but didn't elaborate.

Ron Matechuk, a long-time Thompson nonmigratory and erstwhile metropolis councillor, is 1 of the devout observers of assembly meetings and has spoken up successful astatine slightest 75 per cent of them, helium said. 

"I conjecture they don't privation to reply questions, is what it looks similar to me," Matechuk said before Monday's meeting.

Most radical successful Thompson don't look to attraction astir what happens astatine council, but there are inactive immoderate that bash and it's a captious portion of a democracy, Matechuk said.

"Openness and transparency is simply a precise important portion of [democracy]. I took a civics people backmost erstwhile I was a kid and they taught maine a lot. It's precise important, the radical indispensable beryllium heard," helium said. 

Coun. Sandra Oberdorfer was 1 of those who voted successful April to region the bylaw, but changed her caput and supported it connected Monday. 

"Over the past 3 years that I've been connected council, I person not seen it [the nationalist remark period] beryllium overly productive. We were not getting productive feedback, we weren't reaching our constituents," Oberdorfer said astir wherefore she voted against it originally.

"So I conscionable felt that it wasn't a productive mode for america to pass with our taxpayers"

Oberdorfer said she was funny successful looking toward more productive ways of engaging with the public, specified arsenic having them interaction councillors via email oregon phone. 

"It was wide that our taxpayers, based connected the assemblage that we had successful the room, were not blessed with our determination to region the assemblage comments and feedback," she said. 

"And astatine the extremity of the day, our taxpayers are the ones who voted for america to correspond them."

Coun. Duncan Wong was fiercely opposed to removing the bylaw successful the archetypal spot and was astatine the forefront of the combat to bring it back.

He said Monday's triumph mightiness beryllium temporary as the vote still has to spell done a 2nd and 3rd speechmaking astatine coming assembly meetings. And he's disquieted astir the alternatives, which include a projected quarterly municipality hall.

"How could you code a wintertime contented successful the summertime? I mean, it's a spot excessively precocious for 3 months to wait," helium said. 

Matechuk said it's little astir the nationalist turnout for assembly sessions and much astir having the accidental to marque comments. 

"At slightest they had the opportunity. If you person thing to say, you tin spell determination and publically inquire it and hopefully publically get an answer," helium said.