琉璃神社's mayor received an earful from councillors over a proposed amendment to the Code of Conduct policy that would limit the use of personal smartphones and tablets during council meetings.

"What I see happening is a lot of computer usage," Mayor Tom Dyas said during Monday's (Nov. 18) meeting. "And what I know is that outside sources are bringing in information during our meetings. I can see that happening. I think that's something that needs to stop because it puts the decisions we make in jeopardy."

The proposed amendment to the Code of Conduct would apply to smart devices, including phones and tablets. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Dyas said he had received comments from the public, claiming they had been able to communicate with councillors during meetings.

"Maybe that's correct, maybe it's not," he added. "My responsibility is to ensure that the meetings are as accurate as possible when they are held."

The proposal did not sit well with any members of council during the meeting.

"I think it's rather insulting," Coun. Maxine DeHart told her colleagues. "If there is anyone around this table who has done something wrong, I expect the mayor and Mr. Gilchrist (the city manager) to take them aside."

Coun. Mohini Singh echoed DeHart鈥檚 sentiments.

"Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but have a conversation with that particular councillor."

Coun. Luke Stack noted that the Code of Conduct already prohibits communication with the public during meetings.

"I鈥檝e been on council for 16 years, and I鈥檝e never seen a decision get overturned or challenged," he said. "The proposed change would make me think I can鈥檛 have a cell phone here with a text, and I鈥檇 have to restrict that."

Coun. Gord Lovegrove suggested that self-policing might be a better approach.

"I haven't seen evidence suggesting that we need to push forward with this particular section," he said.

A staff report revealed there had been four complaints since the Code of Conduct policy was implemented in September 2023. Three of the complaints were found to have no grounds for violation, while the fourth was submitted outside the allowed timeframe, and an extension was not deemed warranted.

Coun. Charlie Hodge, while divided on the issue, admitted he did not like seeing his colleagues texting during meetings.

"My first term here, you didn鈥檛 bring anything to the table with you. You came to the table, got a hard copy (agenda package), and that鈥檚 what you used for information," Hodge recalled.

As the discussion progressed, more councillors voiced their concerns.

"When you look at the whole policy, it鈥檚 designed to help us stay on track and know what鈥檚 expected of us," Coun. Rick Webber said. "This particular clause, the proposed change, is designed to force us to obey the rules and make sure we don鈥檛 find a way around them by giving us no choice whatsoever."

Councillors expressed support for installing dedicated terminals in the council chamber, where the content would only be related to the specific meeting.

"I fully agree we should be using city-owned devices around the table. I understand not wanting to put potentially confidential information on private devices, but to be limited to one app, e-Scribe (meeting software), for eight hours while we sit in this room鈥擨 don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 reasonable," said Coun. Loyal Wooldridge.

Council ultimately voted down the amendment to the Code of Conduct, with only Mayor Dyas in favour. A second motion to eliminate the amendment passed unanimously.