Council shoots down notice of motion to make meeting attendance mandatory

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal News Council shoots down notice of motion to make meeting attendance mandatory "To me, this feels like we're students asking for the principal's permission," said Ward 12 councillor. Author of the article: By Scott Strasser Published Sep 22, 2026 3 minute read Join the conversation Calgary city council went behind closed doors for several hours Tuesday, as they received an early look at next year's budget.  Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia Article content A Calgary city councillor’s attempt to reinstate a previous policy that required council members to attend meetings in-person was shot down by his colleagues on Tuesday. Article content During their regular meeting, council rejected Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot’s notice of motion to amend council’s procedure bylaw to require members to attend committee and council meetings in-person. Article content Article content Article content The motion was voted down 11-4, with Couns. Harrison Clark, Andrew Yule and Dan McLean voting in Chabot’s support. Article content Noon News Roundup Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content The motion included a provision to allow remote participation in “exceptional circumstances,” such as a declared state of emergency, serious injury or medical necessity, or if a councillor is on maternity, parental or compassionate leave. Article content However, when remote participation is allowed, the reason would need to be recorded in the official meeting minutes “to ensure transparency and accountability,” the motion states. Article content While council members have been allowed to tune into meetings via webcam since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Chabot argued some councillors have abused the permission. Article content And without a code of conduct currently in place, council has lost its accountability mechanism to be in their seat for meetings, he argued. Article content Particularly during public hearing meetings, it’s not fair to a member of the public who waits in council chambers all day to address their elected officials, Chabot said, only for some councillors to be absent when it’s that citizen’s turn to speak. Article…