Estevan city council meetings can now be found on YouTube, thanks to a partnership with Access Communications.
The meetings streamed live on YouTube from 2017 to 2019 through a partnership with Access Communications, but the practice was discontinued. Now the meetings will be uploaded to the city’s YouTube page a couple of days after they are finished as part of the city’s efforts to keep the public engaged.
In a report to council, information-technology manager James Lainton offered three options to council. The one that council opted for, which has no cost, sees Access supply the existing microphone system, audio switcher, camera and personnel to broadcast council meetings on Estevan’s AccessNow community channel. Access will provide the video file to the city if they want to post it on YouTube and the city’s website.
Lainton noted that some cities have purchased a complete package for streaming meetings, including multiple fixed cameras, a switcher, microphones and audio mixers. They then subscribe to a dedicated service to broadcast the video live, while also recording it for future use.
In these cases, Access still provides the personnel and takes a live video feed to go to their AccessNow channel. The system would cost the city around $25,000 for equipment, and $11,500 for a streaming system subscription.
A hybrid takes aspects from both of the first two scenarios, without the cost, ownership and maintenance of all the equipment. Access would provide all the services they do now, including personnel and equipment. But there would be a subscription cost of approximately $11,500, however the city could stream at their leisure.
Councillor Kirsten Walliser pointed out that this is not as simple as using a phone to stream the meeting onto Facebook live.
“I do like that fact that, if nothing else, we can at least have the Access video posted at a later time, so that there is access to those without Access,” said Walliser.
Mayor Roy Ludwig said the city shouldn’t get brand new equipment or pay for a service when they can use the equipment that’s already there.
Councillor Shelly Veroba noted that when the meetings were livestreamed on YouTube, Access had to have someone back at the studio, and they only had a few people watching. People were more interested in watching the meetings at their own leisure.
But she also pointed out that a lot of people still watch the meetings on Access.
Councillor Rebecca Foord suggested promoting the videos once they’re up on YouTube and letting the public know that they can watch the meeting, even if it’s a few days later.
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Two building permits worth $210,000 were issued in February, bringing the total for the year to four permits worth $340,000. Both of the permits issued in February were classified as commercial.
There were four permits worth $81,700 in the first two months of 2020.
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The water quality report for February showed the city treated a total of 106.5 million litres of water and pumped 102.6 million litres into the distribution system. There were no plant upsets, and the city met all of the provincial requirements for water quality.
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The February report for the Estevan Fire Rescue Service showed that members had 18 calls for service and four training nights. The activity included nine fire-related calls, four false alarms, three gas leaks/carbon monoxide alarms and two motor vehicle accidents.
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The city’s amended cannabis bylaw was brought back before council and received first reading.
Council took a first look at the cannabis bylaw back in January, as it had to be amended to allow for a second cannabis retailer, Moonlit Cannabis, to open on Sixth Street. Moonlit has since decided to be in an area already zoned for a cannabis retailer, so council decided on Feb. 22 to briefly shelve the bylaw.
The latest version of the bylaw allows for a retailer to be located anywhere within the downtown core, including all lands bounded and within Fourth Street from 13th Avenue to Souris Avenue South; Souris Avenue South from Fourth Street to Sixth Street; Sixth Street from Souris Avenue South to 13th Avenue; and 13th Avenue from Sixth Street to Fourth Street.
A retailer would also be allowed on 13th Avenue from Sixth Street to King Street; King Street from 13th Avenue to Kensington Avenue; and Kensington Avenue from King Street to Fourth Street.
Retailers must not be within 200 metres of a school, and they need to have a visible storefront.
Councill will need to give the document second and third readings before it is approved.
