This Thompson Okanagan city is making it easier for parents and caregivers to sit on council

There was no push back at Kamloops City Hall against a motion that would make it easier for parents and caregivers to take a seat on council. Councillors quickly voted in favour of Coun. Dale Bass's motion to allow two councillors on federal parental or caregiver leave to be allowed...

This Thompson Okanagan city is making it easier for parents and caregivers to sit on council

There was no push back at Kamloops City Hall against a motion that would make it easier for parents and caregivers to take a seat on council.

Councillors quickly voted in favour of Coun. Dale Bass's motion to allow two councillors on federal parental or caregiver leave to be allowed to work from home indefinitely during their time as an elected official.

There are still steps in the way before the changes are adopted, but Bass is looking forward to making room for people that would otherwise decide they couldn't make the time to serve the public.

"I think we need to do this in order to recognize people with parental or caregiver responsibilities that might want to run for council," she told iNFOnews.ca. "There's nothing to say we won't have a councillor with an elderly parent they'll have to take care of in the future."

If approved, it would allow a councillor to participate in city council meetings electronically if they need, rather than in person. Up to two councillors could tune in electronically for as many meetings as they want but would have to be recognized under federal employment insurance guidelines someone who qualifies for parental or caregiver leave.

Current policies limit how many meetings a councillor can tune into electronically and there's no exceptions for family situations. Now, with local governments capable of running with some working out of the office and tuning in through their computer Bass sees no reason a bylaw can't be changed to make working in elected office easier to access.

Bass brought the motion forward knowing there are currently no caregivers on council but to her it makes sense to add these provisions for future councillors.

With the approval from council on April 12, staff will update the current bylaw for a final vote expected on May 31.

A vote against the changes would be "a whole demographic they're saying no to," Bass said.

The change is one of a variety of suggestions made in Kamloops and Kelowna that are aimed at making a run for elected office more accessible.

Bass suggested in 2019 that council meetings should be held later in the day rather than the current 1:30 p.m. schedule, which was recently echoed last month by Coun. Sadie Hunter.

At the time, she said working people struggle to participate in their local government and moving meetings outside of regular working hours could engage more people.

Compensation can also leave some people less willing to sacrifice their time to run for office. While a sitting mayor earns a wage in the area of $100,000, councillors earn less than half that and are generally expected to treat it as a part-time job.

In recognizing the lesser compensation for councillors, Kelowna recently approved a change that would allow for councillors to opt into the same benefits the mayor gets. While not increasing their pay, it could cost taxpayers more so councillors won't have to worry about a lack of health benefits.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.