Those interested in taking in the proceedings at Rainbow District School Board public meetings will soon be able to do so from their computers, iPads or mobile phones, as the board is implementing livestreaming technology.
The board did an internal test of its livestreaming technology at the Sept. 25 board meeting, and will do another test at the Oct. 23 meeting.
Rainbow board chair Doreen Dewar said the board considered the idea about five years ago, but it wasn't possible at that time because of the limitations of its old downtown Sudbury board office.
In early 2013, the board also voted down the idea of video-recording meetings and posting the video on the Rainbow board's website after the fact, with staff saying it would cost about $13,000 per year.
But the situation changed with the board's 2017 move into its new, $7.3-million board office, located in the former Wembley Public School.
“When we realized we were going to be moving to a new board office, prior to any of the work being started, we said one of the things we wanted to make sure that we incorporated was the technology for livestreaming,” Dewar said.
Dewar said she's not sure exactly when the livestreaming capability will be ready, as it's still in the testing phase.
She also doesn't know how much it will cost the board to livestream meetings, as she doesn't have a breakdown of the cost of the technology in the new boardroom.
“We haven't been able to isolate the cost of livestreaming in that setting,” she said.
She said the Rainbow District School Board will be the first board in Northern Ontario to livestream its meetings, although there are some boards in southern Ontario that do.
The livestreaming of Rainbow board meetings has been the subject of some discussion in the past, especially during the last set of trustee elections in 2014.
Dewar said she hopes the livestreaming takes away barriers to supporters engaging in school board meetings, and that parents actually tune in, although she has her doubts.
“I haven't heard a lot of parents telling me 'You know, if it was on TV, I would watch it,'” she said. “I haven't heard it.”
Asked if livestreaming would also quell complaints of lack of transparency at the Rainbow board, Dewar said these comments all come from the same small group of people.
The board famously passed a rule in 2012 that allowed only members of the media and individuals who have permission from the director of education to video-record board meetings.
It also barred a couple critical of the board who used to video-record school board meetings from certain school board property for almost six years, up until about a month ago. Those parents, Dylan and Anita Gibson, are currently running to become Rainbow board trustees.
“(It's) the same 10 to 12 parents all the time” talking about transparency issues, Dewar said.
“I've gone to school council meetings and met with different parents and parent councils and so on. I don't hear that very often. I hear it from the same dozen or so people.”
