VSB under fire over meetings closed to in-person attendance

The Vancouver School Board has tabled a proposed $700-million budget but members of the public are not allowed in the room while it is being debated thanks to a policy that restricts access to certain meetings.

Former VSB trustee Ruth Herman found out when she attempted to attend an April 3 Special Board/Committee of the Whole Meeting to learn about the draft budget, but was turned away at the door and told the public could only view the meeting online.

"I just expressed my shock and outrage at the situation and then I left and went home,” Herman said. “And I missed some of the meeting actually because by the time I got home, the first twenty minutes were over."

At an assembly with hundreds of people packed into a gymnasium to celebrate the opening of Bayview Elementary, CTV News asked VSB Board Chair Victoria Jung why members of the public have been denied access to meetings.

"During the pandemic, there were a few changes to make meetings more accessible,” Jung said. “I do just want to stress that our open board meetings are currently open to attendees both in-person and online."

The VSB calendar lists several different types of meetings, including committee meetings and special board meetings but only monthly regular meetings are currently open for members of the public to attend in-person and the rest are only available to watch online.

According to section 69 of the BC School Act, “the meetings of the board are open to the public.”

Prior to the pandemic members of the public were allowed to attend most board meetings except in rare circumstances when sensitive matters were up for discussion.

Jung explained that during the pandemic, all VSB meetings switched to online only, however she struggled to explain why that policy has since been updated for some meetings and not for others.

“As things change post-pandemic, that could potentially change but right now that’s just the way it is,” she said.

CTV News pressed her to elaborate on why that’s the way it is.

“As I mentioned there’s an avenue for all of those to engage. There will always be an open board meeting for people to come speak, or to be in person,” she said referring to the one monthly meeting not restricted to online viewing.

Premier David Eby was also on hand at the assembly celebrating Bayview Elementary and CTV News asked him to weigh in on the issue as well.

"The default for government in our province is that it's open and transparent and that applies all the way from local government to the provincial government and everything that we do,” Eby said.

The proposed VSB budget will also be discussed at meetings on April 19 and 26, but the public will once again be locked out and only able to watch the proceedings via a livestream.