Thursday, August 14, 2008

City of North Vancouver Website

The City of North Vancouver issued a press release today about a new addition to their website. They have added a large section to inform and connect residents with current sustainability initiatives. I checked it out at: www.cnv.org/Sustainability. It is a nice resource and it directly links to all the other City of North Vancouver information.

I love some of the ways North Vancouver has made Council meetings accessible to the public. Minutes and Agendas are not only available online, they are available by email subscription. You can sign up to have the info delivered right to your laptop, cellphone or computer each week. Minutes online are archived all the way back to 1907! In addition to that, Monday night Council meetings are available to watch on live streaming video. The video is then archived and available to watch on the website the very next day.

At this time in my life, I am fortunate to work part-time with a fairly flexible schedule. If I want to attend a meeting, I can arrange that. However, a few years ago, I worked the afternoon shift. I could never attend a meeting unless I booked a vacation day to do it. I would have really appreciated the option of watching the video the next day!

The website also includes a short, but thoughtful, paragraph on "Matters of Protocol" for people wishing to give public input or speak as a delegation to Council. I think this is valuable. I know that I felt very nervous speaking in front of Council for the first time and I certainly didn't know to call the Mayor "Your Worship". I think that this kind of info encourages good public engagement.

I'm very impressed with North Vancouver's website!

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