‘Being able to listen to the meetings from home is so convenient,’ says local parent By durhamregion.com staff
Tue., Feb. 22, 2022
For the past two years, government has taken on a significant role in how we work, shop and enjoy life.
From mask and vaccine mandates, to capacity limits and online school, government has become firmly entrenched in everyone’s life.
Yet while people across the country argue about what role the provincial and federal governments should play as we (hopefully) move out of this pandemic, something else happened in our communities, something some of us perhaps did not even notice.
As municipal councils, school boards, police service meetings and even court had to transition to a virtual world, local government quickly became far more accessible than it had ever been before.
Below we talk to those who welcome this advancement and hope we do not fall back to old habits when the pandemic is over.
DYLAN REYNOLDS
Dylan Reynolds is a DDSB student at Pine Ridge Secondary School who has become a regular fixture at the public question portion of DDSB meetings.
He didn’t attend in-person meetings prior to the pandemic, because it’s too difficult for him to get to the board office in Whitby for evening meetings.
Reynolds first participated to ask questions about March break being pushed to April in 2021, and now he asks questions often.
As a person with a disability, Reynolds says the virtual format makes meetings more accessible to him and he hopes there will still be a way to tune in online after the pandemic ends.
EVA KYRIAKIDES
Eva Kyriakides, chair of the DDSB’s Special Education Advisory Committee, says there are pros and cons to the virtual meeting format.
Online meetings are “excellent” from an accessibility standpoint, she says, making it easier for members of the public to watch and for committee members to participate even if they face an issue like child care falling through.
“The flip side of the virtual format is that the flow of the meeting is not as smooth and, over time, participation in conversations is not as robust as it was in person,” says Kyriakides, who is also chair of the SCC at Pickering High School.
Ideally, she would like to see meetings return to in-person to allow for better conversations, while still maintaining a livestream that makes them more accessible to the public.
SARAH TAYLOR
For Clarington resident Sarah Taylor, and many like her, virtual meetings make it possible to volunteer to build up their community.
Taylor joined the Accessibility Advisory Committee to help make Clarington accessible and inclusive for everyone. She has multiple sclerosis and an “uncooperative” right leg.
“My son was a little over two when we moved here. My leg was being a challenge and, pushing a stroller, I started to be aware of situations that were accommodating or not accommodating for someone with mobility issues,” said Taylor.
Through the committee she’s learned about efforts to make Clarington more accessible and has advocated for better multi-use paths connecting the communities, so she can ride her e-bike with her son while he bicycles.
“I’m exposed to such a higher level of detail on all the efforts, the ideas, the applications for grants,” said Taylor. “Clarington is very proactive and forward thinking. It feels like an honour to be working with such a progressive community.”
The pandemic struck just a few months after Taylor joined Clarington’s accessibility committee. Now the meetings are held virtually each month.
On the meeting night in early February, Taylor’s husband had to work late and she was still able to get dinner on the table and attend the meeting – while her seven-year-old son Theo enjoyed the rare treat of playing on a tablet.
Taylor remembers when the committee met in-person, one member relied on Durham Region accessible transit to attend. He would often have to leave the meetings early to meet the transit schedule.
Over the course of the pandemic, Taylor has stopped driving. Even when pandemic restrictions change, Taylor would like to continue participating virtually.
“I would continue to benefit with having virtual meetings – Over time with my condition, I will become less mobile. In future, that could be a deciding factor if I was able to continue volunteering on different committees. I would still always want to give my time. Virtual becomes a staple for me,” said Taylor.
ROBERT LINDSEY
First, Robert Lindsey had to deal with the sudden and violent death of his twin brother, Richard.
Then, his and Richard’s loved ones faced their next challenge: the court process for the woman accused of impaired driving causing Richard’s death.
The crash occurred around 3 a.m. Nov. 19, 2018 in Ajax. Melanie St. Louis was southbound on Salem Road in Ajax when her SUV collided with a vehicle driven by Lindsey, an employee of a private security company, as it proceeded eastbound from the off-ramp at Highway 401.
The court process began the next day, with a hearing that saw St. Louis released on bail. But as the case proceeded through the system, it was interrupted by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying closures and restrictions.
Finally, in January of 2021, St. Louis pleaded guilty during a hearing conducted online. When a sentencing hearing, also online, occurred in March of 2021, Robert Lindsey was among those who provided heartfelt victim impact statements about their loss.
St. Louis was eventually sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
Recalling the process, Robert said it was frustrating not to be able to attend court in person. He worried that nuances of the case and its effect on Richard’s loved ones might be lost on a judge who sat in isolation, watching a computer screen, as it played out.
“That was in my mind,” he said. “I understand COVID is a huge issue, but it was hard on me. We just took it day by day.”
Ultimately, however, Robert was grateful for the efforts undertaken to see the case through to its conclusion.