Council's quiet meetings mean you probably missed this

It’s always a little… *interesting*… when City Council decides to do a lot of its work behind closed doors. You might not have noticed, what with the Oilers making another push for the playoffs – a truly spiritual experience, watching those boys – but council spent a good chunk of May 6th in private.

According to the council motions, they adopted their agenda 10 to 0, which included a "City Manager Update" that was immediately moved to be private. Then, Councillor K. Tang actually moved that Council meet in *public*, which, you know, is a nice thought. That didn't go anywhere. Instead, Councillor T. Parmar successfully moved, 12 to 0, that they meet in private due to concerns about "personal privacy," "intergovernmental relations," and "advice from officials."

* **May 6th Private Meetings:** Council held multiple votes to move discussions into private sessions.

* **Key Motions:** Councillor T. Parmar’s motion to go private passed 12-0.

* **Reasons Cited:** Sections 20, 26, and 29 of the *Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act* were referenced, concerning personal privacy, intergovernmental relations, and official advice respectively.

Honestly though, it always makes you wonder what exactly is so sensitive that it can’t be discussed in the open. It's not like they're debating the existential crisis of a bad power play, is it? We'll have to see if any of these private discussions eventually manifest as public policy or if they just remain, as T.S. Eliot might put it, "private reports... on secret scrolls."

Edmonton doesn't need your approval. Never did.

Honestly, you should hear the crew on the morning show break down what these 'private reports' really mean for you. Catch them at mornings.live.