On 13Sept2016 there was a special meeting of North Huron council in Blyth. Current reeve neil vincent granted the Public and Press permission to record the meeting. The reeve granted this permission to record since town staff were not going to stream the meeting live, nor were they going to record it and post it on YouTube later.
Current reeve neil vincent stated it was ok for the Public & Press to record the meeting as long as they did not disrupt the meeting by doing so. This was done in the parking lot in front of multiple witnesses just prior to the meeting.
Moments after neil vincent entered the building he was quickly put in his place by current clerk kathy adams. Adams over-rode vincent’s decision and declared there would be absolutely no recording. Kathy adams also stated it was illegal to create a transcript of the meeting, and that council would not entertain a motion to allow recording.
Current reeve neil vincent simply stood there with his head lowered in apparent humiliation as kathy adams rudley counter-commanded his public declaration that recording by the Press and Public would be allowed. Reeve neil vincent stated he was powerless/impotent and stated “I’m only the reeve” and that he could do nothing to honor his word from a few minutes before regarding recording the meeting.
Kathy adams stated the reeve was ignorant regarding 30.1 of the procedural by-law and that it was in full force and could not be over-ridden.
NOTE: This was all before the meeting started, it only go much worse for reeve neil vincent as the meeting progressed.
