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2 Friday, September 23, 2016brooklintowncrier.com Bulletin: You can now watch Whitby council meetings live online. See the story below for details. End of column. Less than Half the Picture By Richard Bercuson Hair! Makeup! Whoa. Not yet. I did that a couple of weeks ago. It was Tuesday evening, Sept. 6. For those dying to know how and when this paper is cobbled together, it normally happens on Tuesday afternoons. Rhonda (perhaps you've heard of her) and I commiserate on what is to go where. She's at her hacienda; I'm at mine. Neither can see if the other is dipping into what my granddaughter calls Happy Juice. If there are typos, it was the Cabernet Sauvignon. That was the evening KPMG presented its mammoth report on what Whitby should consider for improvements (page 5 of our Sept. 9 issue). I watched it. I was impressed. Now you first need to keep in mind I'm more accustomed to being in hockey board or school staff meetings. In the former, where I was, people got emotional and nothing much was accomplished except to learn few did research, asked questions, worked collaboratively or examined nuanced approaches. As for school staff meetings, they should be re-titled "Principal's Dissertation on What's Going to Happen, say, Tomorrow." So the Whitby council meeting was somewhat refreshing. You really ought to tune in. Everyone is seated and relatively quiet. They have an air of decorum. Or is that snoreless snoozing? Questions are posed politely. Some answers were slippery but then that happens at home, too. "Richard, did you do the dishes?" "I have done some dishes at some point in our marriage." If you want excitement in government proceedings, then tune in to CPAC (http://www.cpac.ca/en/) during Question Period. Even the five families in "The Godfather" had more civilized gatherings. But for a true yawnfest, you can watch the Ontario proceedings online at: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/go2.jsp?Page=/webcast/webcast _main&locale=en&menuItem=dandp_webcast When not in session, the page plays Baroque music with backup vocals by Johann and the Bachs. I suppose someone with no life could make a case for the importance of watching our provincial or federal elected officials do whatever they do. Live, no less - sort of. As for the new Whitby online approach, this strikes closer to home. I'll admit to a bias towards local content - newspapers, radio, council, etc. The decisions made by council directly affect us nearly every day. When those folks take a vote, we're going to see it. Will I tune in again? You bet. For one thing, it'll reassure me that reasoned discourse does occur in government. For another, I like knowing what's going on and who's making it happen. Besides, I'd love to see a councillor ask, on point of order, "Excuse me, Mr. Mayor. Who are you wearing today?" Watch Whitby Council Meetings Live Online Residents can now watch Standing Committee and Council meetings live online. This newly added technology means anyone, anywhere with internet access will be able to watch Whitby Council in real time. Earlier this year, Council approved a one-year pilot project to live stream the meetings with the goal of enhancing the transparency and access to Town Hall. "Live streaming is a big step forward for Whitby Council," said Mayor Don Mitchell. "By making meetings more convenient for residents, we are better serving them and supporting civic engagement." The live video feed on the Town's website (http://www.whitby.ca/en/townhall/livestream.asp) will show Council meetings held in Council Chambers as they happen. When there is no meeting in progress, Council is not meeting in Council Chambers, or Council is in Closed Session, a graphic will appear with the text "Currently no live stream event is available". Meeting schedules, agendas and staff reports will continue to be available on Civic Web (https://whitby.civicweb.net/Portal/). Anyone tuning into the live stream meetings can use the agendas to follow along and access reports for more information.