Vernon residents will need to go virtual to have their say on a large Davison Road development or an Alexis Drive apartment in the works.
City council and public hearings continue to be closed to the public to attend in person, under Provincial Health Officer orders. But Vernon residents can speak out online.
An upcoming Jan. 11 public hearing will be held on Zoom for those wanting to attend and be added as a speaker.
All written submissions and requests to speak virtually must be submitted to the corporate officer by 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. Requests to attend the public hearing virtually can be emailed to phearings@vernon.ca.
“The City of Vernon continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation in B.C. and make adjustments, as necessary, to comply with directives and orders from B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer (PHO), senior levels of government and WorkSafe BC,” the city states.
“Under the PHO order – gatherings and events, members of the public are prohibited from attending city council meetings and public hearings in person. In response to the health order, the City of Vernon has temporarily extended and amended the public hearing process.”
During the Dec. 14, 2020 public hearing, city staff made presentations on three applications before council. Written submissions received by the corporate officer by 3 p.m. that day were read into the record and posted on the city’s website. Council then recessed the meeting until Jan. 11, 2021 at 5:30 p.m.
The city video records all open council meetings and public hearings and posts them for public viewing on its website here. The Dec. 14 meeting recess was intended to provide opportunity for members of the public to view the meeting online, review written submissions, and provide additional written comments for council’s consideration.
For more information on public hearings, or to read information on the current applications before council, visit www.vernon.ca/publichearings.
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