Transparency at City Hall: A Half-Million-Dollar Question

The debate over livestreaming Mayor Olivia Chow's media appearances has sparked a messy discussion about public access to information at city hall, with a price tag estimated to be as high as $600,000 per year. Coun. Brad Bradford proposed a motion to livestream the mayor's appearances after his staff were asked to leave a couple of press conferences held inside her office. The motion was deferred to Tuesday's executive committee meeting, where city staff estimated the cost of livestreaming all of Chow's media appearances would be approximately $225 annually, but the additional cost of hiring four full-time employees to ensure coverage seven days a week would be $600,000.

Key Takeaways:

• Coun. Brad Bradford proposed a motion to livestream Mayor Olivia Chow's media appearances after his staff were asked to leave a couple of press conferences held inside her office.
• The motion was deferred to Tuesday's executive committee meeting, where city staff estimated the cost of livestreaming all of Chow's media appearances would be approximately $225 annually.
• However, the additional cost of hiring four full-time employees to ensure coverage seven days a week would be $600,000 per year.
• The city report stated that the heads of other levels of government have more "robust and comprehensive" communication teams with a "sizable" amount of equipment and money.
• Premier Doug Ford's team, for example, has a team of 10-20 people for pre- and post-production work at press conferences.
• Coun. Gord Perks disputed Bradford's suggestion that Torontonians aren't getting enough transparency, given how all committee and council meetings are already livestreamed and posted to YouTube.
• Coun. Josh Matlow supported Bradford's idea but not the price tag, suggesting that livestreaming press conferences and making them accessible and transparent is an objectively good idea.

Statistics:

• The estimated cost of livestreaming all of Mayor Chow's media appearances is approximately $225 annually.
• The additional cost of hiring four full-time employees to ensure coverage seven days a week would be $600,000 per year.
• Premier Doug Ford's team has a team of 10-20 people for pre- and post-production work at press conferences.
• There are approximately 225 media appearances made by Mayor Chow annually.
• The city's current staffing levels can only accommodate about four to six mayoral livestreams a year.

Sources:

• Toronto Star, "How easy should it be to watch your mayor talk to the media?"
• City of Toronto report on livestreaming costs and staffing levels (undated).
• Premier Doug Ford's team structure and communication practices (undated).
• Coun. Brad Bradford's proposed motion to livestream Mayor Chow's media appearances (February 2023).
• Coun. Gord Perks' statement on transparency and livestreaming (February 2023).
• Coun. Josh Matlow's statement on transparency and livestreaming (February 2023).