City council and YouTube

By Letter to the Editor on May 21, 2020.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my local government, for without it I would never have discovered the LoungeV Films YouTube channel.

Our mayor recently described the extensive work of the council as involving the formation of approximately 16 subcommittees dedicated to COVID responses. On Thursday, April 23, being a COVID shut-in, I figured what better time to check out the council’s webpages and see some of this action. I discovered two unexpected entries dated Tuesday, April 21: the first, a meeting held entirely in camera at 1:30 that day, apparently about an “advocacy matter.” No doubt we will all learn one day for what exactly our City was secretly advocating.

But the second really caught my eye, for it featured a livestream feed. A livestream on a two-day-old agenda-less item? What was going on? Someone at city hall was livestreaming their computer monitor, displaying LoungeV Films’ gorgeous production of “Fly Away to a Tropical Island!” featuring stunning vistas of the Dominican Republic (it also has soothing music and the sound of waves lapping at the shore).

Transfixed, I knew something useful must be going on here. Perhaps the beginning of a post-COVID recovery effort, a messaging campaign to get away for some sun and fun, and be sure to fly out from the Lethbridge Airport. It’s a brilliant combination of mental-health promotion and economic development!

Eventually my anonymous benefactor switched to a different video – an unlisted private channel recording of the April 13 meeting of the city council of Bellingham. It seems to have been conducted entirely remotely. Perhaps our council wants to do that. I’m unsure how watching Bellingham’s video tells us how to accomplish that, but what do I know about such things?

Sadly, at about 11:17 there was the sound of a door opening, a human voice and É the livestream abruptly ended. Later in the day some more of the Bellingham meeting was streamed, and 36 minutes of that was even uploaded to the City of Lethbridge YouTube channel (without sound). Regrettably, the LoungeV footage didn’t make the cut.

Whatever the utility of all this, I do know I will be lulled to sleep tonight with the sound of the gentle waters of Playa Grande playing in my ears. For that, thank you!

Brett Babki

Lethbridge

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