VANCOUVER, B.C.  — On December 10th, Green Councillor Pete Fry will introduce a motion to modernize and democratize how Vancouver residents access real-time updates on Council meetings, agendas, and speaker lists. The motion, Breaking up with the X: Equitable Access for Real-time Council Agenda and Speaker Updates, seeks to end the City’s reliance on X.com (formerly Twitter) as the sole platform for real-time public information.

“Residents shouldn’t have to give up their privacy, create a social media account, or agree to having their content used to train AI just to see when they’re scheduled to speak at Council,” said Councillor Fry. “This is about accessibility, neutrality, and basic good governance.”

Concerns About Privacy, Accessibility, and Reliability

The City currently depends on X.com as its primary channel for real-time Council updates. However, many Vancouver residents cannot or choose not to access the platform. For those without an account, X.com actively restricts viewing of key content - including City updates, which may appear months out of date.

Additionally, the platform requires users to hand over personal information such as email and phone number, while granting X expansive rights to use and reproduce user content, including for AI model training. The motion notes growing concerns about misinformation, political polarization, and documented extremist outputs from X’s AI tool, Grok.

“These issues raise real ethical, reputational, and practical concerns for a public institution,” Fry added. “Our residents deserve reliable access to civic information without having to rely on a platform embroiled in disinformation controversies.”

Hundreds of Speakers Frustrated During Budget 2026 Process

During the City’s high-profile 2026 budget deliberations, hundreds of registered speakers voiced frustration at having only one option, X.com, to track real-time scheduling updates. Many residents missed their speaking times or were left waiting for hours without clear information.

Moving Toward an Inclusive, City-Hosted Solution

Councillor Fry’s motion directs staff to:

• Explore micro-blogging alternatives using readily available open source and free programmatic alternatives that can be embedded directly on the City’s official website
• Designate the City’s website as the primary source for all real-time updates on Council meetings
  
• Develop a public education campaign to ensure residents understand the transition and can easily access inclusive, reliable updates
  

“Our official website should be the authoritative source for real-time council meeting information - not a third-party social platform with shifting rules and opaque algorithms,” said Fry. “We can do better, and today we’re taking steps to get there.”

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