Coun. Garth Frizzell is a techie.
The owner of his own software company, Frizzell spends ample time immersed in the world of zeros and ones.
So as he makes a play for the national stage at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), it's no surprise the councillor is aiming to bring some of the latest online wizardry as part of his platform.
Frizzell is running for third vice president of the organization, which is hosting its annual general meeting in Saskatoon this weekend.
He holds at his disposal the distinction of being the first Canadian politician to experiment with a new social media tool allowing him to connect directly his constituents.
For the past month, Frizzell has hosted townhall meetings online, using a brand new component of Google + called Hangouts on the Air.
These hangouts, known on the councillor's website as Bringing Canadians Together, allow him and nine other Google + users to have video conference discussions that are streamed live as well as recorded and posted on Frizzell's YouTube channel.
And in true hipster fashion, Frizzell is doing it before it goes mainstream. The technology isn't actually widely available and won't be fully rolled out until late this summer.
Southern California-based social-media marketing company Tekpersona is one of the groups to whom Google has given access.
"This is not just the leading edge, but the bleeding edge of technology," said Tekspersona CEO J.C. Kendall.
Kendall was introduced to Frizzell through a mutual friend.
"She told me about this dynamic politician who was going places," Kendall said. Since that introduction, he has hosted and facilitated Frizzell's hangouts. "It was an immediate fit because technology is really going to be the key for bringing Canadians together."
Frizzell's use of the technology is exactly in line with what Google engineers had in mind when it was developed.
"Google + Hangouts are enabling politicians and opinion leaders around the world to connect face-to-face with their constituents in a more personal and intimate way," said Google's director of engineering Chee Chew. "Hangouts are really taking citizen participation to a whole new level."
While technology isn't always the solution, Frizzell said it's a major tool that can be of benefit to the FCM's problem-solving discussions.
"We represent 10,000 mayors and councillors across Canada and I think that collective voice has to be harnessed somehow," said Frizzell. "With these hangouts, it's one way of getting these messages across in a real manner. It's face to face, it's unfiltered, it's direct."
Not only would the video conferencing facilitate better communication, it could save money, Frizzell said, replacing teleconference phone bills or travel. "I can't say it's going to be the panacea, but you've got to try out new ideas."
Since its launch, Frizzell has hosted MPs Dan Albus and Joyce Murray in the hangouts and covered topics such as trade, tourism and patching potholes. He has even hosted a forum in French.
"I think he's just a natural and he cares," said Kendall, who noted that Frizzell is now trained to run Hangouts on the Air by himself. "When you do a hangout there's no filtering, you're at the mercy of your audience and they can ask you anything... I think it's just a great thing and I'm thrilled to be able to help."
