With council chambers packed to the rafters, it was time to finally make a decision on the controversial gas plant expansion.
Back in September, the council agenda in Thorold included an item from Northland Power, which was seeking council’s endorsement of a project to expand its gas plant operation. In its pitch to councillors, the energy company explained that the expansion would only be a “peaking plant” that would be used during times of high demand for energy. The company said the additional gas plant resources would idle most of the time, only switching on about five percent of the day, at most.
That didn’t stop a phalanx of climate activists and turtle huggers from showing up to oppose the project. They urged council to vote against the gas plant project endorsement and yammered on about renewable energy and all that jazz.
After both sides had made their case, it was time for councillors to make a decision. In a dramatic recorded vote, councillors voted unanimously against the gas plant project, at which point the council chambers erupted into calamitous applause.
What an absolute tragedy. No, not the actual vote. I’m talking about the applause.
Cut that malarkey out. Council chambers are hallowed spaces that should be given the respect they deserve. They are places of stoic, sober consideration. This isn’t your snot-nosed kid’s Sunday morning soccer game, where you can cheer and clap and spill your Timmys Double-Double while you gesticulate wildly and scream at the ref. Show some respect.
Having been a city hall reporter for more than a decade, I can tell you there is nothing that grinds my gears more than a lack of decorum from the gallery during a contentious council issue.
The onus for maintaining a proper atmosphere inside the council chambers falls directly on the mayor, and unfortunately, in my experience, if the mayor intervenes at all, it’s only ever done unevenly.
One time, during a very testy debate over a proposed condo project, I watched the mayor scold the audience for applauding during a presentation from a delegate who was speaking in support of the project. He even threatened to have them removed if they continued.
It was then that I realized he was only applying the rules of decorum to the side of the room which he personally disagreed with
I recalled thinking, wow, well done. Then a few minutes later, as someone on the other side of the debate was speaking against the project, people applauded and he did nothing. He let them clap and whistle and cheer away.
It was then that I realized he was only applying the rules of decorum to the side of the room which he personally disagreed with, while letting his own supporters act like hooligans. Shameful stuff. Alas, I came to realize that is pretty much par for the course as these things go.
The people in the council chambers that night in Thorold who clapped and cheered as councillors voted against the gas plant were allowed to do so because they were on the same side as council. Had they been on the other side of the fence, booing and jeering during the vote, they very likely would have been told to simmer down and stop.
In my opinion, council chambers should operate like a courtroom, meaning if you are in the gallery, you are there to observe, quietly, and respectfully. Of course, mayors are free to operate meetings how they wish. But if they are going to tolerate a breach of conduct from one side, they should at least feel compelled to extend that same courtesy to both sides of the debate. They never do, though.
Oh, and what about the actual gas plant expansion? Did they make the right decision? Probably not. Buncha tree-huggers saying, “Oh put solar panels there.” Look, solar is terrible. It’s a horribly inefficient use of land. Nuclear and renewable natural gas (RNG) are the ways to go.
Please applaud my bravery for saying as such and standing up to the climate gestapo.
James Culic has never hugged a turtle. Find out how to yell at him at the bottom of the page.
